Recap Gartner Xpo 2025

The Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo 2025 in Barcelona (Nov 10-13, 2025) brought together more than six thousand CIOs and IT leaders—and it felt like the entire industry arrived with one shared focus: how to turn AI from hype into real, measurable value. Over four energizing days, we explored the future of technology, connected with customers and partners, and shared how we help businesses stay in control of their fast-growing SaaS landscapes.

Below is my personal recap of the week, shaped by the conversations we had at our booth, on stage, and across the halls of the International Barcelona Convention Center.

The Big Picture: Humans Powered by AI

The opening keynote set the tone. AI isn’t here to replace people. It’s here to empower CIOs and their teams. The message was clear and simple: organizations that blend human readiness with technical readiness will win.

Gartner shared powerful insights that resonated across the audience:

• Digital initiatives led by CIOs have double the chance of exceeding revenue goals.
• High-maturity AI organizations already have a dedicated AI leader.
• By 2030, most IT work will be human-AI collaboration.
• AI brings hidden costs—often ten for every tool purchased—so careful planning matters.
• AI will also create more than five hundred million new jobs by 2036.

One of the biggest highlights was the Gartner Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2026.

Source: Gartner Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2026

Agentic AI stood out. It’s the next big shift—systems that act, learn, and solve problems with less human intervention. Businesses were excited, but also aware that trust, governance, and security must evolve with it.

AI wasn’t the only theme. Trust, cybersecurity, cloud infrastructure, digital provenance and geopatriation opened strong discussions. The message was steady: the future will be AI-driven, but accountability and transparency must grow alongside it.

What CIOs Asked Us

The questions we heard again and again reflected the same pressure many businesses now face: a fast-expanding SaaS ecosystem, rising costs, and tightening rules around data privacy.

Many CIOs wanted to understand how to keep SaaS spending under control as the number of vendors grows. Others asked how they can ensure their data stays in Europe. It became clear that “Made in Europe” isn’t a slogan—it’s a decisive buying requirement for many European businesses. CIOs want Cloud-based services that stay close to their data, support strict protection standards, and meet evolving regulatory demands.

SaaS management has moved from “nice to have” to a core part of digital transformation.

What Resonated Most at Our Booth

Our nine-square-meter booth was packed, and conversations were focused and honest. The biggest draw was our joint talk with CEWE, Taming the SaaS Explosion — The European Way. Andreas Schmidt, Co-CIO at CEWE, shared how their team is regaining control of their SaaS landscape to reduce waste, increase transparency, and protect sensitive financial and operational data while keeping everything local.

The session sparked many follow-up questions from CIOs about SaaS, FinOps, and how our SaaS management solution supports everything from discovery to optimization. It became clear that businesses want intuitive tools they can open, understand, and act on in seconds.

One attendee summed it up well: “We’re drowning in SaaS. We’re lacking real-time overview in usages and a central dashboard, one place that makes the truth visible.”

What We Learned from the Ecosystem

The event gave us a unique chance to connect with analysts, partners, and fellow experts. Three themes stood out.

First, the whole market is moving toward automated use cases powered by AI. Second, IT management is becoming more important as environments grow in complexity, especially with AI workloads and new licensing models. Third, there’s a clear gap in budgeting and forecasting. Businesses need better cost accountability, cost allocation, and real-time visibility across their SaaS ecosystems.

Partners and analysts confirmed something we’ve been hearing from customers for a while: the winners in 2026 will be the ones who make complexity simple 

Our Conclusion of the Week

Customers want control, clarity and confidence in their IT landscape. Our mission is to support them with solutions built in Europe, designed to keep data safe, streamline costs and help businesses act fast. Barcelona reminded us why we do what we do. Businesses are shaping their future, and we’re here to make sure they have the transparency and trust they need to move forward with certainty.

If you want to explore the topics we shared at the event or learn how we support Cloud management and other IT management strategies, we’re happy to continue the conversation.