AI agents are rightly regarded as one of the biggest productivity leaps of recent years: they take on tasks, lay the groundwork for decisions and relieve teams of routine work. But by mid-2026, both the US and China have demonstrated that access to the most powerful models can be restricted – temporarily, selectively, but with real effect. For companies that have built their agents around specific models or providers, this is no trivial matter.

Four out of five companies admit that their legacy systems are significantly or noticeably hampering their commercial success. This is according to the latest ‘Application Modernisation’ report from IT service provider adesso. Nevertheless, 86 per cent believe these same core applications are well positioned for the next five years. This discrepancy can hardly be explained by the actual state of the systems. A more likely explanation is that modernisation has long been regarded as too labour-intensive, too expensive and too risky. For the IT service provider, this is precisely the sticking point revealed by the survey of 300 decision-makers in German companies. A system that is up and running is considered fit for the future. However, whether it will also support the next business model is rarely questioned.

Netz Leipzig GmbH is modernising its central IT infrastructure based on SAP and has chosen adesso as its implementation partner. The leading German IT service provider is supporting Netzgesellschaft der Leipziger Stadtwerke with its full migration to SAP S/4HANA Utilities. In addition to this transformation, the order also covers the subsequent operation of the system for the next five years. The project volume is in the low double-digit million range.

IT service provider adesso and Workato provider of the AI-driven integration and automation platform of the same name, have entered into a strategic partnership. Together, the companies will support organisations in building modern integration architectures: business processes will be interconnected across systems and further developed to be future-proof through AI-supported automation. Workato complements adesso’s existing integration offering for Salesforce solutions with a cloud-based platform that orchestrates applications, data and processes across system boundaries. Particularly in the Salesforce context, the partnership with Workato opens up new potential for adesso: companies can implement context-driven workflows directly along the customer journey by using the technology to consolidate data from various systems and process it with AI support. As a long-standing partner in the Salesforce ecosystem, adesso can now offer customers tailor-made solutions depending on their technological starting point and strategic direction. The spectrum ranges from traditional integration projects to AI-powered automation scenarios spanning entire business processes.