Only 16% have implemented AI for patch management despite 67% predicting full automation by 2026; security and reliability concerns keep humans in control

HOUSTON, July 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Action1, a leading provider of autonomous endpoint management (AEM) solutions, recently recognized by Inc. 5000 as the fastest-growing private software company in America, today released its fourth annual 2026 Survey Report: AI Impact on Sysadmins, revealing a significant gap between how quickly system administrators expected AI to transform their work and the technology’s real-world implementation.

In 2024, sysadmins predicted that AI would fully automate many major IT workflows within two years. By 2026, adoption – even at a level below full automation – remained dramatically lower across nearly every area measured.

The largest gaps include:

Patch management optimization: 67% predicted full automation by 2026, while only 16% report implementation today.Server CPU and memory monitoring: 70% predicted full automation, compared with 20% implementation.Vulnerability prioritization: 66% predicted full automation, compared with 17% implementation.Incident detection and remediation: 67% predicted full automation, compared with 19% implementation.Compliance analysis: 62% predicted full automation, compared with 28% implementation.Log analysis: 83% predicted full automation, compared with 50% implementation.

The findings demonstrate that moving AI from promise to operational use has proven slower and more complex than sysadmins anticipated, particularly in security and infrastructure workflows that require organizational context, risk assessment and accountability.

“AI adoption has not stalled; it has become more selective as sysadmins gain firsthand experience with the technology’s strengths and limitations,” said Gene Moody, Field CTO at Action1. “Sysadmins are comfortable using AI to analyze information, reduce noise and recommend actions, but they understand that an incorrect decision affecting production systems, vulnerabilities or access controls can have serious consequences. The emerging model is supervised AI, with experienced administrators retaining authority over high-impact decisions.”

Conducted for the fourth consecutive year and released in conjunction with System Administrator Day 2026, the survey gathered insights from over 1,000 sysadmins worldwide. Key findings include:

Troubleshooting Comes Closest to Earlier Expectations: In 2024, 52% of sysadmins predicted full automation within two years; by 2026, 47% report using AI for troubleshooting, primarily for hypotheses and recommendations, not independent resolution.AI Is Becoming Mandatory Before It Becomes Fully Trusted: Organizations requiring AI use rose from 15% in 2023 to 34% in 2026, even as 23% of respondents report never using AI professionally.Sysadmins’ AI Understanding Is Growing: Fifty-eight percent now say they understand how to integrate AI into their work, up from 24% in 2023, though concerns about reliability, security and oversight remain.Security and Reliability – Not Job Replacement – Are the Greatest Barriers: Data privacy and accuracy concerns lead at 74%, followed by loss of control (58%) and cost (55%), while only 24% cite job replacement.Adoption Is Strongest in Analytical and Advisory Workflows: AI use is highest in log analysis (50%) and troubleshooting (47%), with lower adoption in areas involving production changes, credentials or policy.

Sysadmins Set Clear Limits on AI in Patch Management

Sysadmins are willing to trust AI with analysis and routine decisions—such as assessing patch severity (51%) or scheduling updates (47%), but draw a firm line at actions that affect production systems or override policy. Only 17% would allow AI to independently decide when to patch production servers, and just 11% would permit it to override existing patching policies. Most prefer AI to recommend actions, with humans retaining final approval for high-impact decisions.

Supervised AI Emerges as the Preferred Operating Model

Across the report, AI adoption is strongest in analytical and advisory roles and weakest where actions could directly impact production environments or security controls. The findings point to a supervised model in which AI supports decision-making, while sysadmins maintain oversight, validate outputs and approve critical actions.

To view the full report, please visit: https://www.action1.com/2026-ai-impact-on-sysadmins-survey-report/ 

About Action1

Action1 is an autonomous endpoint management platform trusted by many Fortune 500 companies. Cloud-native, infinitely scalable, highly secure, and configurable in 5 minutes—it just works and is always free for the first 200 endpoints, with no functional limits. By pioneering autonomous OS and third-party patching with peer-to-peer patch distribution and real-time vulnerability assessment without needing a VPN, it eliminates routine labor, preempts ransomware and security risks, and protects the digital employee experience.

In 2025, Action1 was recognized by Inc. 5000 as the fastest-growing private software company in America. The company is founder-led by Alex Vovk and Mike Walters, American entrepreneurs who previously founded Netwrix, a multi-billion-dollar cybersecurity company.

Follow the company on LinkedIn, Reddit and X.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/action1-survey-finds-ai-adoption-falls-far-short-of-sysadmin-expectations-302839076.html

SOURCE Action1 Corporation

Recognition places TASC among the top 1% of approximately 5,000 U.S. companies evaluated, reflecting its commitment to making benefits feel like benefits through technology.

MADISON, Wis., July 30, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Total Administrative Services Corporation (TASC), the nation’s largest privately held third-party benefits administrator, announced today that it has been ranked No. 52 out of 5,000 companies on TIME and Statista’s inaugural list of America’s Top WorkTech Companies of 2026, earning an overall score of 85.5.

Developed by TIME and Statista, the ranking recognizes U.S. companies developing and providing workplace technologies across HR technology, workforce management, employee experience, learning and development, and workplace operations. Approximately 5,000 U.S.-headquartered companies were evaluated, with the 250 highest-scoring organizations included on the final list.

“TASC has always believed that technology should make life easier for employers, employees, and the partners who serve them,” said Pam Reynolds, President and CEO of TASC. “Being ranked among America’s leading WorkTech companies reflects the investments we continue to make in our technology, our people, and the connected experiences our customers depend on.”

One Connected Platform for a Better Benefits Experience

At the center of TASC’s workplace technology offering is MyTASC, which integrates more than 50 different employee benefit accounts, in addition to benefit continuation and compliance services, all on one single cloud-based proprietary administrative platform. MyTASC allows employers and HR professionals to offer their employees a universal experience that makes managing their employee benefits easy at any life stage while using the same website, top-rated mobile app, and benefits card to meet their needs.

The platform supports a broad range of employer-sponsored programs, including Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), Health Savings Accounts (HSA), ICHRAs, COBRA and continuation services, lifestyle benefits, and configurable health reimbursement arrangements that can help employers provide controlled financial support for high-cost treatments such as GLP-1 medications.

“Employers need technology that can adapt as their workforce, regulatory responsibilities, and benefits strategies evolve,” said Pam. “MyTASC was built to bring disconnected services and processes together, helping employers operate more efficiently while giving employees a simpler and more consistent benefits experience.”

Recognition of TASC’s Strength and Industry Impact

TASC’s ranking reflects both the strength of the organization and the relevance of its services within the evolving WorkTech landscape. As workplace expectations and benefits strategies become increasingly complex, employers need technology that can support administrative efficiency, regulatory compliance, program flexibility, and a positive employee experience. TASC continues to invest in technology and services designed to meet those needs while helping organizations offer benefits that deliver meaningful value.

“Being recognized on TIME’s inaugural WorkTech list is an honor and a reflection of the work taking place across TASC,” Reynolds said. “This recognition belongs to our employees, whose commitment and expertise help employers and employees experience benefits the way they should be experienced.”

The complete list of TIME’s America’s Top WorkTech Companies of 2026 is available at https://time.com/article/2026/06/09/america-top-worktech-companies-2026/

About TASC

For more than 50 years, TASC has delivered innovative employee benefit solutions that truly support the health, wealth, and well-being of their customers. As the largest privately held third-party employee benefits administrator in the U.S., TASC offers an all-in-one administrative platform for a wide array of benefit, continuation, and compliance services. TASC remains committed to making benefits feel like benefits for employers and employees alike. To learn more about TASC, visit tasconline.com

Media Contact

Lindsey Sutton, Total Administrative Services Corp. (TASC), 1 608-316-2411, lindsey.sutton@tasconline.com, https://www.tasconline.com/

View original content:https://www.prweb.com/releases/tasc-named-to-times-2026-list-of-americas-top-worktech-companies-302838801.html

SOURCE Total Administrative Services Corp. (TASC)

The new module gives enterprise revenue leaders spend control, AE accountability, and cleaner data inputs for pipeline attribution

LINDON, Utah, July 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — RainFocus™, provider of the next-generation event marketing platform, today announced the Sales Module, a purpose-built module that gives enterprise sales and events teams a governed, systemic way to run rep-driven event engagement. The module eliminates coordination challenges within event programs, including scattered attendee pass requests, limited quota visibility, and an inability to track whether sales reps are converting invitations into engagement. Organizations can now move beyond manual, siloed processes to create a unified strategy that drives pipeline and accelerates deals. 

How It Works
The Sales Module integrates seamlessly with CRMs like Salesforce, creating a bi-directional data flow that enhances pre-event planning, engagement during the event, and post-event follow-up. Sales representatives can nominate contacts from their existing book of business, build personalized event agendas for any attendee (including prospects and VIP accounts), track real-time engagement activity, and invite contacts to exclusive ancillary events. Event activity data, including registration and session attendance, flows back into CRM campaigns, giving revenue teams a clean, standardized signal for the attribution model they already run and providing a reliable trigger for post-event outreach.

What This Means for Sales Teams, Events Teams, and Leadership

A governed nomination and approval workflow so that account executives (AEs) can build curated experiences for VIP accounts.Quota and pass governance that allows leadership to, assign, and monitor pass quotas and attendance goals by team or region, for full spend control.Visibility into AE activity such as invitation volume, meeting-scheduling behavior, and which invitation strategies convert to event engagement, making event activity measurable at the rep level. 

Key Capabilities and Benefits

Governed Audience Acquisition: Systemizes contact nominations and approval processes, eliminating scattered pass requests. Business leaders can limit free and discounted passes, enforce quotas by region or business unit, and ensure controlled distribution. Events teams can then easily segment registration funds back to internal team funding.CRM-Integrated Nomination and Approval: Sales reps nominate attendees directly from their CRM book of business, track the nomination’s approval status, and send invitations to approved recipients.Rep-Facilitated VIP Engagement: Reps can transform contacts into engaged buyers by facilitating invitations to ancillary events, scheduling meetings, and recommending relevant content.Improved Attribution Inputs: By standardizing nomination, registration, and campaign-association data, Sales Module improves the quality of event data flowing into the CRM. It strengthens inputs available to the organization’s current attribution model without replacing it.Event Funding Engine: Sales Module enables direct tracking and attribution of event-generated revenue (e.g., ticket sales, internal department contributions) back to specific cost centers, creating a self-sustaining model for event investment.

Use Cases

CROs and Revenue Leaders: Gain visibility into pipeline criteria, track seat quotas, monitor sales activity relative to revenue goals, and connect event participation to pipeline through the current attribution model.Sales Reps: Manage nominations, invitations, meeting scheduling, and attendee recommendations directly inside their CRM workflow, optimizing event engagement strategy by understanding which contacts are attending and what sessions they join.Event Marketers and Leaders: Drive more event attendance, provide sales teams with actionable data, demonstrate tangible event ROI to stakeholders, and justify the total opportunity value registered for the event.Business Leaders: Set audience acquisition strategy, maintain awareness of pipeline accountability, and ensure visibility into AE activity relative to attendance and pipeline goals.

Executive Quotes

“Events are no longer a cost center with soft outcomes; they are a measurable, governed sales channel that drives pipeline and accelerates deal cycles,” said JR Sherman, CEO of RainFocus. “By bringing sales teams together with customer buying groups in a live environment, events provide the highest-fidelity touchpoints in the enterprise buying journey. RainFocus’ Sales Module gives sales teams real-time access to engagement behavior and buying signals, empowering them to identify and execute the right next best action for every customer.””For too long, events have been treated as a cost center rather than a growth engine,” said Marius Milcher, VP of platform strategy and AI at RainFocus. “We’re changing that narrative with the Sales Module. Governance, visibility, and accountability are now directly in the hands of sales and marketing leadership. This will fundamentally shift how enterprises think about event investment going forward.”

Learn More

Sales Module OverviewGenerate More Revenue From Your EventsHow to Level Up Sales Enablement Before, During, and After Your Events

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the Sales Module?
The Sales Module is a purpose-built module in the RainFocus platform that gives enterprise sales and events teams a governed, systematic way to run rep-driven event engagement. It integrates directly with CRMs like Salesforce, enabling AEs to nominate contacts, build personalized agendas for VIP accounts, and track engagement without leaving their existing workflow, while also giving leadership quota governance and activity visibility to ensure events are used strategically.

What specific problem does the Sales Module solve for CROs?
The Sales Module solves the governance and visibility gaps that make event investment difficult to control and justify. It gives sales leadership unified visibility into AE activity, tools to set and monitor pass quotas and spend by team or region, and data-driven insights to optimize how their teams engage at events. The result is events that are governed, measurable, and tied to a cleaner data foundation for any attribution model the organization already runs.

How does the Sales Module contribute to the attribution of closed-won deals from event participation?
The Sales Module provides a clean, governed data trail: registration, campaign association, nomination and approval history, sales-led activations at the event, executive meetings, networking activities, and more, tied to the right accounts and opportunities. That data strengthens organizations’ existing attribution models and lets teams see which activations show up most often alongside closed-won deals. When a business unit or partner funds its own participation, that spend is tracked against the account and deal, supporting straightforward cost-recovery reporting.

How does the Sales Module improve upon traditional CRM event integrations or manual processes?
Unlike traditional integrations that typically sync contact lists after the fact, the Sales Module introduces governed workflow automation across the full event lifecycle, including nomination approvals, quota enforcement, in-event engagement tracking, and structured post-event data handoff. This eliminates manual coordination, reduces data silos, and gives sales reps the ability to customize event experiences for their most important customers.

About RainFocus
RainFocus is the leading enterprise platform for event marketing and management. We help organizations run in-person, virtual, and hybrid event programs of all sizes from one system, with the data and personalization needed to drive measurable business results. With the industry’s most advanced agentic AI at its core, we orchestrate engagement at every stage of the customer lifecycle — unifying touchpoints, driving event impact, and making each engagement smarter. Learn more at rainfocus.com. 

press@rainfocus.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/rainfocus-launches-sales-module-for-event-driven-selling-302838485.html

SOURCE RainFocus