Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo 2025: Day 3 Highlights with Infor – The Future of Autonomous Business

Day 3 of the Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo 2025 in Orlando explored what it takes for organizations to evolve toward autonomy — not as an abstract destination, but as a human-centered journey. Gartner’s sessions focused on the long-term vision for autonomous business, the critical skills employees need to master generative AI, and the organizational factors that drive lasting digital transformation.

For Infor, these themes align directly with our focus on helping organizations harness the power of AI-driven automation while keeping people, purpose, and measurable outcomes at the core. Through Infor CloudSuite™, powered by the Infor Industry Cloud Platform, we enable organizations to translate Gartner’s vision into actionable progress — balancing innovation with accountability.

Emerging Technology Vision 2026

In the session Emerging Technology Vision 2026, Frank Buytendijk, Distinguished VP Analyst and Gartner Fellow, examined how businesses can prepare for the era of autonomous operations. Gartner defines autonomous business as “a strategy that uses self-learning and self-improving technology to automate value creation and delivery.” Buytendijk predicted that “by 2035, in at least one industry, the market leader will be an autonomous business.”

He added that “operational work becomes managing work – different job, same people,” urging organizations to “start with vision … and keep stressing the human side of serving customers, and the human side for your people.”

• Infor’s perspective: Infor shares Gartner’s belief that autonomy must enhance, not erase, the human element. Our solutions help organizations take meaningful steps toward this vision, and while the direction to autonomy can feel daunting, we partner closely with our customers, guiding them with confidence throughout their transformation journey. Through Infor Velocity Suite, organizations shift from manual execution to intelligent automation — using a catalog of AI-driven solutions to optimize processes while maintaining human oversight. Infor Industry AI Agents extend this approach by embedding contextual intelligence into industry workflows, providing explainable insights and actions that support faster, better-informed decisions.

4 Generative AI Skills to Master in 2025

The session 4 Generative AI Skills to Master in 2025, led by Tori Paulman, VP Analyst at Gartner, focused on the essential skills every worker must master to effectively leverage generative AI. Gartner noted that as organizations race to unlock the full potential of generative AI, workforce readiness imperils executive expectations. The framework centered around four key skills, each of which connects directly to Infor’s approach to building practical AI fluency and human-centred innovation:

Skill 1 – Identify use-case opportunities

“Opportunity spotters recognize where GenAI can drive meaningful impact … aligning AI initiatives with business objectives and championing innovation through carefully selected use cases.”

• Infor’s perspective: We've already done the groundwork with customers to make identifying high-impact AI opportunities easier. Through Infor Value+ Solutions for AI-driven automations and the Infor Augmented Intelligence Service for predictive and prescriptive AI use cases, we help organizations quickly pinpoint and prioritize where AI will deliver the greatest value — and we partner with them to bring those solutions to life, one use case at a time.

Skill 2 – Build GenAI tech fluency

“Understanding how GenAI works and navigate the jagged frontier enables smarter tool selection and avoids common pitfalls.”

• Infor’s perspective: Infor’s industry and solution experts guide users to better understand generative AI, simplifying complex AI concepts and fostering trust and confidence in real-world use. We’ve done the groundwork to make it easier for business teams to identify and apply AI effectively — and we work closely with customers, helping non-technical users get hands-on experience with AI solutions that enhance their workflows.

Skill 3 – Develop effective prompting

“Crafting clear, targeted instructions that get the best results from GenAI … developing the skills to converse with machines.”

• Infor’s perspective: Infor GenAI Embedded Experiences help users develop stronger prompting skills naturally within their flow of work, guided by explainable recommendations and contextual responses in industry-specific applications.

Skill 4 – Evaluate with discernment

“Critically interpret GenAI outputs by verifying accuracy and relevance.”

• Infor’s perspective: The Infor Industry AI Transparency Note gives customers a clear view of model development and governance, supporting Gartner’s call for discernment and ethical evaluation in AI adoption. It also highlights best practices in prompting, helping users engage with AI systems more effectively and responsibly.

Four Key Factors Driving Success in Digital Transformation

In the session 4 Key Factors Driving Success in Digital Transformation Initiatives, Cesar Lozada, Sr Director Analyst at Gartner, identified that “there are four ingredients of digital success: alignment to business goals, IT and business co-leadership, measurability of success, and intentionality of change management.” He emphasized that “co-led initiatives are twice as likely to deliver targeted outcomes.”

Gartner analysts also outlined an action plan for CIOs to succeed in digital transformation efforts:

• Monday morning: Identify key business objectives and determine which initiatives are delivering as expected.
  
• Next 90 days: Partner with IT and enterprise leaders to define metrics that quantify impact.
  
• Next 12 months: Facilitate ongoing stakeholder sessions and evaluate results quarterly.

Infor’s perspective: To accelerate this journey, organizations must first be operating in the cloud to achieve true digital agility. The Infor Leap program helps them get there faster and with less risk. It offers structured guidance, industry-specific best practices, and expert-led support to simplify cloud migration to Infor CloudSuite ERP solutions, ensuring organizations modernize confidently and unlock the full value of their cloud transformation.

In Action: Eagle Foods and Infor Use AI and Radical Collaboration to Win in a Competitive Market

At Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo 2025, Infor hosted a featured customer session with Eagle Foods, a leading food producer whose agile adoption of AI is transforming its operations and competitive positioning.

Eagle Foods uses Infor CloudSuite and Infor Velocity Suite for AI-driven inventory optimization that leverages market data to enhance forecasting accuracy and supply-chain efficiency. The company is now laying the groundwork for next-generation logistics optimization control towers, showing how human-centered AI and collaborative innovation can deliver real business results today.

Conclusion

Day 3 of the Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo 2025 underscored that autonomy, AI dexterity, and digital maturity are inseparable from human capability. With Infor CloudSuite, powered by the Infor Industry Cloud Platform, organizations can apply Gartner’s vision practically — aligning technology to business objectives, empowering people through AI fluency, and measuring success with confidence.

See Infor’s Day 1 highlights here.
See Infor’s Day 2 highlights here.
Source: Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo 2025: Day 3 Highlights