https://esm.business/ Relevant news on agentic AI, ESM around ServiceNow, digital sovereignty and tech in practice. en Mon, 02 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://esm.business/#gft-itau-batch2cloud-mainframe-ki-agenten esm-business-gft-itau-batch2cloud-mainframe-ki-agenten AI adoption Mon, 02 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 GFT and Itaú Unibanco use AI agents to move mainframe batch jobs to the cloud. After the first phase, migration time is said to have fallen by up to 70%. According to IT Finanzmagazin, neither partner discloses baselines or the number of jobs migrated. Why it matters Shows AI agents applied to legacy bank modernisation. The figure comes from the parties involved and is of limited value without a baseline. Source: IT Finanzmagazin https://esm.business/#oracle-deep-trust-ai-architecture-agenten-regeln esm-business-oracle-deep-trust-ai-architecture-agenten-regeln Tech in practice Mon, 02 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Oracle has unveiled its Deep Trust AI Architecture. Security and business rules are meant to apply in the database regardless of whether an application or an AI agent accesses it, for example via MCP or NL2SQL. According to heise, Oracle names no rollout date or price. Why it matters Moves control of agent access to the data source. It is a blueprint combining several features that must be checked per environment. Source: heise online https://esm.business/#cofinpro-banken-souveraenitaet-studie-2026 esm-business-cofinpro-banken-souveraenitaet-studie-2026 Sovereignty Fri, 30 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 IT-Finanzmagazin reports that just 11% of 137 surveyed German financial-services experts view their institution as largely digitally sovereign. Some 73% give the topic high priority; 68% see the greatest vendor dependencies in workplace and collaboration platforms. Cofinpro and VÖB-Service published the study. Why it matters Highlights platform dependencies and ownership gaps. These are experts' self-assessments, not technical tests of their institutions' ability to exit a provider. Source: IT-Finanzmagazin https://esm.business/#sap-teched-joule-enterprise-ai-gateway-2027 esm-business-sap-teched-joule-enterprise-ai-gateway-2027 Tech in practice Fri, 30 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 At TechEd in Berlin, SAP presented new Joule and governance capabilities, Computerwoche reports. MCP and A2A are intended to connect external systems and agents. The Enterprise AI Gateway for authentication, policies, monitoring and auditing is scheduled for general availability in Q1 2027. Why it matters Relevant to agent control across mixed SAP and non-SAP environments. Announced capabilities do not demonstrate production results; DSAG calls for reliable usage and cost controls. Source: Computerwoche https://esm.business/#aumovio-gec-industrial-ai-ursachenanalyse esm-business-aumovio-gec-industrial-ai-ursachenanalyse AI adoption Fri, 30 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 CIO.de reports that Aumovio uses GEC's Pareto agent to analyse production and quality data at its Frankfurt-Rödelheim plant. The plant manager says analyses now take minutes rather than days. Other agents provide access to operational knowledge and monitor metrics on a shared data foundation. Why it matters An industrial case of agents sharing data under defined access permissions. Timing comes from the customer account; the report does not quantify factory-wide productivity gains. Source: CIO.de https://esm.business/#villeroy-boch-talkdesk-salesforce-kundenservice esm-business-villeroy-boch-talkdesk-salesforce-kundenservice AI adoption Fri, 30 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 CIO.de reports that Villeroy & Boch consolidated customer-service processes on Talkdesk CXA and connected it to Salesforce. Incoming calls open the relevant customer profile, and call details are logged automatically. Context-based routing helps direct enquiries; the report does not quantify time savings. Why it matters Shows service automation linked to CRM in operation. Platform AI capabilities should be distinguished from demonstrated use of individual autonomous agents and measured impact. Source: CIO.de https://esm.business/#servicenow-sict-shadow-ai-toolsmith esm-business-servicenow-sict-shadow-ai-toolsmith ESM & ServiceNow Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 ServiceNow is expanding its AI Control Tower, now renamed Super Intelligence Control Tower. According to the vendor, it adds over 400 connectors, shadow-AI detection and AI cost management by the end of 2026, plus ToolSmith for EmployeeWorks. Analysts note that enforcement through throttling and blocking is still missing. Why it matters Shows how platform vendors aim to combine agent inventory, cost and control. Much is still announced; actual enforcement remains the deciding factor. Source: Computerwoche https://esm.business/#bsi-plattner-regulierung-ki-agenten esm-business-bsi-plattner-regulierung-ki-agenten Tech in practice Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 In an interview with Der Spiegel, BSI president Claudia Plattner accuses the major AI vendors of insufficient commitment to cybersecurity. She wants rules that settle who owns an agent, who commissioned it and what it may do, plus a body to check compliance. She also raises possible liability for vendors. Why it matters Indicates where German oversight is heading on agent identity and accountability. It is a demand, not adopted rules. Source: CIO.de (dpa) https://esm.business/#swiss-medical-ambient-scribe-dokumente esm-business-swiss-medical-ambient-scribe-dokumente AI adoption Fri, 23 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 CIO.de reports that Swiss Medical Network created 43,967 AI-assisted documents in eight months. Rolled out since January, the Heidi Health service drafts notes and letters from consultations and connects to hospital and practice systems. The reported time savings are calculated estimates. Why it matters A Swiss example of integrated clinical documentation supported by clinician champions. Document counts demonstrate usage; they do not establish more patient time or improved care. Source: CIO.de https://esm.business/#metro-grand-slam-itsm-bestellbearbeitung esm-business-metro-grand-slam-itsm-bestellbearbeitung ESM & ServiceNow Fri, 23 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 METRO modernised ITSM with ServiceNow as part of its Grand Slam programme. Its CIO reports that processing time for roughly eight million orders captured non-digitally each year fell from 15 to two minutes. This is a programme-wide result, not an isolated measure of ServiceNow's impact. Why it matters Links ITSM modernisation, platform teams and measurable process changes. Assessment requires distinguishing programme-wide outcomes from the contribution of any single tool. Source: CIO.de https://esm.business/#finom-mcp-kontodaten-lesezugriff esm-business-finom-mcp-kontodaten-lesezugriff Tech in practice Fri, 23 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 IT-Finanzmagazin reports that Finom is rolling out MCP access for European business accounts. Claude and ChatGPT can read authorised account data; payments and account changes are excluded. User-approved actions remain planned, while retrieved data is processed by the customer's AI provider. Why it matters A concrete MCP application in German and European financial services. Role permissions, revocable authorisation and data processing by the AI provider define its practical scope. Source: IT-Finanzmagazin https://esm.business/#redwood-agenten-governance-studie-2026 esm-business-redwood-agenten-governance-studie-2026 Tech in practice Fri, 23 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 In a Redwood-published survey of 300 technology, risk and AI leaders and practitioners, 77% report negative consequences from ungoverned AI agents. Unexpected cloud costs are most common, followed by operational disruption and compliance issues. Leger Opinion collected the panel data. Why it matters Connects agent governance with cost control and operations. The vendor study reports sample respondents' experiences; 77% is not a general security incident rate for all companies. Source: Redwood Software https://esm.business/#servicenow-arc-ga-nvidia-openshell esm-business-servicenow-arc-ga-nvidia-openshell ESM & ServiceNow Fri, 23 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 At GTC in Berlin, ServiceNow announced general availability of Arc in EmployeeWorks. The personal agent is designed to execute tasks under central policies and NVIDIA OpenShell; Mac is supported and Windows is planned. AI Passport enforcement through OpenShell and BlueField remains planned for a future release. Why it matters A new ServiceNow offering for personal work agents and runtime controls. Availability and security features are vendor claims; the announcement provides no measured customer outcomes. Source: ServiceNow https://esm.business/#nettetal-netteki-souveraene-verwaltung esm-business-nettetal-netteki-souveraene-verwaltung AI adoption Wed, 21 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 CIO reports that about 300 of Nettetal's roughly 580 municipal staff regularly use its in-house NetteKI portal. Separate zones cover local models, European cloud services and international models restricted to anonymised requests. Training is required for access; a self-hosted RAG system provides internal knowledge. Why it matters A municipal example of tiered data access, training and self-operated AI. Usage figures come from the report and do not establish blanket data-protection approval for other authorities. Source: CIO.de https://esm.business/#otto-gaia-agent-vertriebssteuerung esm-business-otto-gaia-agent-vertriebssteuerung AI adoption Wed, 21 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 According to a CIO interview, OTTO uses its Snowflake-based GAIA agent to analyse retail data and prepare decisions on customer offers. A data foundation, marketplace and semantic models underpin the application. The report does not quantify substantiated cost savings. Why it matters Shows agents building on existing data organisation and business semantics. People retain control; the described deployment does not establish a measured revenue or cost effect. Source: CIO.de https://esm.business/#bitkom-digitalimporte-reichweite-2026 esm-business-bitkom-digitalimporte-reichweite-2026 Sovereignty Wed, 21 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Bitkom surveyed 602 German companies with at least 20 employees about digital dependencies. Some 96% import technologies or services. They estimate they could withstand a complete loss of such imports for an average of 16 months, compared with 14 months in 2025. Why it matters The survey covers hardware, software and services. The time estimate is self-reported, not a tested measure of resilience, and highlights the need for fallback and switching options. Source: Bitkom https://esm.business/#servicenow-agentic-security-studie-2026 esm-business-servicenow-agentic-security-studie-2026 Tech in practice Wed, 21 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 In a ServiceNow/Phronesis survey of over 3,700 security and technology leaders across 20 countries, 90% report an agentic AI security incident in the past year. Only 36% of those organisations contained it within 24 hours. Some 97% of respondents represent companies with annual revenue of at least $250m. Why it matters A vendor study mainly covering larger enterprises, not a representative incident rate for all firms. It highlights gaps in agent inventories, permission control and rapid response. Source: ServiceNow / Phronesis Partners https://esm.business/#kpmg-cloud-monitor-2026-souveraenitaet-at esm-business-kpmg-cloud-monitor-2026-souveraenitaet-at Sovereignty Mon, 19 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 In a KPMG survey of 202 Austrian companies, 58% are assessing the relevance of sovereign cloud offerings and 50% are looking for alternatives because of geopolitics. 42% consider a premium of up to 20% reasonable; 76% already run multi-cloud. Why it matters Shows sovereignty becoming a selection criterion in the DACH region, mostly as a targeted building block in hybrid multi-cloud estates. Only cloud-using firms with 20+ employees were surveyed. Source: APA-OTS (KPMG Austria) https://esm.business/#siemens-energy-it-ki-35000-nutzer esm-business-siemens-energy-it-ki-35000-nutzer AI adoption Mon, 19 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 According to a Computerwoche profile, over 35,000 Siemens Energy employees use the company's own chatbot and about 60,000 use Copilot tools. More than 210 production AI applications are recorded in a central governance database, overseen by an AI Governance Council. The figures come from the CIDO. Why it matters An example of how an industrial group pairs broad AI adoption with a central application register and a governance body. Source: Computerwoche https://esm.business/#barmer-agentische-ki-vier-kernprozesse esm-business-barmer-agentische-ki-vier-kernprozesse AI adoption Fri, 16 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 CIO reports that Barmer has been automating copayment exemptions, family insurance, vaccination reimbursements and a care process with AI agents since early 2026. An AWS-based data and AI platform underpins this. Annual savings in the tens of millions are business-case potential, not demonstrated savings. Why it matters Shows agentic automation in regulated health care with shared responsibility for data, operations and governance. Process coverage and projected savings remain distinct measures. Source: CIO.de https://esm.business/#hensoldt-nova-servicenow-toolreduktion esm-business-hensoldt-nova-servicenow-toolreduktion ESM & ServiceNow Fri, 16 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Hensoldt has established a global ServiceNow platform for standardised business processes within its NOVA transformation. CIO reports that over ten core systems were harmonised and the tool landscape shrank by about 40%. That figure covers the whole programme, not ServiceNow alone. Why it matters Connects ESM with application simplification, governance and resilient operations. A programme-wide outcome cannot be attributed to one platform product. Source: CIO.de https://esm.business/#astrazeneca-amnog-dossier-agent esm-business-astrazeneca-amnog-dossier-agent AI adoption Fri, 16 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 AstraZeneca Germany uses an AI agent to automate data-intensive sections of AMNOG benefit dossiers, CIO reports. The article cites preparation shortened by several months and costs reduced by up to 20%. The application forms part of AZ Brain; agentic tasks remain under human oversight. Why it matters A concrete agent deployment in a regulated specialist workflow. Reported effects concern dossier preparation and do not independently demonstrate improved patient care. Source: CIO.de https://esm.business/#de-cix-mcp-netzmanagement-beta esm-business-de-cix-mcp-netzmanagement-beta Tech in practice Fri, 16 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 DE-CIX offers an open-source MCP server for network and cloud connections, translating natural-language instructions into IX-API calls. Computerwoche says customers can beta-test it with their own services and self-host the server. An isolated browser sandbox is also available. Why it matters A concrete integration pattern for agents in network operations. The beta and sandbox enable trials but do not establish reliable time savings or production readiness. Source: Computerwoche https://esm.business/#servicenow-ai-passport-laufzeitrechte esm-business-servicenow-ai-passport-laufzeitrechte ESM & ServiceNow Fri, 16 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 ServiceNow announced AI Passport for runtime verification of agent permissions and over 400 connectors for AI discovery. NVIDIA is helping develop infrastructure-level enforcement. AI Passport, shadow AI detection and AI Cost Management are expected in Q4 2026. Why it matters The architecture ties permission credentials to the CMDB, policies and approvals. These are announced vendor capabilities, not independent evidence of their protective effect. Source: ServiceNow Newsroom https://esm.business/#secunet-servicenow-souveraene-partnercloud esm-business-secunet-servicenow-souveraene-partnercloud Sovereignty Fri, 16 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 secunet and ServiceNow plan a partner cloud for public bodies and highly regulated companies. secunet says the ServiceNow AI Platform will run in German data centres with controlled operations and access. The service, being developed for VS-NfD classified information too, is expected during 2027. Why it matters A planned operating model for ServiceNow in regulated German environments. The VS-NfD scope is a development objective, not evidence of approval or current availability. Source: secunet https://esm.business/#klosterfrau-company-gpt-bestellpilot esm-business-klosterfrau-company-gpt-bestellpilot AI adoption Wed, 14 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Klosterfrau has been rolling out Company GPT since August, with access for 300 of its 1,500 staff. CIO reports that AI cut PDF order-processing time by up to 50% in a pilot, with human checks retained. Automated assessment in drug safety did not reach the required reliability. Why it matters Separates measured pilot effects from the ongoing rollout and shows limits: AI can assist order processing, while expert drug-safety assessments remain with people. Source: CIO.de https://esm.business/#tuev-bsi-agenten-risikobefragung esm-business-tuev-bsi-agenten-risikobefragung Tech in practice Wed, 14 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 A TÜV/BSI survey of 505 German companies with at least 20 employees found that 84% see a risk of AI agents making wrong decisions. Data leakage and interface vulnerabilities each concern 78%. The survey ran from June to July 2026. Why it matters These figures measure perceived risks, not incident rates. They highlight the need for verifiable safety evidence, clear accountability and limited agent permissions. Source: TÜV-Verband / BSI https://esm.business/#opendesk-erste-approved-partner esm-business-opendesk-erste-approved-partner Sovereignty Wed, 14 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 ZenDiS has approved STACKIT as openDesk's first Approved Sovereign Service Provider, with B1 Systems and DACHS IT as system integrators. ZenDiS says initial STACKIT pilot packages are available; the production service is planned for early 2027. The partners cover cloud and on-premises operations and migration. Why it matters The approved partner network expands operating and migration options for sovereign public-sector workplaces. Pilot availability does not yet demonstrate the new production service. Source: ZenDiS https://esm.business/#hackett-ki-lieferketten-kostenpotenzial esm-business-hackett-ki-lieferketten-kostenpotenzial AI adoption Wed, 14 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Using its own benchmark data, Hackett estimates that AI could cut costs from planning to delivery by 12–17% and forecast errors by up to 52%. The new CIO report describes potential gains from redesigned workflows, not guaranteed savings or results demonstrated at an individual customer. Why it matters The estimates concern connected workflows. Process scope and data quality matter; projections do not replace evidence from production use. Source: CIO.de / The Hackett Group https://esm.business/#uniper-hr-ki-agent esm-business-uniper-hr-ki-agent AI adoption Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Energy company Uniper runs an HR AI agent built on Microsoft Copilot Studio and the Celonis Context Model. Time to contract signing drops by 27 days on average, and the screening phase is 13 days shorter. Why it matters A production agent at a German group with concrete HR process metrics. Source: CIO.de