Systems | Development | Analytics | API | Testing

The AI revolution in finance is no longer a question of “if” but “how fast” and “how responsibly.” While our previous posts explored AI auditability frameworks, agentic workflows that transform finance operations, and building AI native Finance teams, today’s CFOs face an equally critical challenge: successfully navigating the complex and rapidly evolving landscape of AI compliance.

Any time an organization closes the books or practices the governance needed to meet regulatory demand, it relies on reporting. Reporting technology is designed to save time while increasing accuracy, but many long-standing reporting vendors are existing or de-emphasizing this still-essential space. This leaves a gap for teams that need a modern, production-grade reporting solution. And when choosing between reporting tools, architecture is important.

For the fifth consecutive year, Dresnor Advisory Services has recognized insightsoftware Data + Analytics as a top Embedded Business Intelligence solution. This year’s dual recognition, winning both the 2025 Technology Innovation Award and 2025 Application Innovation Award, reinforces Logi Symphony’s position as the market’s premier solution for embedding analytics directly into applications.

As AI continues to rise in importance across all industries, the cost of implementation, readily available access to cloud computing, and practical business use cases make AI-powered offerings a competitive advantage for product managers, engineering, and data leaders. However, AI isn’t without its fair share of risks and challenges.

Another year has flown by at breakneck speed. In the data and analytics space, the past year has seen an AI gold rush where BI and analytics solutions raced to offer AI-powered insights to best meet end users’ rising expectations. But despite AI being named the most important trend of the next five years in an insightsoftware survey, it isn’t an exact science as organizations contend with AI projects that fail to launch and the risk of AI hallucinations.

Microsoft officially retired the built-in Salesforce ODBC connector in Access on October 28, 2025 for Microsoft 365 monthly versions and November 11 for semi-annual and perpetual licenses. Teams that relied on Access for quick Salesforce data pulls, lightweight reports, and dashboard connections suddenly found their Microsoft Access Salesforce connection not working. Here, we discuss what happened, who’s affected, and how to get your data flowing again with minimal disruption.

Businesses of all sizes rely on detailed budgets to stay aligned on internal goals, monitor their spending, and make decisions that advance their company. Without an effective budget process, businesses increase their risk for costly errors, react more slowly to market shifts, and spend more time on managing numbers than on advancing strategy.

The gap between having data and getting actionable insights has always been a challenge in business intelligence. Users face dashboards filled with information but struggle to answer critical questions without exporting to Excel, waiting on developers, or missing key trends hidden in their filtered data. But with technological advancements like natural language AI agents, users can access insights and patterns they might otherwise miss.

Your first data integration took two weeks. The second took three weeks, because you had to refactor some code. Your third one is now in week five, and you’re realizing the architecture you built for two sources doesn’t scale to three. If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. This isn’t because your team isn’t capable. It’s because data integration complexity doesn’t scale linearly. It compounds. It doesn’t have to be this way.

For many finance leaders, 2025 was a year of upheaval, chaos, and uncertainty. Between supply chain disruptions, tariffs, interest rates, and other challenges, plenty of leaders spent their time just keeping the team afloat. As 2026 begins, it’s time to shift to a better perspective. With the right tools and attitude, finance professionals can set and meet goals that are more than just keeping your head above water.