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Agentic artificial intelligence is forcing a fundamental reassessment of how enterprise software is sold, bought and priced, with implications for licensing models, cloud economics and the broader SaaS market worldwide. As autonomous AI agents that can plan, execute and optimise complex workflows proliferate across enterprises, traditional per-seat software licensing is coming under pressure, major vendors are redesigning pricing frameworks and investors are recalibrating valuations around AI’s transformative potential.

Industry executives and analysts say that agentic AI – autonomous systems that operate beyond simple generative tasks to perform multi-step functions without constant human direction – is altering the value proposition of enterprise software. Organisations are increasingly demanding pricing that reflects outcome-based performance and consumption rather than fixed seat counts, pushing large software providers to experiment with enterprise licence agreements that bundle AI capacity with predictable costs and shared risk. This shift is expected to reshape cloud economics by altering how revenue and costs are aligned in the era of pervasive AI automation.

The software industry’s long reliance on per-seat or subscription models is facing disruption as AI agents demonstrate the ability to automate work historically done by humans. Gartner forecasts that around 40 per cent of enterprise software applications will feature embedded task-specific AI agents by the end of this year, exponentially up from a fraction only a short time ago. Enterprises are seeking simpler, more transparent pricing arrangements that reflect AI usage and business outcomes, rather than paying for seats that may no longer correspond to human users in traditional roles.

Salesforce and other leading software vendors have moved to reframe their pricing strategies for an agent-centric world. Executives have described new Agentic Enterprise Licence Agreements that offer “all you can eat” access to AI-powered tools and platforms at agreed-upon costs, designed to give customers confidence to scale AI deployments without unpredictable usage charges. These agreements represent a departure from legacy licence structures and a bet that long-term customer engagement will outweigh short-term licence profitability concerns.

Investors are already pricing in uncertainty about how this transition will unfold. Episodes of sharp stock sell-offs in global software equities have highlighted market anxiety about whether traditional enterprise software will maintain its relevance as agentic AI systems gain traction. While some market observers argue that fears of widespread obsolescence are overstated, the volatility reflects genuine debate about how software demand will evolve as autonomous AI agents become more capable of developing, integrating and executing workflows.

The transformation extends beyond pricing into cloud infrastructure economics. AI workloads, particularly those driven by agentic systems, impose heavier and more variable demands on cloud compute and data storage, challenging conventional cost forecasts. Infrastructure expenses tied to training and operating autonomous agents can grow faster than top-line revenue if not carefully managed. Finance teams are rethinking cost allocation, forecasting and real-time billing to provide clearer visibility into consumption by AI agents, a trend that underscores the complexity of cloud economics in an AI era.

Enterprise readiness for agentic AI varies. While adoption continues to expand rapidly, many organisations are cautious about the risks of autonomous decision-making, prioritising data trust, governance and integration challenges. A significant number of leaders report that scaling fully autonomous agents remains an enterprise priority, but that confidence in data integrity and risk controls are the biggest bottlenecks for broad deployment. The interplay between promise and practical reality is shaping cautious but forward-looking strategies.

For software providers, the transition to AI-centric offerings is pushing a broader rethinking of product strategy and business model evolution. Traditional vendors are integrating agentic capabilities into existing platforms, expanding from assistive features to autonomous operations, while newer AI-native firms are building products around AI agents from the ground up. Software incumbents face a dual challenge: reinventing core products to leverage agentic capabilities while maintaining service quality, compliance and continuity for enterprise customers.

Beyond commercial implications, the rise of agentic AI is prompting discussions about its broader impacts on organisational structures, work roles and human-AI collaboration. Proponents argue that autonomous agents can dissolve rigid organisational silos, enhance productivity by taking over repetitive and complex tasks, and free human workers to focus on higher-order decision-making. Skeptics warn of ethical, legal and accountability challenges associated with handing over greater autonomy to AI systems, including liability, bias and governance risks.

OpenAI has announced a sweeping expansion of its global education strategy by forging deep partnerships with a group of India’s most influential higher education institutions to embed artificial intelligence tools, training and research into campus life and academic workflows. The initiative, unveiled in New Delhi this week, aims for institutional transformation by offering enterprise-grade AI access and structured integration support across disciplines including engineering, management, health sciences and creative industries.

The programme brings together six premier universities — Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, All India Institute of Medical Sciences New Delhi, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies and Pearl Academy — under a coordinated effort to build AI fluency and responsible usage skills for students, faculty and staff. The roll-out will provide secure access to ChatGPT Edu, detailed onboarding programmes, faculty training and discipline-specific implementation guidance aligned with institutional policies.

This shift marks a deliberate departure from ad-hoc access to consumer AI tools toward embedding artificial intelligence as an academic backbone to teaching, research, evaluation and campus operations. OpenAI’s Head of Education for India and Asia Pacific, Raghav Gupta, said the collaboration reflects a broader need to close the gap between what AI tools are capable of and how they are actually used. He referenced projections that by 2030 a significant portion of core skills relied upon by workers globally will be redefined by AI, underscoring the urgency for deep institutional readiness.

At IIT Delhi, the partnership will focus on engineering-led innovation and applied research, integrating AI capabilities into project-based learning, coding, simulations and prototype development. The institute also plans OpenAI-supported hackathons and ‘Industry Days’ designed to link student innovation with India’s manufacturing and deep-technology ecosystem. IIM Ahmedabad intends to embed AI fluency into core management education — spanning strategy, finance, operations and public policy — with scope for certification pathways backed by the collaboration.

All India Institute of Medical Sciences New Delhi is positioning AI as a tool for medical education and clinical training, exploring applications in clinical documentation, simulation-based learning and evidence synthesis. Officials at the institute said prioritising safe, ethical deployment of AI in clinical settings will be critical to maintaining educational and professional standards. Manipal Academy of Higher Education will pursue multidisciplinary AI literacy across engineering, health sciences and business programmes, while UPES and Pearl Academy will tailor integration to applied innovation and creative workflow environments respectively.

OpenAI’s strategy extends beyond campuses to partnerships with major education technology platforms, including upGrad, PhysicsWallah and HCL GUVI. These collaborations aim to launch structured courses on AI fundamentals and practical ChatGPT applications targeting students and early-career professionals who are not formally enrolled in partner institutions. The move reflects a growing industry recognition that AI skills must be scaled across the broader learner base, not just within elite universities.

Experts in education and technology policy see this initiative as part of a larger global trend where leading artificial intelligence firms are moving from consumer-oriented models toward institutional engagement that shapes long-term adoption and usage norms. By embedding AI literacy into the frameworks of higher education, these alliances could influence curriculum design, research priorities and the preparation of graduates for an AI-driven economy.

Industry analysts note that India’s higher education system represents one of the world’s largest talent markets, with millions of students entering the workforce each year. Integrating advanced AI tools into academic settings could enhance learning outcomes, deepen research capacity and create new pathways for innovation across sectors. However, some critics caution that rapid adoption must be matched with robust ethical and governance frameworks to address concerns around data privacy, academic integrity and equitable access to technology.

While OpenAI estimates that this phase of the initiative will directly benefit over 100,000 students, educators and administrators across its core partner institutions over the coming year, independent observers emphasise that the broader impact will depend on how well universities and ed-tech partners can operationalise the technology within existing academic structures. They point to the need for ongoing investment in faculty development, infrastructure and policy frameworks that ensure AI augments rather than disrupts pedagogical goals.

New integration adds data-centric protection to Temenos Transact, streamlining compliance, secure modernization, and AI analytics.

WIESBADEN, GERMANY – EQS Newswire – 18 February 2026 – comforte AG, a global leader in data-centric security, and ITSS Global, a premier Temenos delivery partner, have announced a collaboration to help retail, commercial and private banks using Temenos Transact eliminate the risks associated with clear-text personally identifiable information (PII) and payment data across core banking systems and their connected environments.
As banks accelerate digital transformation and data-driven programs such as fraud prevention and AI, exposure of sensitive data across systems has become a growing concern. Regulators and industry standards worldwide are also raising the bar for how banks protect sensitive data and prove control across connected environments, including PCI DSS, privacy requirements, and resilience expectations. The comforte and ITSS collaboration addresses these challenges with a co-developed solution that extends data protection into Temenos Transact environments without complex customization.
Delivered by ITSS as part of its Temenos services, the integration leverages comforte’s TAMUNIO technology for centralized policy management, tokenization, and controlled de-tokenization, keeping sensitive data protected across environments while still supporting reporting, analytics, and downstream processing, including fraud detection workflows and AI-driven insights built on Transact data.

Turning Security into an Enabler
“The modern threat landscape demands a shift from securing systems to securing the data itself,” said Henning Horst, CTO at comforte. “Today’s regulators and auditors expect readable data to stay out of places it doesn’t belong. Together with ITSS, we help banks prove that control and move faster on analytics, fraud initiatives, and AI programs using protected data.”

Safe Implementation into Temenos Transact
“As banks modernize their Temenos environments, the real security challenge is no longer the perimeter. It is protecting sensitive data as it moves across core systems, analytics platforms, and the cloud,” said Somasundaram M, Regional Sales Director, MEA at ITSS. “Through our partnership with comforte, we enable Temenos clients to embed data-centric tokenization directly into their transformation journeys. This significantly reduces breach exposure, supports compliance with evolving regulatory mandates such as PCI DSS 4.0 and GDPR, and allows banks to adopt cloud, analytics, and AI-driven use cases without compromising data sovereignty or performance.”

To learn more or request a briefing, visit comforte.com. You can alsocontact us via email: sales@comforte.com / marketing@ITSSglobal.com.Hashtag: #comforteAG

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About comforte AG

comforte AG is a leading provider of data-centric security solutions that empower enterprises to protect sensitive information throughout its lifecycle while maintaining its usability for business operations. Headquartered in Wiesbaden, Germany, comforte is a trusted partner for global enterprises across various industries. The TAMUNIO data security platform automates the discovery, classification and protection of data within complex IT environments. With over 25 years of expertise, comforte safeguards data for over 300 global customers, including industry leaders like Visa and Mastercard, enabling them to drive digital transformation, optimize operations, and achieve sustainable growth with confidence.
For more information, visit comforte.com and follow comforte AG on LinkedIn.

About ITSS
ITSS Global is a Geneva-headquartered technology services and solutions provider with a presence in more than 25 strategic locations worldwide. Since 2001, ITSS Global has delivered best-in-class outcomes through deep banking expertise and strong technical capabilities, supporting organizations with end-to-end IT modernization and operational excellence. The company provides expertise across infrastructure, cybersecurity, and managed services—helping clients enhance performance, strengthen security, and scale with confidence.

A multi-certified Temenos partner, ITSS Global has supported 300+ clients globally as a system integrator across the full Temenos suite, while also delivering complementary solutions that extend and enhance the Temenos core—enabling future-ready banking transformation through cloud adaptability, AI enablement, and continuous innovation.

For more information, visit www.itssglobal.com and follow ITSS on LinkedIn and X.