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AI, Enrollment Declines, and IT Leadership Define Education Sector’s 2025 Priorities: New Info-Tech Research Report

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Info-Tech Research Group, a global IT research and advisory firm, has released a new report that highlights six key research blueprints designed to help educational institution CIOs and IT teams respond to AI disruption, declining enrollment, governance challenges, and the evolving role of IT leadership.

TORONTO, May 9, 2025 /CNW/ – As educational institutions navigate shifting demographics, emerging technologies, and increasing demands for accountability, global research and advisory firm Info-Tech Research Group says that the role of IT leaders in the sector is growing more strategic and institution-wide. To support this evolution, Info-Tech Research Group has published its Best Research for the Education Sector 2025, a collection of industry-focused blueprints that address the sector’s most urgent technology challenges, including generative AI, enrollment, and data governance.

The firm explains that educational institutions at all levels are being challenged to rethink how technology supports learning, administration, and long-term viability. From increasing pressure to modernize ERP systems to navigating the ethical use of generative AI in classrooms, IT departments must now lead not only on infrastructure but also on innovation, risk management, and student outcomes.

“The next few years will test the adaptability of education systems around the world,” says Info-Tech Research Group’s Chief Research Officer, Gord Harrison. “From managing the impact of generative AI to tackling enrollment uncertainty, IT leaders in education must play a pivotal role in guiding their institutions through transition while ensuring responsible innovation and long-term value.”

Info-Tech’s 2025 Research Priorities for IT Leaders in Education

The following blueprints from Info-Tech address the unique challenges educational institutions are facing in 2025. The list of some of the top research that is supporting IT in the sector offers practical guidance to help IT leaders respond with strategy, speed, and long-term vision:

Understand the Implications of Generative AI in Education – The guidance in this blueprint helps education leaders take a structured, institution-wide approach to AI adoption, moving beyond reactive bans to promote responsible, ethical, and effective integration in teaching, learning, and administration.Unify IT in the Education Sector – The insights in this blueprint will help institutions align decentralized IT teams and services, creating a unified technology environment that supports scalability, operational efficiency, and improved service delivery across campuses or districts.Understand the IT Implications for the Enrollment Cliff – This research helps IT leaders assess how declining enrollment impacts institutional strategy and operations. It offers tools like PESTLE analysis to align technology initiatives with efforts to enhance competitiveness, reduce costs, and support long-term sustainability.Elevate the Role of the CIO in Higher Education – This blueprint provides a roadmap for CIOs to transition from service providers to strategic institutional leaders. It offers tools to build transformational capabilities, foster cross-campus partnerships, and position IT as a catalyst for lasting change and improved student outcomes.Establish Data Governance – The framework outlined in this blueprint assists educational institutions in aligning data governance initiatives with organizational value streams and business capabilities. It provides guidance on defining leadership, accountability, and responsibilities related to data use and handling, supported by an operating model that effectively manages change and communication.Identify a Resilient Approach to the Future of Your Higher Education ERP – This research helps institutions evaluate ERP renewal options – such as single vendor, best-of-breed, or shared data platforms – based on IT capability and institutional maturity. It guides CIOs in selecting a modernization path that balances risk, cost, and strategic alignment.

The research blueprints highlighted in Info-Tech’s Best Research for the Education Sector 2025 report provide IT leaders with practical frameworks, expert guidance, and actionable strategies for navigating digital transformation in education. As the sector faces increased pressure to adapt, the right technology leadership will be crucial to ensuring both institutional stability and student success.

To request exclusive and timely commentary from Info-Tech’s experts on these blueprints or to download Info-Tech’s Best Research for the Education Sector 2025 resource, please contact pr@infotech.com.

Media Passes for Info-Tech LIVE 2025 in Las Vegas

Media professionals, including journalists, podcasters, and influencers, are invited to attend Info-Tech LIVE 2025 to gain exclusive access to research, content, and interviews with industry leaders. For those unable to attend in person, Info-Tech offers a digital pass option, providing access to live-streamed keynotes, select sessions, and exclusive virtual interviews with speakers and analysts.

Media professionals looking to apply for in-person or digital passes can contact pr@infotech.com to secure their spot and cover the latest advancements in IT directly from the event or remotely.

About Info-Tech Research Group

Info-Tech Research Group is one of the world’s leading research and advisory firms, proudly serving over 30,000 IT and HR professionals. The company produces unbiased, highly relevant research and provides advisory services to help leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. For nearly 30 years, Info-Tech has partnered closely with teams to provide them with everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations.

To learn more about Info-Tech’s divisions, visit McLean & Company for HR research and advisory services and SoftwareReviews for software-buying insights. 

Media professionals can register for unrestricted access to research across IT, HR, and software and hundreds of industry analysts through the firm’s Media Insiders program. To gain access, contact pr@infotech.com.

For information about Info-Tech Research Group or to access the latest research, visit infotech.com and connect via LinkedIn and X.

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Spiro’s Newest EMIR Research Reveals What Makes Brand Experiences More Effective

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The second wave of Spiro’s Experiential Marketing Impact Report (EMIR) moves beyond whether experiences work to identifying the design choices most closely associated with trust, connection and purchase intent.

LAS VEGAS, Sept. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Spiro®, a global experiential agency, today released EMIR: The Deeper Dive, the second wave of its Experiential Marketing Impact Report (EMIR), which examines how live experiences influence people and business outcomes.

The inaugural 2025 report established the business case for experiential, finding meaningful relationships between live experiences and outcomes including trust, advocacy, purchase intent and action.

Now, The Deeper Dive asks the next question: What makes some experiences work harder than others?

Based on research with 2,000 additional B2B and B2C live-event attendees, the report looks more closely at the design choices behind an experience and how those decisions relate to what people think, feel and do afterward.

“Marketers already know a great experience can be powerful. The harder questions are why it worked, what actually mattered and whether you can do it again,” said Carley Faircloth-Kilmurray, Global Chief Marketing, Strategy & Brand Experiences Officer at Spiro.

Spiro calls this the Effectiveness Era: moving the industry conversation from proving experiential works to understanding why it works and how to make it work better.

“If we understand more about what makes experiences effective, we can bring that evidence into the strategy and design process from the beginning, and make stronger decisions about the experiences we create,” said Faircloth-Kilmurray.

Among the findings:

People trust people. Knowledgeable staff increased brand trust for 43% of attendees, while 54% engaged by talking with a real person.

Clarity earns attention. 40% said a clear, easy-to-understand benefit made an experience worth their time.

Participation builds intent. Hands-on participation was associated with substantially higher purchase intent, with 85% of deeply engaged attendees reporting they were more likely to purchase.

“This research gives teams a stronger foundation for deciding what to prioritize, what to measure and what to change next time,” said Beki Winchel, VP, Marketing at Spiro. “The more we learn about what works, the better we can get at designing for it.”

From Research to Practical Application

The growing EMIR toolkit helps experiential marketers put the research to work, with a Maturity Assessment Workbook to identify where they can improve, plus a Finance Conversation Guide to build stronger internal investment conversations.

To download EMIR: The Deeper Dive and explore the strategic EMIR toolkit, visit Spiro.com.

About Spiro

Spiro is a global experiential agency built around a simple belief: great experiences create stronger bonds between brands and customers. We call that Brand Gravity™. Through strategy, creativity, production and measurement, Spiro creates experiences that strengthen those relationships and turn them into meaningful customer and business outcomes. Learn more at spiro.com.

Media Contact
Melissa Burns
Senior Director of Marketing
mburns@thisisspiro.com

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Financial Cents Launches AI Agents to Eliminate Accounting Busywork

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AI File Renaming, AI File Validator and AI File Routing agents remove repetitive document work inside firms’ existing workflow

ATLANTA, Sept. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Financial Cents today announced the launch of three AI agents — AI File Renaming, AI File Validator and AI File Routing — that remove repetitive document work from accounting and bookkeeping firms’ daily workflow. All three are available free on every Financial Cents plan, bringing effortless AI functionality to thousands of accounting and bookkeeping firms across North America.

The launch comes as small firms report a widening gap between using AI and getting value from it. In Financial Cents’ recently released State of AI in Bookkeeping & Accounting: 2026 Report — based on the company’s original survey of nearly 500 accounting and bookkeeping professionals across North America — 95% of firms said they are already using AI in some capacity, yet only about one in five could point to a clear, measurable return. The most-cited barrier to getting more value out of AI wasn’t cost, trust or skepticism, but the time required to learn and roll out a new tool.

Financial Cents built its agents around that specific problem. Rather than asking firms to adopt a new system or design an implementation plan, the agents work instantly inside the workflows teams already use, and each firm decides how much the agents handle on their own.

“Almost every firm we surveyed is already using AI, but very few are getting measurable value from it,” said Shahram Zarshenas, co-founder and CEO of Financial Cents. “The holdup isn’t skepticism, but time. That’s why we built these agents on the simple belief that good AI should ask nothing of you and your team. It shouldn’t require a new rollout, a separate workflow or a formal training day. It should immediately take repetitive work off your team’s plate, making that work better instead of just faster. And you should always stay in control of any work with your name on it.”

AI File Renaming addresses the daily nuisance of sifting through confusing file names in search of the correct document, and then having to rename the file by hand once you locate the one you need. This agent scans each file the moment the client uploads it and applies the firm’s naming convention automatically, while preserving the original file name as part of the historical record. Firms can choose to have the agent save new names independently or wait for a human to approve the suggestions first.

AI File Validator targets incorrect documents. Often, when a client uploads the wrong file (e.g., the wrong type or wrong period), no one notices until a staff member opens it hours or days later, by which point the work has already stalled. This agent checks each document against the request and accounting period at the moment of upload, gives the client clear feedback in the portal if a file appears to be incorrect and lets them fix it on the spot before it ever reaches the firm’s team.

AI File Routing tackles the busywork of sorting client uploads into the right folders by hand. This agent reads each uploaded file the moment it lands on a client task, matches it to how that client’s folders are already organized and files a copy in the best-fit folder while leaving the original on the task — automatically when it’s confident, or as a suggestion staff approve first.

Across all three agents, Financial Cents keeps the firm in control by surfacing what the agents are doing, flagging low-confidence decisions for review and leaving the final call to the team. The agents run inside Financial Cents, which is SOC 2 certified and encrypts data in transit and at rest.

The launch is part of a broader effort to give small firms an honest, practical view of AI. Alongside the agents and the newly released research report, Financial Cents also recently published the AI edition of Two Cents Magazine, featuring insights from industry experts and real firm owners, operators and staff across roles, firm sizes and locations. The goal is to give accounting and bookkeeping professionals at small and growing firms a clear look at what’s truly useful, what’s noise and how AI actually helps at this scale.

“The most important thing a firm can do right now is stay curious and keep human judgment in the loop,” Zarshenas added. “That’s what the research and this issue of the magazine are really about: cutting through the noise so firm owners can see what’s working for firms like theirs and decide for themselves what the right approach is.”

AI File Renaming, AI File Validator and AI File Routing are available now, free on every Financial Cents plan. Existing customers can turn them on under Settings > AI Agents, and firms new to Financial Cents can start a 14-day free trial at financial-cents.com. Learn more about all of Financial Cents’ AI features at financial-cents.com/artificial-intelligence.

About Financial Cents
Financial Cents is a leading practice management platform built to help accounting and bookkeeping firms streamline workflows, improve collaboration and scale without chaos. Thousands of firms across North America rely on Financial Cents to manage their work, clients and teams in one place. Learn more at financial-cents.com.

Media Contact

marketing@financial-cents.com

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Doxim Named a Major Player in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Intelligent Customer Communication Management 2026 Vendor Assessment

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INDIANAPOLIS, Sept. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Doxim®, the leading Customer Communications Management (CCM) provider serving highly regulated markets, has been named a Major Player in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Intelligent Customer Communication Management 2026 Vendor Assessment (doc #US54131626, September 2026).

The IDC MarketScape report is a vendor assessment framework that evaluates technology and service providers in the CCM market. It is designed to help buyers compare vendors based on their current capabilities and future strategy, using quantitative and qualitative criteria to provide an in-depth assessment of each vendor. For the Intelligent Customer Communications Management (CCM) software market, IDC considers areas including AI and automation strategy, governance and compliance, and the ability to reduce operational and administrative burden.   

Built around one platform, one price, and real outcomes, Doxim brings customer communications, digital interactions, payments, and AI together with a single-solution approach for highly regulated industries. Its end-to-end solution supports the full communications lifecycle, helping organizations create, manage, and deliver crucial communications across digital and print channels at scale.

“Organizations in highly regulated industries are under pressure to create experiences that customers want while maintaining compliance and managing costs,” said Scott Biel, Chief Revenue Officer at Doxim. “We simplify the creation, delivery, and management of digital and print communications so institutions can invest in better outcomes for their customers. We’re proud to be named as a Major Player in the 2026 IDC MarketScape Report and remain committed to supporting these organizations as their communication needs evolve.”

Doxim is an established CCM provider, combining customer communications technology, managed services, and industry expertise to address the evolving needs of highly regulated industries.

About Doxim

Doxim is the customer communications management and engagement technology leader serving highly regulated markets, including financial services, utilities, and healthcare. Doxim provides omnichannel communications and payment solutions that maximize customer engagement and revenue while reducing costs. Its software and technology-enabled managed services address key digitization, operational efficiency, and customer experience challenges through a suite of plug-and-play, integrated SaaS software and technology solutions. Learn more at http://www.doxim.com.

About IDC MarketScape:

IDC MarketScape vendor assessment model is designed to provide an overview of the competitive fitness of technology and service suppliers in a given market. The research utilizes a rigorous scoring methodology based on both qualitative and quantitative criteria that results in a single graphical illustration of each supplier’s position within a given market. IDC MarketScape provides a clear framework in which the product and service offerings, capabilities and strategies, and current and future market success factors of technology suppliers can be meaningfully compared. The framework also provides technology buyers with a 360-degree assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of current and prospective suppliers.

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