pushing the more experienced Knicks to six games in their first-round series before ultimately coming up short
The Detroit Pistons proved they were more than just a nice story
Given that their best players are all 23 years old or younger, the league should be put on notice that the Pistons aren’t going away anytime soon and should only be stronger the next chance they get in the postseason
The series was so close that a couple of little things here and there could have swung it in the Pistons’ favor
and even though they will be proud of the transformational season they had
there will be a few nagging what-ifs that dog them this summer
as the Pistons lost their best interior defender
which undoubtedly had an effect on the series
the Pistons were forced to use Jalen Duren for big minutes
I thought Duren had a pretty good series overall
competed and didn’t back down from the big moment
but there were times when the Pistons could have used Beef Stew
Considering the Knicks won the three games at LCA by a combined eight points
it’s hard to believe that Stewart wouldn’t have made a difference
especially in game four when Karl-Anthony Towns went off
Injuries happen, but this one came at the worst possible time (a problem with Stewart)
which is going to make for a long summer for Beef Stew
who will spend it wondering how he missed out on all the fun and how things might have gone differently if he hadn’t
as Ivey had been out since January and there was no chance
But the Pistons could have used his scoring
as they struggled to find consistency behind Cade Cunningham and needed someone else who could break down a defense
The Pistons had been playing without Ivey for a while and took off when he was taken out of the starting five
but this series highlighted how much the Pistons need another scoring option behind Cade Cunningham
as the Knicks were happy to let anyone else try to beat them
I am not blaming the refs for the Pistons coming up short in this series
missed some big shots and the Knicks hit most of theirs
you have to wonder how this series might have gone if Tim Hardaway Jr
gets that foul call at the end of game four
The refs (and Josh Hart) admitted it was a foul, and had they just called it
it’s very likely the series is tied at 2-2
or who knows the Pistons might have even closed them out last night
I thought the refs did a pretty good job in a tough
physical series with a ton of complaining that could not haven’t been easy to officiate
But they blew that one and it definitely impacted the series
The only thing the Pistons can do is improve so that injuries and referees don’t affect the outcome
but they’ll be thinking about these things in the gym this summer
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He has been covering the NBA for FanSided since 2018
He was a long-time English professor with an MFA in creative writing from Arizona State University
His work has been featured on the BBC and BleacherReport
He has been covering the league since 2016
He consistently writes about all 30 NBA franchises and the WNBA
He has seen every game of Luka Doncic's NBA career
and his work has been featured on Bleacher Report and Fantasy Pros
Given that their best players are all 23 years old or younger, the league should be put on notice that the Pistons aren’t going away anytime soon and should only be stronger the next chance they get in the postseason
Injuries happen, but this one came at the worst possible time (a problem with Stewart)
The refs (and Josh Hart) admitted it was a foul, and had they just called it, it’s very likely the series is tied at 2-2. We would have gotten our game 7, or who knows the Pistons might have even closed them out last night.
Contrary to popular opinion, I thought the refs did a pretty good job in a tough, physical series with a ton of complaining that could not haven’t been easy to officiate. But they blew that one and it definitely impacted the series.
The only thing the Pistons can do is improve so that injuries and referees don’t affect the outcome, but they’ll be thinking about these things in the gym this summer.
The what-ifs are about what happened in two of those fights
and what happened before and after the third.
The what-ifs have left people – boxing fans and observers
and a few of the fighters themselves – wondering what would have happened had certain things happened differently
What if the referee had ruled that Usyk had been downed by a body shot from Dubois rather than a low blow
What if Tszyu had not been accidentally cut by Fundora's elbow
Or what if Tszyu had suffered the injury but he and his team had decided not to fight on
What if Garcia had actually made weight for the Haney fight
What if he hadn't used the performance-enhancing drug ostarine
The thing about the what-ifs is that the past cannot be undone
The other thing these three fights have in common
Haney and Garcia will likely face each other again if they win their respective bouts on May 2 in Times Square
Usyk-Dubois II was announced earlier this week for July 19 at Wembley Stadium in London
Fundora-Tszyu II was announced just the other day
potentially taking place in July or August
the what-ifs are storylines that will drive much of the buildup to the bouts – as they should be
But almost none of the what-ifs asked about their first fights will be answered by what happens in their second
It is still fair to wonder: What if Dubois targets Usyk’s body again
The debate over the fifth round of Usyk-Dubois I hasn’t been resolved in the nearly two years since their August 2023 fight in Poland
Some feel Dubois landed a legal body shot on the beltline
saw it as an accidental foul that veered low
Each side has its own set of still-frames and GIFs to support their argument
It is boxing’s equivalent of the viral photo years ago of a dress
the one outfit that looked either blue and black
Those who believe Dubois landed a legal blow also argue that he was deprived of a knockout win given how long Usyk remained on the canvas
Here’s the thing: It’s wholly plausible that Usyk could have responded differently and beaten the count had the ref not called it a low blow
It’s also possible that he might not have
he wouldn’t have received the benefit of the nearly four minutes of recovery time
he defeated Tyson Fury to become the undisputed heavyweight champion
vacated one of his four titles because he was contractually obligated to face Fury again
Usyk – the lineal champ and owner of the WBA
WBC and WBO belts – is still seen as the king of the heavyweights
The winner of this fight will be recognized as undisputed
Dubois has grown in the two years since he and Usyk first met
He’s won three in a row over a solid slate of opponents
The what-ifs aren’t the only questions.
Namely: How will this improved version of Dubois fare against Usyk
who is now 38 years old but is still great enough to be the best heavyweight in the sport and one of the best boxers
Fury punished Usyk with body shots in their first fight
Other contenders are vying for title fights
In contrast to Dubois’ upward trajectory in the past couple of years
Much of that is because he is too ballsy for his own good
Tszyu’s confidence is why he took on Fundora on short notice in the first place
Tszyu was supposed to defend his WBO world title against Keith Thurman in the March 2024 main event of a Premier Boxing Champions’ pay-per-view
the first show in its new relationship with Amazon’s Prime Video.
and so Tszyu took on Fundora without having ample time to prepare for the challenge of a 6-foot-6 junior middleweight
He was essentially coming to the rescue for PBC and Amazon
And there was another benefit: Fundora had been scheduled to fight on the undercard for the vacant WBC belt
Him stepping in against Tszyu meant two titles would now be on the line
Tszyu’s confidence seemed appropriate in the first two rounds
And then came the final seconds of the second
Tszyu’s head accidentally collided with Fundora’s elbow
opening a gruesome gash that sent blood pouring down Tszyu’s face and would affect his vision for the remaining 10 rounds
Tszyu’s confidence – and his team’s failure to protect him – meant he went back out for the third and fourth rounds rather than tell the referee or ringside physician that he couldn’t see well due to the blood
The wound being from an accidental foul would have merited a “no contest” before four rounds were completed
the fight was even in the eyes of the judges
He remained in the lead the rest of the way
Tszyu would’ve lost had they gone to a technical decision at any point from the fifth round on
Tszyu’s confidence also meant he tried to return to the ring too early
He wasn’t healed enough to get approved for that fight
and so he instead came back last October against the unbeaten but lesser-known IBF titleholder
If the cut was a big reason why Tszyu lost to Fundora
then that meant Tszyu and his team didn’t yet recognize that they needed to work on his defensive flaws
dropping him four times and stopping him in the third round
Tszyu returned last month with a confidence-builder
Spencer was a relatively safe choice for Tszyu to take whatever he’s been working on improving in training and sparring
This Fundora rematch won’t be what their Round 3 could have otherwise been
picking up from where they left off – albeit with Tszyu’s head and Fundora’s nose both healed.
we are left with even more questions: How much did the significant damage Tszyu absorbed against Murtazaliev take out of him
Will what worked against Fundora for those first two rounds no longer be as effective
How much has Fundora himself improved since
Tszyu and Haney are facing similar (though not identical) circumstances
Haney hasn’t fought since the loss to Garcia a year ago
Garcia’s use of the banned performance-enhancing drug ostarine meant that the majority decision loss for Haney was nullified
overturned into a “no contest.” The blemish is gone from Haney’s record
That doesn’t mean the fight – and its physical and mental toll – never happened
Haney was knocked down three times and wobbled even more
Our last memory of him is someone who could be hit clean and hard
who had significant heart but was significantly hurt
We don’t know how much of Haney’s struggles were due to Garcia being stronger from not boiling his body all the way down to 140lbs
which helps athletes lose weight without losing muscle mass
And we won’t know – at least not when it comes to Garcia’s weight.
(Garcia is being drug tested for this Friday’s bout and
he will be stringently tested for all subsequent matches
Although passing a competently designed drug-testing program doesn’t actually guarantee a fighter is clean
it is better than not being tested at all)
neither Haney nor Garcia is likely to return to junior welterweight
Garcia’s fight against Rolando Romero on May 2 is being contested in the welterweight division; he tipped the scales on May 1 just shy of 147lbs
Haney’s bout with Jose Ramirez has a contractual limit of 144lbs; Haney weighed in at 143
Wins this Friday for both Haney and Garcia should send them into a sequel later this year
Haney has understandably decried Garcia for cheating – Haney even sued Garcia before dropping the litigation in order to set up their rematch – but he also needed to point a finger back at himself
“I’d like to show the world a new and improved Devin Haney from before,” Haney said earlier this week
“I had to go back to the drawing board and focus on the mistakes I was making and become a better version of myself.”
Did Haney have enough time to make those improvements
Or is there still more work that needs to be done
Will all of his self-reflection and self-improvement not matter if the full welterweight version of Garcia shows up even faster and stronger
the what-ifs will be a big part of the pre-fight coverage and conversation
But they are not the questions that will matter most.
It’s intriguing to wonder “What if?” I’m even more interested in what’s next
David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.
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This website may contain adult language
TM & © 2025 BoxingScene.All Rights Reserved
Global law firm White & Case LLP has advised EQT and IFS on the minority stake sale and investment in enterprise software provider IFS at a €15 billion valuation
"Our role advising on this landmark transaction involving a consortium of leading private equity and sovereign investors underscores the scale of IFS's transformation into a global
AI-driven enterprise software leader and reflects the strength of our partnership with EQT and IFS through multiple strategic milestones," said White & Case partner Patrik Erblad
Hg will increase its stake in IFS to become a co-control shareholder alongside EQT
with TA Associates remaining as a minority shareholder
New investors in this transaction include a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments)
IFS is a leading provider of cloud enterprise software and Industrial AI applications
This transaction follows many successful years of growth for IFS
delivering more than €1 billion in annual recurring revenue in 2024 with total revenue of over €1.2 billion
The White & Case team which advised on the transaction was led by partner Patrik Erblad (Stockholm) and included partners Mike Weir
Victoria Burton (all London) and Jeff Gilson (Chicago)
counsel Heidi Blomqvist (London) and Samantha Rozell (Chicago) and associates Jonas Brandt
Joshua Crawley and Miriam Lewis (all London)
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome
Chief Talent Officer at IFS shared how inclusion and innovation power their sustainability success across products
people and purposeSpeaking at Sustainability LIVE Singapore
shared how the enterprise software firm is embedding sustainability across the business by combining technological innovation with an inclusive culture
He opened by outlining IFS’s three-pillar strategy for sustainability: their own business practices
the impact they can enable for customers and their broader influence on society.
“Helping our customers transition to more responsible and sustainable methods of doing business is clearly where we have the greatest impact,” he said
Positioning IFS as a leader across sectors like manufacturing
Stephen noted the company’s unique opportunity to create systemic change.
“We’ve got an outsized role to play in shaping our collective future.”
Much of Stephen’s session centred on how sustainability goals are achieved through the right people
That includes an emphasis on innovation – but not in a superficial sense.
“It’s very easy to put in a presentation saying
you must all be more innovative,” he said
“But how do you go about actually implementing that in the real world?”
lies in industrial AI and in what Stephen calls cognitive diversity.
“What I’m really talking about here is different perspectives
maybe different levels of seniority – folks who can advocate for different stakeholders.”
Innovation happens when technology is built from the outset with diverse insights – whether those are drawn from customers
end users or internal teams with different experiences
This kind of thinking ensures better products
fewer blindspots and ultimately a more sustainable impact.
“Technology we design today must consider diverse voices and different scenarios,” he said
Stephen drew attention to the tension between speed and rigour
suggesting that agility and inclusivity are not mutually exclusive
“You want the core project team to be agile
but interview people to gather insights and avoid bias.”
Stephen gave a clear answer: “Every person deserves to feel valued
respected and empowered to thrive during their time here.”
But he was also clear that this isn't just about values – it’s a business imperative.
“It’s the foundation for higher performing and cognitively diverse teams that drive innovation in sustainability and business success.”
He shared three focus areas IFS uses to embed this into operations
particularly around bias and inclusive leadership.
embedding fairness and transparency across processes
supporting and acting – ensuring feedback loops are in place and acted on
Stephen emphasised the importance of creating conditions that support fairness rather than targeting specific diversity outcomes.
“It's not about enforcing the outcome
It’s about creating the conditions to mitigate bias.”
better performance and better outcomes across the board.
“We see evidence for that in our financial performance
in our employee engagement results and even in our retention rates.”
Stephen expressed excitement about IFS’s industrial AI work and its sustainability potential – but cautioned against hype without value.
“There’s a lot of talk about AI
we have to be talking about what tangible value looks like” he said.
IFS is focused on building not just cutting-edge tech
but proven use cases with clear business and sustainability outcomes
He also sees data as the next major focus area.
“Data is a fundamental challenge in the world of sustainability,” he said
adding that IFS is developing tools to help customers manage and make better decisions with their data
Stephen shared advice for organisations earlier in their journey.
“Sustainability initiatives must deliver tangible business value,” he said
“Well-intentioned projects lacking substance won’t cut it anymore.”
He cited the work of academic Wayne Visser and the ‘10 Rs’ of sustainable business advantage – from revenues and resilience to regulation
“Think about a business case and try to articulate it in one or more of those terms and I think you’re on the right track,” he concluded
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Latham & Watkins has advised TA Associates (TA) as IFS
a leading provider of cloud enterprise software and industrial AI applications
announces it has achieved a valuation of over €15 billion following a significant pivot to AI-driven growth
The valuation comes as Hg increases its stake in IFS to become a co-control shareholder alongside EQT
with TA remaining as a minority shareholder
New minority shareholders also include a wholly owned subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments)
Hg and the new investors are acquiring shares in IFS from EQT
which is selling through its EQT VIII and EQT IX funds
as well as from TA and other minority investors
The Latham team was led by London corporate partner Paul Dolman
with associates Edward Coates and Zeynep Kocabas
a leading provider of cloud enterprise software and Industrial AI applications
announces it has achieved a valuation of over EUR 15 billion following a significant pivot to AI-driven growth
The valuation comes as Hg increases its stake to become a co-control shareholder alongside EQT
with TA Associates (“TA”) remaining as minority shareholder
New minority shareholders also include a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (“ADIA”) and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (“CPP Investments”)
The transaction follows many successful years of growth for IFS
delivering more than EUR 1 billion in ARR (“annual recurring revenue”) last year
Total revenue for 2024 was over EUR 1.2 billion
with some of the world’s largest industrial companies choosing IFS over legacy vendors
Demand for IFS’s industrial AI capabilities has increased significantly over the past 12 months as organizations across IFS’s focus industries of Aerospace & Defence
continue to realise the rapid and transformative value that IFS.ai delivers
IFS will continue to expand its capabilities with the industrial application of generative and agentic AI
improve efficiency and deliver amazing moments of service to their own customers
IFS added 350 new customers including Exelon who adopted IFS to streamline asset maintenance across its energy grid
Rolls-Royce who is using IFS to transform service delivery of its Power Systems business
and Total Energies who is deploying IFS as the single platform for management and servicing of its global operated asset portfolio
an increasing number of large businesses are moving to IFS which is reflected in the average deal size of IFS’s largest customers increasing by 64% year-on-year
said: “IFS’s success and sustained growth is centred around a commitment and track record of rapidly delivering business value to our customers
We have a differentiated proposition that continues to drive momentum in the industrial setting
specifically with the agentic and generative capabilities of IFS.ai
which enables us to be the technology of choice for the businesses that service
power and protect our planet.” Moffat continued: “The investment and continued commitment from Hg
EQT and TA will help IFS further accelerate our journey to be the undisputed category leader of Industrial Software.”
Partner and Co-Head of Technology in the EQT Private Equity advisory team
added: “EQT’s relationship with IFS started in 2015 and it has been remarkable to see the company’s growth since then
Starting as a software vendor focused on Northern Europe
IFS has become a global provider of enterprise solutions while embracing the power of AI for the benefit of its industrial clients
It’s a prime example of EQT’s ability to “run with the winners”
where we partner with management teams over the long-term to scale regional players into global champions
We are excited to work alongside Hg to continue supporting IFS through this next phase.”
Senior Partner and Head of the Saturn funds at Hg
commented: “With 20 years’ experience investing in software
we recognise exceptional businesses when we see them
Our increased investment in IFS reflects our conviction in their long-term vision and strong execution
which enables their customers’ digital transformation.” Jonathan Wulkan
added: “Since our initial partnership in 2022 alongside EQT
Mark and the team have not only delivered impressive and consistent growth but have emerged as a global leader in Industrial AI - translating the promise of AI into practical solutions that drive efficiency and sustainability for essential industries
with significant potential for continued growth."
commented: “IFS’s exceptional leadership
and transformative AI capabilities are redefining what’s possible in enterprise software
We remain confident in the company’s vision and are excited to be part of its continued journey.”
The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals and is expected to complete end of Q2 2025
IFS and selling shareholders were advised by Arma Partners and White & Case
and Hg was advised by Morgan Stanley & Co
Hg’s support combines deep end-market knowledge with world class operational resources
together providing compelling support to entrepreneurial leaders looking to scale their business – businesses that are well invested
With a vast European network and strong presence across North America
Hg’s 400 employees and around $75 billion in funds under management support a portfolio of around 50 businesses
worth over $160 billion aggregate enterprise value
consistently growing revenues at more than 20% annually
IFS Cloud is a fully composable AI-powered platform
designed for ultimate flexibility and adaptability to our customers’ specific requirements and business evolution
It spans the needs of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
real-time data and analytics to empower our customers to make informed strategic decisions and excel at their Moment of Service™
IFS was founded in 1983 by five university friends who pitched a tent outside our first customer's site to ensure they would be available 24/7 and the needs of the customer would come first
IFS has grown into a global leader with over 7,000 employees in 80 countries
Driven by those foundational values of agility
IFS is recognized worldwide for delivering value and supporting strategic transformations
We are the most recommended supplier in our sector
ERP Today has established itself as THE independent voice of the enterprise technology sector through its use of dynamic journalism
At IFS Connect UKI 2025 in Birmingham
the increasing prominence of sustainability as a critical corporate mandate was on full display
VP Sustainability Applications and Sophie Graham
Chief Sustainability Officer made it clear: for industrial enterprises navigating rising regulation
sustainability is now a business-critical function
And IFS is reshaping its cloud platform to deliver measurable ESG impact—not just reporting compliance
“Sustainability is at a tipping point,” said Graham
“It’s becoming part of financial materiality
and long-term risk management.” That shift—from external obligation to internal transformation—is what IFS Cloud aims to operationalize with its new Sustainability Management and Emissions Management modules
Keam and Graham addressed the regulatory complexity head-on
and UK-specific regulations evolving rapidly
companies face a deluge of new reporting expectations
“You need to manage over 4,000 ESG KPIs—but only the ones material to you,” Keam explained
IFS’s solution: built-in double materiality assessments
and a data lake connected directly to operational systems
the real value comes from data-to-decision acceleration
With verified emissions calculations through a partnership with Climatiq and supplier ESG ratings via IntegrityNext
IFS helps companies build full-spectrum ESG insight—across assets
IFS is also showcasing how industrial AI can generate both productivity gains and sustainability returns
One standout: its Planning and Scheduling Optimization (PSO) engine
leading to a 30% cut in emissions and €13 million in savings in some cases
tools like Copperleaf for Asset Investment Planning (used by Anglian Water) are helping companies adapt to climate change by building resilient
forward-looking investment models that balance operational reliability and carbon reduction
“Sustainability isn’t just about tracking—it’s about forecasting
and service sectors should assess whether sustainability data is fragmented across bolt-ons—or flowing from operational systems
Start by linking ESG goals to real-time KPIs using IFS Sustainability Management
Activate the Emissions Management module to capture Scope 1 and 2 data from asset hierarchies and utility invoices
then extend to Scope 3 via supply chain modules
Use this data to drive decisions—not just compliance
IFS’s sustainability solutions are fully embedded in its single data model and composable architecture
offering end-to-end traceability from asset to emissions outcome
The platform includes automated reporting aligned with CSRD and ISSB standards
and real-time emissions capture from procurement to asset performance
Use cases like Volvo Trucks (remanufacturing with 80% lower emissions) and Yorkton (carbon savings from service-based models) prove the platform can support both short-term optimizations and long-term business model shifts
IFS’s native sustainability integration differentiates it from ERP rivals still relying on third-party partnerships or compliance-only bolt-ons
IFS aligns environmental goals with operational strategy—essential for industrial sectors
The global ESG tech market is projected to exceed $60B by 2030
and data-to-decision capabilities now in product
IFS is positioned to lead in sustainability-focused enterprise software—especially if it can continue to scale cloud adoption
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In an industry known for cautious adoption and protracted timelines, IFS is opting for speed
That was the underlying message from CEO Mark Moffat and CPO Christian Pedersen during their open Q&A session at IFS Connect UKI 2025 in Birmingham
and a clear ambition to double its valuation every three years
IFS is not just talking about AI—it’s productizing it
“Our job is to help industrial companies bring AI out of the lab and into their supply chains
The company’s renewed focus on agentic AI—self-directed systems that operate across workflows—is paired with a candid acknowledgment that not every use case will scale
By threading bespoke customer challenges through a platform lens
the company intends to spin real-world solutions into its IFS Cloud product for repeatable enterprise value
Where many vendors come at AI from the outside-in—building integrations or wrappers around legacy ERP—IFS is taking an inside-out approach
With a single data model and highly composable platform
IFS Cloud acts as both system of record and system of intelligence
“That gives us the context and the responsibility to orchestrate the broader enterprise AI ecosystem.”
This is especially important in IFS’s six target sectors—manufacturing
and service—where mission-critical systems cannot afford errors
IFS’s approach allows for embedded approvals
and open interoperability with third-party AI tools and standards
Following a recapitalization that valued the business at €15 billion
the company is targeting $27 billion in enterprise value by 2027
It currently schedules over 400,000 service technicians daily with its AI-driven PSO engine
and AI accounts for 14% of total company revenue—a rare level of monetized maturity
“We’re growing 20% organically, with win rates over 55% against SAP
“And we’re not the cheapest—we just deliver faster.”
the leadership also stressed patience and partnership
They recognize that industrial AI cannot be commoditized overnight
The goal is to offer practical tools—like AI-based supplier change notifications and logbook automation in aviation—that evolve with real-world constraints
For organizations in asset- and field-intensive sectors
the path forward is clear: start embedding AI now
Focus on high-friction pain points—scheduling
procurement—and bring those into the Nexus Black framework if your organization is IFS-aligned
Use IFS’s extensibility framework to futureproof any custom work
and treat data ownership and governance as central design principles
Look for architectural and operational advantages from IFS
IFS’s differentiators are more than architecture—they are operational
and embedded AI make it one of the few ERP platforms where agents can act autonomously with full business context
and IFS.ai are fully integrated—not layered—and now available in both IFS Industrial Cloud and customer-controlled environments
The extensibility framework allows domain-specific innovations to be maintained outside the core without breaking updates
Sound fundamentals and relentless focus spur IFS growth path
and sector-specific focus set it apart from horizontal ERP giants and AI-only vendors alike
The industrial ERP market is expected to exceed $100 billion by 2030
and IFS is uniquely positioned with both product-market fit and a go-to-market model grounded in customer intimacy
delivers on Nexus Black’s productization promises
IFS could credibly claim leadership in industrial enterprise software by the end of the decade—especially as vertical depth trumps breadth in the AI era
As governments and energy giants scramble to meet net zero targets, EDF Renewables is tackling the challenge with equal parts urgency and clarity. Speaking at IFS Connect UKI 2025 in Birmingham
a senior leader from EDF laid out how the organization is leveraging IFS Cloud as the digital backbone of its ambitious growth strategy—aiming to produce 10 GW of clean energy annually by 2035 across wind
“We’re the most diverse renewable electricity generator in the UK and Ireland,” the EDF representative said
“And we’ve adopted IFS not just for today’s asset management—but to support our full lifecycle: from development to decommissioning.”
EDF Renewables went live with IFS Cloud just two years ago
adopting the cloud-native platform from the start
The decision was driven by an immediate need for robust asset operations functionality
but with a long-term view of platform-wide integration
a third of the company’s 700+ employees use IFS daily
What stood out during EDF’s presentation was less about flashy AI features
EDF emphasized how critical IFS’s culture and customer success model had been—pointing to the support received through success managers
and peer collaboration at global events like IFS Unleashed
“We only know what we know,” the EDF leader noted
citing how IFS’s business value assessments helped the company revalidate implementation decisions and optimize for future scale
With plans to quintuple operations by 2035
EDF is actively reengineering workflows within IFS Cloud to ensure the platform can scale seamlessly alongside the business
EDF is positioning itself to take advantage of upcoming releases—starting with version 24R2
“But AI will be a game changer once we can align it with our roadmap and use cases.”
Energy companies pursuing net zero mandates should assess whether their digital architecture is future-ready
Prioritize systems that integrate asset operations
EDF’s success shows the value of adopting IFS Cloud from the outset and leveraging the partner ecosystem
including business value assessments and advisory boards
Companies should establish a roadmap that includes version upgrades
and eventual AI adoption—while resisting bolt-on sprawl
but as a strategic foundation for grid modernization and renewable expansion
IFS plays the industry-specific card again
IFS Cloud offers energy and utilities companies a unique advantage: industry-specific functionality across project-centric and asset-centric workflows
The platform supports the full energy lifecycle—from development to decommissioning—and includes advanced planning
EDF’s experience illustrates how IFS enables rapid operational maturity while preserving flexibility for growth
With embedded AI tools like Planning & Scheduling Optimization (PSO) and Emissions Management on the horizon
IFS is evolving from transactional ERP to an intelligent operations platform for clean energy producers
and expanding AI feature sets tailored to the field
IFS is well-positioned to become the platform of choice for renewable-first
digitally driven utilities over the next five years
At IFS Connect UKI 2025 in Birmingham—the heart of Britain’s industrial heritage—Christian Pedersen
Global Head of Presales didn’t mince words: AI is no longer a feature
What unfolded on stage was not another cloud pitch or AI prototype showcase—it was a compelling vision of how IFS is reshaping enterprise software around the realities of industrial businesses
“Industrial AI is not about prompt engineering,” said Pedersen
working for your users—24/7.” Greaves echoed this with a live demo that juxtaposed ChatGPT’s limitations with IFS.ai’s task-specific precision
an agent automatically read a third-party inspection report
prioritized them based on asset condition and language cues
and updated the ERP—no human intervention required
and it’s already embedded across the suite.”
At the core of IFS’s approach is a layered architecture built around a proprietary platform
Agents and copilots are no longer add-ons—they are digital workers that operate side-by-side with humans
And thanks to a one-to-one pairing between each customer’s IFS Cloud environment and their private IFS.ai tenant
“your data is your data—never used to train our models.”
Perhaps the boldest statement from the keynote: “You don’t buy an IFS AI product
That’s not just a philosophical stance—it’s strategic
More than 200 AI-powered capabilities are now live in IFS Cloud
from predictive invoice payments to generative maintenance planning and image-based document ingestion
Industrial users can interact with copilots across Teams
or native IFS screens—and even issue verbal commands to update schedules
IFS has now made all these features available even to remote deployments
eliminating a previous requirement to be hosted in IFS’s Industrial Cloud
“We’ve refreshed the Industrial Cloud Service with more flexibility and pricing agility,” Greaves said
and construction firms should prioritize migrating to IFS Cloud—not simply for modernization
but to activate embedded AI capabilities that directly impact field operations
Use the IFS.ai Activation App to identify quick-win use cases
like AI-based scheduling or procurement agent automation
treat data quality as a strategic enabler: align master data
and train cross-functional teams to embrace digital workers as collaborators—not replacements—in the next phase of operational excellence
IFS.ai is not a bolt-on—it’s a vertically integrated
industry-aware AI layer that differentiates IFS from generalist ERP providers
Its agents interact with live ERP processes in real time
using a customer’s private data and permissions to recommend or automate decisions
With over 200 embedded capabilities—from work order generation to supplier evaluation and inspection remediation—IFS is delivering enterprise AI where it matters: directly in the workflows that generate revenue
Odds are in IFS’s favor. The $60B industrial ERP market is accelerating toward AI-native platforms. IFS’s ability to deliver industry-specific, embedded intelligence—without fragmenting the user experience—is a major differentiator. Competitors like SAP and Oracle are rapidly developing similar capabilities
and proven PSO (Planning and Scheduling Optimization) history give it an execution edge
it stands a credible chance of becoming the industrial ERP market leader by 2029
But that path requires relentless focus—and a partner ecosystem ready to match its ambition
IFS
provider of enterprise cloud and Industrial AI software
recently announced its strongest ever financial performance
Sustained organic global growth fueled by demand for Industrial AI has driven Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) to exceed €1 billion
with total revenue for the year at €1.228 billion
The impact of AI within the industrial setting is poised to contribute substantial long-term economic value in industries that protect
and IFS’s growth in 2024 reflects this demand
With some of the world’s largest brands moving to IFS
the company welcomed over 350 new customers
The customers who are new to IFS are larger businesses
which is reflected in the average deal size of IFS’s largest customers increasing by 64% YoY
IFS was founded in 1983 by five university friends who pitched a tent outside their first customer’s site to ensure they would be available 24/7 and the needs of the customer would come first
IFS has grown significantly and now has over 7,000 employees in 80 countries
IFS has become known for delivering value and supporting strategic transformations
IFS’s global partner community continues to play a significant role in delivering value to customers
Organic growth was complemented by the completion of two strategic acquisitions including Copperleaf
provider of asset management and asset investment planning (AIP) solutions
an AI-powered aviation maintenance software provider
IFS commented: “IFS is leading the Industrial AI revolution
evidenced by our sustained financial performance that is fueled by customer demand for IFS.ai
It is testament to the trust we have built
and I offer my gratitude to our customers and partners for their collaboration
“Our success is a result of strong execution of our industry-focused strategy
No other vendor understands our customers’ industries as well as IFS
which simply means that our customers are realizing exceptional value from IFS.ai
legacy enterprise software vendors who have not kept up with the pace of change.”
IFS emphasizes customer-centricity as a key driver of its strong financial performance
IFS customer satisfaction increased to over 80% in 2024
measured holistically across multiple touchpoints throughout the year and spanning the entire lifecycle
as compared to the conventional practice of an annual pulse check
IFS commented: “Surpassing €1 billion ARR is a significant milestone in the enterprise software industry
reflecting the reliability with which we execute
Cash flow and conversion also grew significantly in the period
meaning business transformation and strategy execution was very strong
I am confident that IFS is well-positioned for 2025
with a strong outlook based on the resilience we have built into the business
industry-focused innovation and our subscription-based business model.”
an Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) company
and it needed to standardize processes across its global operations to improve efficiency and support rapid growth
especially in regulated environments like medical device manufacturing
Implementing IFS ERP enabled Kitron to standardize work processes
and make better-informed decisions based on accurate data
The company achieved 30% year-over-year quarterly growth
streamlined supplier relationship management
and enhanced its ability to manage complex manufacturing operations
China Airlines sought to modernize its MRO operations to enhance efficiency and safety
and it needed to replace its legacy systems with a modern solution capable of supporting complex MRO activities and ensuring regulatory compliance
China Airlines implemented IFS Cloud to integrate and streamline its MRO processes
providing real-time data access and improved operational control
enhancing performance excellence and supporting its commitment to safety and reliability
faced challenges related to rapid growth and increasing operational complexity
and the company needed a solution to enhance visibility into operations
Cheer Pack North America gained real-time insights into its operations
enabling better resource planning and agility in responding to market demands
The company improved operational efficiency
and strengthened its position in the competitive packaging industry
What to look for when an enterprise technology vendor says it is “customer-centric.” Customer-centricity is a value claimed to be held by many companies
In the area of onboarding and implementation
enterprise software customers should expect to see dedicated implementation consultants to guide the deployment process
industry-specific configuration ensuring software meets business needs
data migration assistance to ensure seamless transition from legacy systems
and customized user training based on roles (executives
customer-centric vendors like IFS will conduct Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) to assess value realization and future needs
host Customer Advisory Boards (CABs) where customers influence product roadmap
deploy dedicated account managers ensuring long-term alignment and support
and offer on-demand consultation for process optimization and best practices
business and IT leaders are hearing terms like “user-centric innovation” from enterprise software providers
This includes things like AI-driven usage analytics to recommend feature adoption
regular customer feedback loops for UI/UX and functionality enhancements
early access to beta features for real-world testing before full releases
and industry-focused updates to keep up with regulatory and market changes
Do you fit within IFS’s ideal customer profile (ICP)
Companies that stand to gain the most from IFS’s strengths as an ERP provider are companies involved in discrete and process manufacturing seeking to optimize production processes and to manage extensive assets with integrated enterprise asset management solutions
This includes aerospace and defense companies
requiring stringent compliance and complex project management capabilities
energy and utilities companies managing large-scale assets and infrastructure projects
construction and engineering firms needing robust project lifecycle management and resource planning
and service industries in which companies offer field service management and are aiming to enhance customer satisfaction
IFS’s customers are typically mid-sized to large enterprises with substantial operational complexity and a need for scalable solutions
as well as operations that span multiple regions requiring solutions that support diverse regulatory and operational requirements
And IFS’s customers are by and large enterprises committed to modernizing their IT infrastructure and adopting cloud-based solutions
We are pleased to announce the 7th World Bank/ODI Global/IFS Public Finance Conference
This annual conference brings together researchers
and practitioners to discuss cutting-edge research on public finance of relevance for low- and middle-income countries (L&MICs)
We primarily focus on research related to L&MICs but also welcome relevant studies from high-income contexts
We invite submissions across all areas of public finance
We are pleased to feature the following keynote presentations:
The conference will take place in person in London
with streaming available for non-presenting attendees
Presenters are expected to attend in person
The organizers will arrange economy-class travel for invited presenters
We invite researchers from both academic and policy institutions to submit a paper (preferable) or an extended abstract of two or more pages by May 15, 2025, by uploading here. We highly encourage submissions that showcase collaborations between researchers and policymakers
The conference will feature a session in which policy makers present their research
We aim to notify the authors of selected papers by June
DaTax: A Lab to Study Taxes, Firms and Jobs using Micro Data
Taxes and Government Revenue at the World Bank
2024 Public Finance Conference Proceedings
6th World Bank/IFS/ODI Public Finance Conference: Driving Progress - Public Finance and Structural Transformation
5th World Bank/IFS/ODI Tax Conference: The Political Economy of Public Finances
4th World Bank Tax Conference: Global Tax Equity
3rd World Bank Tax Conference: New Tax Instruments
2nd World Bank Tax Conference: Taxing Personal Income and Wealth in Developing Countries
STAY CURRENT WITH OUR LATEST DATA & INSIGHTS
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The editors at Solutions Review have curated this list of the most noteworthy Worktech news from the week of April 25th
This round-up covers announcements and updates from IFS
Keeping tabs on the most relevant ERP and BPM news can be time-consuming
our editorial team aims to summarize the week’s top headlines in the enterprise technology marketplace
The Solutions Review editors will compile a weekly round-up of vendor product news
here is some of the top WorkTech news for April 25th
Join Insight Jam
a community dedicated to enabling human conversation on AI
for early access to all the expert insights published on Solutions Review
has announced several executive solutions designed to elevate workforce optimization to the forefront of C-suite priorities
The new offerings focus on financial loss analysis and activity alignment
They will translate workforce data into actionable executive insights that enable smarter decisions around performance improvement
The Financial Loss Analysis tool is available now in ActivTrak’s BI solution library
and the Activity Alignment offering is available as part of the BI solution library and in-app
Read on for more.
an agentic AI platform for professionals servicing complex equipment
has released two new features to help service teams meet the demand of fieldwork
which gives technicians access to all of Aquant’s Agentic tools even in areas with limited to no connectivity
a voice-accessible extension for Aquant’s Agentic AI support platform
With service calls increasingly occurring in remote or constrained environments
these features will help users increase equipment uptime
Read on for more.
an enterprise cloud and Industrial AI software provider
has released details on the new Industrial AI-powered features introduced with IFS.ai into the latest IFS Cloud 25R1 release
The update includes 200+ AI-based capabilities designed to automate workflows
leverage industrial agents throughout asset lifecycles
With industrial AI and sustainability at its core
the new release will incorporate agentic industrial AI capabilities that enable customers in asset- and service-intensive industries to drive value from industrial AI at scale
Read on for more.
IFS also announced the launch of IFS Nexus Black
a strategic innovation program designed to expedite high-impact AI adoption for industrial organizations
Nexus Black combines advanced AI technologies with a deep industrial context and a dedicated delivery team to support customers as they manage complex challenges in asset-intensive industries
The program is built on the foundation of IFS.ai and aims to streamline the development and deployment of AI capabilities
Read on for more.
a mobile inventory and ordering tool for enterprise systems
has announced the launch of its core product offering
The company’s product is a fully customizable and ERP-integrated mobile and desktop software designed for wholesale teams and retail
Its solution is based on a “four-pronged approach” that features in-store mobile ordering
Read on for more.
a Digital Employee Experience (DEX) management company
has announced the findings of its latest research report
and Employee Experience.’ The research surveyed 1,100 IT leaders and found that most respondents (95 percent) believe the upcoming wave of AI-powered digital transformation will be the most impactful and intensive seen thus far
It also found that the majority of IT leaders believe their organization’s success over the next three years will be highly contingent on their ability to effectively deploy AI
Read on for more.
To help you gain a forward-thinking analysis and remain on-trend through expert advice
and vendor-neutral software evaluation tools
Judith O’Callaghan is joined by Tom Pierce
the president and founder of Integrated Information Systems (I2S)
for a conversation about the evolution of ERP from its origins in Material Requirements Planning (MRP) to modern systems integrating AI
They explore how ERP has shifted from decentralized to centralized approaches and is now moving back toward balancing centralized information with decentralized execution
Watch Here.
For consideration in future news round-ups
send your announcements to wjepma@solutionsreview.com
This article was written by William Jepma on April 25, 2025
and analyst at Solutions Review who aims to keep readers across industries informed and excited about the newest developments in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
You can connect with him on LinkedIn or reach him via email at wjepma@solutionsreview.com
Solutions Review brings all of the technology news
best practices and industry events together in one place
Every day our editors scan the Web looking for the most relevant content about Endpoint Security and Protection Platforms and posts it here
© 2012-2025 Solutions Review
Enterprise cloud and Industrial AI software leader IFS has appointed Matt Breslin as President
In his role as President, North America, Breslin will spearhead IFS’s next phase of growth
IFS indicated in a statement on February 24 that his mission includes driving Industrial AI and cloud adoption among new and existing customers
Breslin will help businesses leverage IFS’s technology to enhance operational efficiency and deliver superior service experiences
“The industries we serve are actively looking to accelerate their transformation with a future-proof
AI-based platform for growth and innovation,” said Simon Niesler
“Matt’s deep industry expertise and extensive leadership experience developing high performance teams will be instrumental in helping customers to adopt Industrial AI and see fast return on investment.”
Breslin takes over the role from David Spencer
with Spencer and Breslin working closely to ensure continued success for IFS in North America
Breslin expressed enthusiasm about his new role
highlighting IFS’s unique positioning in the enterprise software market
“IFS’s distinct technology offering and impressive growth trajectory sets it apart in the enterprise software industry
making this an exciting time for me to join,” he said
“I am looking forward to working with IFS leadership and the North American team to seize the opportunities Industrial AI presents for both IFS and our customers’ success.”
IFS’ industrial AI is reshaping ERP for asset-intensive industries
With Breslin leading IFS’s North American growth
and defense can expect deeper AI-driven insights for predictive maintenance and supply chain optimization
IFS’s AI-driven predictive maintenance is already helping manufacturers reduce equipment downtime by up to 30%
organizations can proactively identify failures before they occur
Cloud ERP adoption is accelerating for agility and resilience in manufacturing
The company recently announced enhancements to IFS Cloud
focusing on real-time operational intelligence and seamless integration with edge computing for industrial automation
This allows businesses to respond faster to supply chain disruptions and optimize resources dynamically
AI-powered service management is revolutionizing field operations
AI-driven ERP solutions from IFS are empowering field service teams with intelligent scheduling
a leading telecommunications company using IFS’s AI-powered Field Service Management (FSM) solution reported a 20% improvement in first-time fix rates and enhanced customer satisfaction through automated service recommendations
IFS is strengthening its commitment to driving digital transformation through Industrial AI
Cloud enterprise software and Industrial AI applications provider IFS announced its valuation has exceeded €15 billion
This significant milestone follows a strategic shift towards AI-driven growth and consistently strong financial performance
The announcement also coincides with major investment developments
has increased its stake in the Cloud ERP provider to become a co-control shareholder alongside EQT
“With 20 years’ experience investing in software
we recognize exceptional businesses when we see them
which enables their customers’ digital transformation.”
Existing minority shareholder TA Associates remains invested in IFS
joined by new minority investors including a subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments)
These investors acquired shares from EQT funds
“It has been remarkable to see the company’s growth
It’s a prime example of EQT’s ability to run with the winners
We are excited to work alongside Hg to continue supporting IFS through this next phase.”
IFS’s impressive growth trajectory underpins this valuation. The company surpassed €1 billion in annual recurring revenue (ARR) last year
Total revenue for 2024 exceeded €1.2 billion
Demand for IFS’s Industrial AI capabilities has surged
particularly in key sectors like Aerospace & Defense
with the average deal size for its largest customers increasing by 64% annually
“IFS’s success and sustained growth is centered around a commitment and track record of rapidly delivering business value to our customers
The investment and continued commitment from Hg
EQT and TA will help IFS further accelerate our journey to be the undisputed category leader of Industrial Software.”
This strategic investment round positions IFS to further capitalize on the demand for industrial AI and solidify its leadership in the enterprise software market
AI integration is driving significant value and demand in traditional industries
The strong performance and high valuation of IFS
explicitly linked to its “pivot to AI-driven growth,” signals a major trend—traditional industries like manufacturing
demand for integrated Industrial AI capabilities within enterprise software has increased significantly
This isn’t just future-casting; companies are actively seeking and realizing rapid and transformative value from AI embedded in their core systems now
Utilizing AI is being increasingly customized for specific industry needs
The demand for IFS’s Industrial AI is driven by its tangible results in specific industrial applications
IFS has successfully integrated AI for its key sectors in automating workflows
Examples like Exelon using it for asset maintenance
and Total Energies for global asset management show that ERP users in asset-intensive and service-oriented industries (Manufacturing
etc.) are leveraging Industrial AI for concrete operational improvements
Agentic AI is the next wave in AI evolution. IFS is expanding its industrial application of generative and agentic AI. This indicates that the next wave of value within ERP involves moving beyond basic analytics towards more sophisticated AI that can automate complex processes and enhance decision-making proactively
Organizations should evaluate how these advanced AI forms can be applied within their own operations for competitive advantage
particularly for automating workflows and improving service
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EQT sells €3bn stake in IFS to ADIA and CPPIB
announced amid a slowdown in global dealmaking
highlights sustained investor confidence in high-growth
will increase its stake and become a co-controlling shareholder alongside EQT
TA Associates will remain an investor in the business
Founded in 1983 and delisted by EQT in 2016
Stockholm-based IFS has expanded through organic growth and targeted acquisitions
which serves customers in sectors such as defence and utilities
generated more than €1.2bn in revenue last year
“Despite all this turbulence in these markets
people know the story for a long time and IFS has consistently delivered growth,” said Johannes Reichel
The sale marks a near doubling of IFS’s valuation since 2021
when the company was previously valued at around $8bn
The latest stake sale will inject approximately €3bn in fresh capital into IFS to support further expansion
The transaction comes as private equity firms look for alternative ways to return capital to LPs in a slower M&A and IPO environment
Strategic stake sales in high-quality portfolio companies have become a favoured route for large sponsors
EQT is also close to exiting another major asset
having agreed to sell Karo Healthcare to KKR in a separate deal valuing the healthcare company at €2.6bn
Source: Financial Times
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Have you ever felt so anxious in a tough situation that you didn’t know what to do next
That’s how Seth Kopald felt during his divorce
He worried that he’d lose connection with his kids
“How much time will I have with them?” he recalls thinking
he struggled to catch his breath as panic took over
His therapist turned him onto an approach he’d never heard of called Internal Family Systems, or IFS
At the center of IFS — sometimes called “parts work” — is the idea that each of us has multiple parts, kind of like sub-personalities. Getting to know them and treating them with compassion may help us manage our lives and our stress better, Schwartz writes in his book No Bad Parts
Schwartz came up with the idea for IFS more than 40 years ago when he was a family therapist treating adolescents with bulimia
His patients told him about different parts of themselves that were interfering with their treatment
like “the critic” who would make them feel worthless and alone
The premise of the IFS model is that our minds are not one-dimensional
We all have multiple perspectives within — for example
IFS teaches a process to embrace all your parts
bring them into balance and find a sense of wholeness
Parts work has exploded in popularity recently — with a growing number of books, apps and social media accounts highlighting the system. There are now more than 6,000 IFS-certified therapists and practitioners
IFS is used by therapists working on a range of issues
To learn more ways to manage stress, join NPR’s Stress Less: A quest to reclaim your calm. And get five weekly newsletters full of tips and strategies to manage stress and boost positive emotions: Sign up here.
as he began to recognize that it stemmed from fears of feeling unloved in childhood
he could now acknowledge the hurt child within
and begin to unburden from the pain and shame
‘I am the anxiety and fear versus I am here with the fear
And in that realization his natural state of “confidence
“It's almost like I have a new operating system now,” Kopald says
if you’re dealing with stress — around relationships
or any life challenge — you may want to learn more about parts work
Here are highlights of how the IFS process works
One way to begin to get to know your parts is to listen
as if you were about to meditate and notice any bodily sensations that arise
What comes up first are parts that may need your attention
Focus on one sensation or image — tune in and ask it what it wants you to know
he sensed a nervousness throughout his body and he saw images from old movies in his mind — scenes of bad divorces
He was getting in touch with a worrier part that was dominating his life at the time
the rule is that none of our parts are bad
Each of them can give us useful information
Kopald started to realize that his worry and anxiety were what IFS calls “protector” parts
which help us get through tough situations
“They were trying to make me do something — to figure out a solution to help my kids,” he says
But these parts were causing so much anxiety
The worrier was telling him “do something.” Then there was a critic questioning what he'd done to contribute to the bad situation
And another part was jumping in to try to numb him from the pain
a pattern that can happen to many of us in moments of crisis
It’s like noisy instruments playing out of tune
If you find yourself overwhelmed by a cacophony
try to start a dialogue with your parts: What do you want me to know
And the more you learn to work with your parts
IFS teaches you to “separate” from the noise of these competing parts
Kopald recalls the moment he started to get some perspective on his anxiety about his kids
“When it really hit me that the anxiety I'd been feeling was one aspect of me
This was the beginning of a breakthrough for him
ask your noisy part: “Can you give me some space so we can talk?” For Kopald
instead of feeling like he was that scared
he got to the place where he felt he was sitting with that kid
Since it’s easier to bury negative feelings than deal with them
these exiles — as the name suggests — can stay locked deep within
IFS founder Dick Schwartz says the exile parts can get triggered in times of difficulty
“these are often our most sensitive and loving parts.”
which frustrated his father — a prominent physician and researcher
“So he piled on a lot of shame,” Schwartz says
He could recall his father saying things like
you’re good for nothing,” and the hurt was buried deep within
He allowed himself to relive those experiences from childhood
“I could actually enter that scene and be with” the hurt boy
In doing so he could feel the mistrust and fear and shame lifting
For Schwartz this opened up a playful inner child
“That was lacking in my life back before I actually unburdened that part,” he says
Exiles will sometimes take you back to painful scenes
Kopald says if you feel the pain of an exile arise
you can say: “I know you’re there – I’m not pushing you away.” You can ask it to share its story
Kopald says his life is much better now. He has a loving relationship with his children and he’s remarried. Now an IFS-certified practitioner, he's written a book on IFS, Self-Led: Living a Connected Life With Yourself and With Others. But
he still has moments when life is very stressful or throws too much at him
The U-turn is an exercise to gain perspective
If you find yourself engaging in negative self-talk — or you are feeling like everything is falling apart
take a moment to notice what’s happening inside
Kopald says he’ll ask himself: “Wait a minute
you observe which part inside you is triggering your anxiety
Can you just trust me to be here?” Kopald says
When you’re no longer dominated by the cacophony of parts
Self is the parent or leader of your system
offering love and protection to all your parts
Seth says you can think of Self as the sun
Remember the sun is always in its full power
we can “remove the things that block our light.”
“I tend to live more in the light of myself," he says
Stress Less editors are Carmel Wroth and Jane Greenhalgh
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IFS Chief Product Officer
Christian Pedersen recently sat down with ERP Today CEO
Mark Vigoroso to discuss the evolving landscape of enterprise software
The conversation provided insight into IFS’s vision for innovation and the broader industry shifts that will redefine enterprise technology over the next decade
Pedersen emphasized that enterprise customers across all industries are either actively investing in AI-driven automation or are on the verge of doing so
the push toward autonomous business operations is inevitable and will be a key differentiator in the coming years
“There’s no doubt that every single business is thinking about what autonomous business means to them,” said Pedersen
“This naturally leads to a broader conversation about AI and AI agents.”
IFS aims to ensure that its customers don’t have to struggle with the complexity of emerging technologies
“Our pledge to customers is that we take care of the technology so they can focus on outcomes,” Pedersen stated
AI is undeniably playing a role in reshaping the workforce
But Pedersen dismissed fears that AI would replace human jobs outright
instead arguing that AI will enhance human capabilities
“AI is not going to replace people,” he said
“But people who are really good at using AI will become preferred over those who don’t.”
He likened today’s AI revolution to past industrial revolutions
such as Ford’s introduction of the assembly line in the early 1900s
such technological advancements ultimately led to improved quality of life
Pedersen also pointed out that AI-driven automation will be essential in addressing the growing workforce gap caused by declining fertility rates
“The global fertility rate is dropping fast
particularly in the Western world and China,” he noted
we’ll face massive labor shortages that will severely impact productivity.”
Beyond AI, Pedersen touched on another transformative technology: quantum computing. While industry opinions on its timeline vary—SAP CEO Christian Klein has projected its impact within three years
while Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is more conservative—Pedersen believes that quantum computing will become essential sooner than many expect
“There’s no doubt that we will need quantum computing to meet the rising demands of enterprise technology,” he said
“Current power grids won’t be able to support the exponential growth in data processing
Quantum computing will be necessary to sustain the scale of AI-driven operations.”
He cited examples of data center power limitations
noting that many are already struggling to scale due to energy constraints
“It’s not just about computational power; it’s about sustainability,” he added
Even as we navigate rapidly emerging and evolving technologies like AI and quantum computing
we are still wrestling with legacy challenges like moving from on-premises to cloud deployment of enterprise applications
SAP and Oracle have been pushing cloud adoption
“More than half of the world is still running ERP on-premise,” Vigoroso noted
cloud migration is moving slower than anticipated.”
Pedersen acknowledged the challenge but remained optimistic
“I think everyone will be able to keep up,” he said
IFS remains focused on enabling customers to navigate the future of enterprise technology with confidence
the next decade promises significant changes across industries
“But history has shown that those who adapt emerge stronger.”
The increasingly autonomous enterprise will rely on restructured workforce
Agentic AI and other automation transforms business processes
and customer service inquiries) will become fully automated
leading to job reductions in administrative and clerical roles
where workers leverage AI agents to enhance decision-making
A shift from manual execution to oversight will emerge—employees will manage AI systems rather than perform low-level tasks themselves
The workforce will need new skills to collaborate with AI agents
creating demand for AI Trainers & Prompt Engineers
reducing the number of hours needed for traditional work
Some companies may shift to 4-day workweeks as AI increases efficiency
Work will become more strategic and creative
Industries slow to adopt AI may struggle to stay competitive
Governments and businesses will need to invest heavily in reskilling programs to help displaced workers transition into AI-enhanced roles
And lifelong learning will become mandatory
with workers constantly upgrading their AI-related skills
Past 18 months has seen a number of AI-enabled capabilities come from Pedersen’s team
IFS now has an AI-powered assistant designed to improve decision-making and user engagement by providing timely knowledge and guidance
The initial integration focused on IFS Cloud help and support information
boosting productivity through accessible insights
AI-driven homepage that offers live project status visibility
This feature enhances productivity by providing users with real-time insights and interactive widgets to manage assets and services more effectively
IFS has also integrated AI into Failure Modes
and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) which allows for detailed assessments of potential asset failures
AI aids in extracting insights from unstructured data like manuals and maintenance reports
optimizing maintenance strategies to enhance asset availability and reduce costs
IFS now offers customers a Manufacturing Scheduling Optimization (MSO) Simulation
which is an AI-driven production planning and scheduling engine that considers factors such as component shortages
By analyzing various “what-if” scenarios
manufacturers can optimize resource allocation
And the company has released AI-Enhanced Service Management
with features like the AI-powered Home for Dispatchers that provide intelligent insights to assist in task prioritization and resource allocation
This enhancement facilitates efficient scheduling and improves decision-making processes within service management operations
Cheer Pack North America implemented an industrial automation solution utilizing robotics and IFS.ai to optimize production planning and materials movement
This integration led to anticipated annual savings of $1.5 million and allowed staff to transition to more skilled tasks
Noble Corporation integrated IFS.ai capabilities to analyze extensive data
and inform preventative maintenance strategies
This approach aims to optimize maintenance schedules
By extending IFS software across multiple locations
Hexagon Agility improved order-to-ship processes
reduced product costs by avoiding overtime
and utilized actual costing data to support more aggressive pricing strategies
The implementation also automated configurations and customizations
Ainsworth adopted IFS Field Service Management (FSM) to streamline processes
The flexible solution allowed Ainsworth to manage the service needs of its client base effectively
supporting rapid growth and improved data accuracy
The software’s real-time visibility through configurable dashboards aided their daily operations and project management
Jori Epstein and Frank Schwab ask and answer their biggest "What Ifs" two days before the 2025 NFL Draft kicks off
Jori breaks down her Yahoo Sports story on consensus No
When's the last time we've seen a QB1 fly under the radar like this
And how has his unusual path lead him to the NFL
the crew dives into the looming draft questions that have been plaguing them
Will the Saints pass on Shedeur Sanders and Jaxson Dart for Texas QB Arch Manning in 2026
10 overall or will another team trade up to snag him earlier
And does Aaron Rodgers have a big announcement up his sleeve on Thursday night
(4:57) Why is Cam Ward flying under the radar
(23:53) What if the Saints plan to draft Arch Manning in 2026
(38:55) What if the Bears draft Ashton Jeanty
(48:38) What if Aaron Rodgers announces his retirement
Michael has acquired expertise in data analytics
management consulting and sustainability advisory
He is enthusiastic about utilising technology and driving climate impact to propel the path to global net zero
Michael featured on the Global ESG Strategies panel alongside Joe Murphy
Executive Lead of the Ellen Macarthur Foundation
Vice President of Sustainability at BDC Travel and Kuram Gwakyaa
This panel discussion explored how organisations can develop robust global ESG strategies to address environmental
social and governance challenges while propelling accountability and transparency
It was really interesting – the topic was global ESG strategies
There's been a lot of different directions in which speakers yesterday and today have spoken and that tapped into a lot of them.
IFS is a global enterprise software business
So that means we work with a lot of customers in heavy asset industries
decarbonisation of those industries can play a massive part
So we had a recent study by a third party that showed that if we have 100% market penetration in our top three industries
we could potentially support a reduction of 2.6% of global emissions – or put another way the entire global aviation sector
So we can really have quite a big outsize impact as a business.
Our sustainability strategy has a few different three pillars really:
I feel like ESG and sustainability has been on a real journey over the past decade or more
We had a sort of voluntary corporate responsibility or CSR initiative to deliver voluntary benefits
We've had marketing around environmental claims for a long time
We now see regulation and compliance as a driver in some parts of the world.
But what we're seeing more and more particularly recently is a streamlining slimming down of what is really important about ESG and sustainability
Places like North America have seen some backlashes against ESG as a concept
But what we've really seen – something that's been reflected at the conference over the past two days – is that the things that will really stick and will last and weather the storm
are initiatives and strategies that are really tied to tangible value for businesses
if you have a marketing scheme that is based on a claim that is not substantiated
you could open yourself up to a lot of reputational risk
And that's the sort of thing that's been in the headlights recently for worse.
in terms of real tangible value from sustainability initiatives we're seeing with our customers and more broadly in the market
which is one of the main things our software can deliver for customers.
Delivering win-win situations where you increase operational efficiency
you are cutting costs at the same time you are cutting emissions or energy or resource use
So those sort of use cases are the ones that are going to stick and ride through the storm
I think it's also just important to recognise and remember that whilst there is a short-term focus and scrutiny backlash in the background
The recent LA wildfires cost an estimated US$165bn in terms of loss and damage
It is not a case of if businesses and organisations are going to have to take this seriously
It's a question of when and more importantly
Sustainability is not a new concept for IFS and our customers
What we ultimately provide to customers is software that helps them run their businesses effectively
We have a concept of sustainability embedded
The idea is that sustainability is not in a silo – it's not an add-on to your business that you either need to do as a tick box exercise or compliance
It is something that's core to your operations.
Many of our customers use this to deliver massive benefits in terms of not only cost reductions
It can be used for both the people and vehicles
and the benefits can be significant.
we also see big improvements from customers who are using our software intelligently to manage their maintenance of their assets.
and a lot of these incorporate AI to deliver additional gains.
If you can predictively understand when your assets may fail
reduce the emissions associated with managing that infrastructure whilst optimising the costs.
So we're really looking for win-win situations for our clients
and we're starting to see this really become something they're asking us more and more about – and it's something that's already there in the product
I think it's really grown in popularity and in recent years it has become something we are passionate about.
we think it's something that has a real potential to transform industries
individual lives and the whole way that we do work and our customers work.
we need to recognise that today the benefits of AI are not fully realised
I've heard talks today in the procurement sustainability conference about how it's very important to separate the hype from the reality and proven value
I think we are in that situation now where there is a lot of investment hype.
There hasn't been enough time or focus generally on delivering tangible value
The way we're thinking about it at IFS
which is very much focused around use cases that are proven and things that our customers need support with and that will deliver value
So it's not a case of let's just invest in the technology and hope for the best
It's where can we deliver value and where can AI support that
And let's not use AI just for everything – there'll be times when it makes more sense to use a different form of technology.
It's going to be a very interesting year ahead and a few years ahead with all the hype around AI
I'd like to link it to one of our core business values
but grit is something that we really value at IFS internally
It's about resilience in the face of adversity
It's about progressing forward even when things aren't easy.
I think that's so applicable to the world of sustainability with the current focus in some parts of the world
It's really important to collaborate with others and really grit
Sustainability Magazine is a BizClik brand
Moody’s Ratings has affirmed the A1 insurance financial strength (IFS) ratings of Everest Reinsurance Company and Everest Reinsurance (Bermuda)
along with the Baa1 senior unsecured debt rating of Everest Reinsurance Holdings
Moody’s says that the affirmation reflects Everest’s established role in the global reinsurance sector
supported by longstanding client relationships and diversified product offerings
Moody’s noted that these characteristics position the company as a lead market for brokers and clients
Everest continues to operate with a low fixed expense ratio and maintains access to retrocessional capacity through Mt
While the group has demonstrated profitability
Moody’s highlighted that earnings remain subject to volatility
Get the latest reinsurance news direct to your inbox twice a week. Sign up here
Key risks include Everest’s exposure to both natural and man-made catastrophe losses
underperformance in its primary insurance business
and involvement in long-tail casualty lines – areas that present increased pricing and reserving challenges
The company’s financial leverage is viewed as moderate
Everest reported net income of US$1.4 billion in 2024
The decline was primarily attributed to a US$1.7 billion adverse loss reserve development charge
Approximately US$1.3 billion of this charge was recorded within the insurance segment
and commercial auto liability policies written in the United States between 2020 and 2024
Everest also reported a net loss of US$593 million and a net operating loss of US$780 million
primarily due to unfavorable development of prior-year loss reserves in US casualty lines
The combined ratio for the quarter was 135.5% for the group
with reinsurance at 90.4% and insurance at 239.2%
The company strengthened prior-year loss reserves by approximately US$1.5 billion
impacting the combined ratio by 37.6 percentage points
current accident year losses increased by US$229 million
Everest says it has undertaken organizational changes and re-underwriting measures in its primary insurance operations
which Moody’s expects will contribute to improved performance going forward
Despite the impact on underwriting results
other segments of the business delivered stronger results
and increased investment income contributed to a positive
Moody’s said the stable outlook reflects expectations that Everest will generate solid underwriting profitability over the next 12 to 18 months
The agency anticipates continued favorable pricing trends in most business lines
prudent management of catastrophe exposures
and the maintenance of sound capital adequacy
Please feel free to share your comments below
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Writing by William Schomberg; editing by David Milliken
ShareSaveCommentBETAThis is a BETA experience. opt-out hereInnovationCloudIFS Forges Software Steel For Industrial AIByAdrian Bridgwater
Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights
I track enterprise software application development & data management
ShareSaveCommentIFS creates AI-driven software for 'industrial' industries
Most of the software applications that we all come into contact with at a consumer or work level are designed
created and built on a relatively industrial level for what developers hope will be mass market adoption
But that’s not “industrial software” per se
because that definition should perhaps be more exclusively used when we talk about applications built to serve the core industries that make our societies function
Software applications built for manufacturing
aerospace & defence and the services industry sector can be more justifiably described as manifestations of industrial software
Operating with a centralized focus designed to serve that exact (above six) group of verticals is IFS
an enterprise cloud platform organization known for its enterprise resource planning
field service management and related application and data services
IFS has put a considerable amount of effort into coining the term “industrial AI” i.e
automation intelligence functions designed to use the company’s single data model to provide services stemming from an AI-based scheduling and optimization engine
By applying industrial AI functions to everything from temperature & pressure gauge checks and onward to aircraft maintenance procedures
wind turbine repair jobs or any of the essential tasks inside data asset-heavy organizations
IFS has a particular take on AI that goes beyond the generative AI hype that we’ve all grown used to over the last two years
A typical IFS industrial AI application surface would encompass six key “types” of AI: content generation; recommendations; optimizations; contextual knowledge; forecasting & simulation; and anomaly detection
Keen to explain how it is using its central cloud platform technology base to extend functionalities in exactly this space
IFS has detailed the release of its IFS Cloud 24R2 offering
The latest iteration of this technology has been engineered with a new dynamic
AI-powered homepage for IFS Cloud providing live project status visibility
industrial use cases can benefit from the fact that anomalies are automatically detected and corrective actions suggested
saving time and increasing the accuracy of project analysis
This software combines the company’s new context-aware IFS.ai Copilot use cases with an ecosystem of interactive widgets that help users plan
The company promises us that IFS.ai Copilot now goes deeper than ever
surfacing insights from across the organization that it is deployed within
The context-aware Copilot has preconfigured industry capabilities (for the sextet of previously noted industry groups) and is said to get even more powerful when integrated with customers’ own proprietary data sources
It knows where users are in IFS Cloud and provides accurate insights related to it
service leaders and dispatchers can now maximize field service delivery and future planning efficiency with AI-driven accelerated decision-making to obtain instant contextually relevant answers to questions
Within the company’s Asset Applications module
the new IFS.ai Copilot for FMECA (Failure Modes
Criticality Analysis) feature drives what the firm calls optimized asset availability while reducing maintenance costs and mitigating risks
It provides a detailed analysis of how an asset might fail (an asset being a piece of large-scale equipment
a tiny sensor or potentially even a team or an individual)
and the consequences of making or adjusting maintenance strategies
The IFS engineering division say that AI supports FMECA by unlocking insights from unstructured information such as manuals and maintenance reports to support and refine the analysis
"Moving into the use of retrieval augmented generation (with RAG being such an essential consideration for AI right now)
we then feed IFS.ai Copilot with customer data making the answers even more specific to the use case and company asset in question
When it comes to industrial equipment that means being able to provide answers that are a) in context to the user manual for a piece of engineering b) correlated to previous maintenance occurences and issues with the same equipment and c) other proprietary-linked records."
If industrial AI were applied without this contextual specificity
an organization would be solely reliant on information populated across the public Internet and through existing large language models
"Because the average user does not have the time
inclination or skills to be able to refine their search with their own 'prompt engineering' to get more accurate results
this kind of functionality is essential," said Matthews
"You can't risk changing a power supply unit in a piece of medical equipment that keeps somebody alive and doing it the wrong way because you asked ChatGPT (for example)
so a more focused approach is required."
a new manufacturing customer purchase order and then auto-create a new order so the production process can be accelerated
The impact of this new order on the shop floor can then be modelled and analyzed with the new manufacturing scheduling optimization simulation capability
enabling production managers to improve capacity planning and meet customer demand
asset managers can use the Simulation capabilities to more accurately predict and plan essential asset maintenance based on different scenarios
As is the case inside all reputable companies worth their salt today
IFS has made sure sustainability is an embedded factor inside its IFS Cloud
Given that the company’s industrial AI software exists to help optimize operations
it would be something of an obvious gap if this didn’t encompass actions using data-led insights to optimize business functions
reduce waste and support circular manufacturing i.e
resources and materials at whatever level possible
the company pledges to continue its work to help businesses streamline the tracking
and reporting of environmental impact in relation to corporate sustainability reporting regulations and any wider sustainability goals with its IFS Sustainability Management Module
Looking more deeply into the IFS industrial technology proposition and the reality of real word implementations and deployment
the question now is… has the company really substantiated and validated its claims for this space
One has to think about the fact that phases we’ve been through i.e
IFS and others have advocated the need to embrace big data analytics
the need to be API-first and cloud-native (by which we mean public cloud
from a vendor perspective) and now - through various hypecycles surrounding abstraction and virtualization technologies - IFS wants us to believe the industrial AI mantra
This is all at a time when the lion’s share of IFS customers are still predominantly on-premises deployments
so cloud itself is still something of a push… let alone the jump to AI
IFS CEO Mark Moffat drops a little of his corporate gloss when questioned on this point and reverts back to his native Scottish directness
He promises that he would rather have nine core AI use cases deployed across 900 customers than see 900 AI functions adopted by a mere nine users
however profitable those contracts might be
the company has pledged to make more than 60 industry-specific embedded use cases of AI with intelligent user interactions (that leverage the IFS copilot) and market-ready
“What we do is create progressive capabilities that provide customer value and that can demonstrate real return
But I’m a great champion of customer choice and nothing from our platform is ever force-fed i.e
customers are in control in terms of when they think they’re ready for whatever level of cloud and industrial AI we’re talking about
there are moments when an organization might be using IFS (or other) suite applications that are legacy enough for them to be encouraged to migrate
but that really is a different scenario to the current and future roadmap we are operating here
We work hard to make sure we can create a narrative for a sequence of [software adoption or migration] events that fit a customer’s operating model
My whole career has been spent delivering services that are all about encouraging customers to embrace transformation and that lead to outcomes in the appropriate business context
What we can therefore say is that IFS is focused on developing and delivering practicable and productive implementations of industrial AI and making sure they are ready for market
suitably aligned from a compliance perspective and secure
Only a naysayer would argue that early implementations and being forearmed for the next wave of adoption in this way isn’t both poised and prudent
IFS Unleashed returns in 2024 for the first time since 2022 in Orlando
IFS will showcase its latest capabilities and how IFS.ai will supercharge people processes and asset productivity with real customer examples from pioneers who have driven success with AI and IFS for their organization
and IOT technology are becoming a staple for its customers throughout their technology investments
IFS Unleashed 2024 will have a large focus on these technologies
Attendees can immerse themselves in demonstrations
expert sessions and experience unparalleled networking opportunities by joining training to transform their organization and career
Sessions will be evidence-based and provide delegates with tangible applications to leverage AI for their business
Find out more here
Reporting from the ERP Today News Desk, live at the IFS Unleashed event in Orlando
ERP Today/Wellesley Information Services and Stephanie Ball
Vice President Enterprise Asset Management
Exelon on why the company chose IFS for its EAM implementation
When North American energy delivery company
started its enterprise asset management (EAM) journey two and a half years ago
it wanted the project to deliver value for its ten million customers
the implementation faced challenges like delays and dissatisfaction regarding experience
That is when the utilities company chose IFS’ solutions to streamline its EAM implementation
“The solution was all about bringing the different pieces of the puzzle in the EAM system together,” said Biagotti
What really sealed the deal with IFS was that they truly listened to the customers and wanted to learn as much from us as we did from them.”
IFS laid out a vision of end-to-end processes and how its platform would integrate with everything Exelon did from an asset perspective
“It’s just not about your EAM; you need intelligence
other systems or field deployment,” Biagotti explained
He added that IFS’ product clearly articulated that vision and that Exelon saw it taking shape in real-time
Exelon had been clear from the start that it needed a technology partner for this project
and ability to provide a cloud platform tipped the scales in its favor
IFS demonstrated the agility of its platform
leading Exelon to sign up with them in January
“Our goal was to put users in the system in 2024
“And I am proud to say that we beat that goal by four months and got people using the platform in August.”
Biagotti believes the cloud deployment has had a very impactful effect
Biagotti said the company will be making small improvements and deployments to its existing system every year to deliver continuous value and over ten years
the company plans to have perfect blue sky reliability so that its customers are ensured of uninterrupted power unless there’s a storm or a significant event
“So the question we pose to IFS and all our partners is
what are you going to do to help us realize that goal
And that is what Exelon and IFS are striving for through this partnership,” Biagotti said
Note: This ERP Today TV content comes sponsored by IFS
The term loan B arrangers were advised by London finance partner Dan Maze
and the club of private PIK lenders was advised by London finance partner Fergus Wheeler
with support from London finance associates Robert Lowe and Danielle Stobie
Most organisations appreciate regulatory certainty
It is almost always better to know — and to be able to plan for — what is expected of them
even when the requirements may be challenging
the European Data Protection Board published what was by some distance its most anticipated pronouncement of the year: Opinion 28/2024 on certain data protection aspects related to the processing of personal data in the context of AI models
many businesses were hopeful that the Opinion would provide clarity on how to interpret
understand and apply the GDPR to their development and/or deployment of artificial intelligence-enabled products and services
And although it is helpful in places (often for what it does not say)
the Opinion will likely leave many readers with more questions than answers.
That is because the EDPB’s conclusion on the two questions that comprise the majority of the Opinion — Can an AI model be anonymous
Can legitimate interests be used as a lawful basis for processing personal data in an AI model
The Opinion uses the phrases “case-by-case basis”
“case-by-case assessment” and “context of the case” 19 times
and makes clear that the concrete interpretation of these questions will ultimately be left to supervisory authorities to work out
Not to mention the developers and users of the AI models themselves
the EDPB is right to recognise that the application of the GDPR to AI models “raises systemic
abstract and novel issues” — issues that cannot be addressed in a single document
the Opinion does not engage at all with two of the most pressing issues for AI model development: sensitive personal data and purpose limitation.) And the huge variety of AI models and use cases
means that it may have been wishful thinking to expect the EDPB to provide any type of roadmap for compliance.
let’s turn to what the Opinion does say
The EDPB confirms — albeit using the qualified phrasing described above — that AI models trained on personal data can be anonymous
In order for a model to be considered anonymous
both the likelihood of (i) direct (including probabilistic) extraction of individuals’ personal data that was used to train the model
and (ii) obtaining such personal data from “queries”
taking into account all the means reasonably likely to be used by the model developer or another person.
Organisations wishing to take the position that their models are anonymous will need robust documentation — including of the technical and organisational measures taken throughout the lifecycle of the model — to support their claims
The Opinion notably does not address — explicitly
at any rate — the view taken by some European data protection authorities that large language models do not store personal data
the fact that the EDPB accepts that not all AI models which are trained with personal data will be anonymous — including an assessment of whether its outputs contain personal data — suggests that it disagrees with this position
Given the degree to which the EDPB has put the onus on national regulators to interpret both the Opinion and the GDPR’s provisions in this respect
we may well see further differences in approach between authorities on one of the most fundamental questions in this space
The EDPB is also expected to produce (non-AI specific) guidelines on anonymisation in the coming months
which will make for particularly interesting reading in light of the Opinion.
Can Legitimate Interests be Used to Develop an AI Model
The Opinion does not state that legitimate interests cannot be an appropriate lawful basis for developing and deploying AI models
it uses a series of linguistic qualifiers to conclude that an organisation may have a legitimate interest in processing personal data for its AI model.
The EDPB reiterates the three-part test set out in Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR for assessing whether an interest is legitimate
namely: (i) the pursuit of a legitimate interest by the controller or a third party; (ii) the processing of personal data is necessary to pursue the legitimate interest; and (iii) the interest is not overridden by the interests or fundamental rights and freedoms of the data subjects.
The Opinion provides three examples of processing that may constitute a legitimate interest: (i) developing a conversational agent to assist users; (ii) developing an AI system to detect fraudulent content or behaviour; and (iii) improving threat detection in an information system
the latter two examples are similar to the legitimate interests described in Recitals 47 and 49 of the GDPR
such that organisations hoping for a list of approved
AI-specific legitimate interests from the EDPB may well be disappointed
the Opinion does not explicitly state that particular processing activities are not legitimate — including
the Opinion lists specific mitigating measures for controllers to consider in the context of scraping
Given the multiple and overlapping considerations at issue when assessing legitimate interests in the context of AI development and deployment (including individuals’ reasonable expectations and mitigating measures
this is not the type of processing that should be shoehorned under legitimate interests in the absence of a more onerous basis — i.e.
consent — or another lawful basis entirely
reliance on legitimate interests will require a thorough assessment and balancing — and documentation — of the respective interests
Are Users of AI Models Exposed to Liability
Many organisations do not — for now — develop AI models
and so could be forgiven for thinking that the Opinion is not relevant for them
the EDPB makes clear that the use of AI models whose development involved unlawful processing of personal data may expose to liability both the developing party controller and the deploying party controller
national regulators will be expected to take into account whether the party acquiring the AI model conducted an “appropriate assessment” to determine that the model was not developed by unlawfully processing personal data
the Opinion serves as an important reminder for deployers of AI tools: while the use of those tools by their employees is usually thought of as being the primary risk to organisations (and indeed it often is)
they should not overlook the need to understand the risks inherent in the AI model itself and confirm
It is reasonable to assume that regulatory investigations will generally focus on — or at least start with — the developer of an AI model
given the patchwork of approaches that could be taken by authorities across the European Union
that users of such models also or alternatively receive scrutiny
where a deployer modifies a white label solution and becomes a quasi deployer-developer
Or if a deployer’s use of a standalone model results in particularly egregious risks to or outcomes for individuals
Conducting and documenting diligence should therefore form a critical part of your AI contracting playbook (if it is not already)
This exercise can be easier said than done
particularly when acquiring off-the-shelf tools or where the acquiring party has limited bargaining power
But doing so will in most cases help to act as mitigation in the event of regulatory intervention — as well as helping you to assess and comply with your wider data protection obligations.
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-- IFS unveiled its vision for industrial AI applications that include new capabilities in the latest release of IFS Cloud
there are questions about how ready its customers are to adopt AI
The Asset Applications module uses the IFS.ai copilot for the risk assessment methodology Failure Mode
Effects and Criticality Analysis to improve asset feature availability while reducing maintenance costs and mitigating risks
It has been used for years to automate and optimize industrial processes
"It wasn't until the buzz around GenAI two years ago that set the imagination free
because GenAI placed in our minds that AI could generate things -- not only optimize things," Pedersen said
IFS has taken the learnings of generative AI technology in the past two years and is applying them to the core strengths of the IFS Cloud, which includes its industry specificity for aerospace and defense
the deep and rich data models of our ability to do data streaming for augmented reality
"We're bringing all these things together with GenAI
and that has unleashed a tremendous amount of power."
Generative AI has a broad set of applications on its own
but its use in industrial AI stands apart because it is laser-focused on precision with no hallucinations
which are erroneous or misleading conclusions produced by a generative AI model
it does it in the context of real-world challenges."
IFS is developing more than 300 industrial use cases and plans to deliver at least 60 validated use cases by the end of the year
Sustainability was also on the agenda at IFS Unleashed. IFS Cloud Sustainability Management, a new tool developed in collaboration with PwC, is embedded in IFS Cloud 24R2. This is designed to help customers gather, track and manage data around sustainability to help them meet regulatory requirements, improve the efficiency of operations and support circular manufacturing processes
It includes functionality such as a carbon emissions tracker with categories for waste generated in operations
"Typically, when you invoke the kind of actions that reduce carbon, that optimize processes, that improve productivity and uptime, reduce fuel consumption -- it's just good business," said Mark Moffat, CEO at IFS
"It's also a call to action for the industry -- if we can do it for our customers
Customers and analysts were generally positive about IFS' practical use cases for industrial AI
but also recognized that there are issues that need to be resolved and questions answered before it's widely adopted
IFS did well by showing use cases with input from real customers
"[Vendors] at a lot of these events show ideas for use cases
but are a little light on how customers are using them," Herbert said
"The industry-specific elements are strong for them
particularly as industrial AI isn't effective without the industry context."
struggle with moving their customers to the cloud
"This can open a door for a company like IFS because they're in the same area and they're much cheaper," Herbert said
"If they can show that billion-dollar-plus corporations are using them
The product demonstrations showed how IFS is adding AI capabilities across the entire lifecycle
from planning and forecasting to procurement and operations
founder and president of technology advisory firm TechVentive
The emphasis on practical uses of industrial AI also helps to cut through the AI hype
"They did a good job of showing where they're putting AI and how they're doing this with real customers," Sommer said
"It's one thing to say you have AI -- it's another to make it accessible
It can't just be some pie-in-the-sky thing."
questions remain about how ready customers are to start using industrial AI
IFS needs to fill in details of what's really available and what it costs
"They're long on concepts and short on some of the hard data points to wrap around," Sommer said
but still need to verify and validate the value."
Sustainability is an important issue for IFS, as the issue is already important in Europe where the company is headquartered
It's also becoming a growing issue in the Asia-Pacific region
"Many companies there are getting questions from their customers and suppliers when they get down to Scope 3 emissions issues
and they need to provide this information," he said
"They're just beginning the process of figuring out what data they need to collect."
applications developer principal at BAE Systems in Boulder
BAE Systems is running an on-premises IFS ERP system
but is looking to move to IFS Cloud and introduce some AI capabilities
but we work in the aerospace and defense industry
so there's a lot of questions [that have to be asked about AI]," he said
"What do you do with AI if you're running on-premises and what are you connecting to?"
Sustainability is also an important issue for DeAntoni
who attended a standing-room-only session for IFS Cloud Sustainability Management
"Our company was a subsidiary of a metal packaging firm that was acquired," he said
"There was a huge push for sustainability there
so I'm gathering information about IFS' sustainability tools."
IT contracts manager at William Grant & Sons
came to IFS Unleashed to see what IFS is doing with the cloud and AI
uses on-premises IFS as its main ERP system and will start turning to the cloud next year
"The industrial AI information is very interesting
It's mentioned in our jobs more and more every day
so it's important that we know what IFS is doing and the path that they're on," Duncan said
"It's not ready for the on-premises system
but it's about what's to come in the future
There's lots of nervousness generally about AI
and there are a lot of questions that need to be answered."
Jim O'Donnell is a senior news writer for TechTarget Editorial who covers ERP and other enterprise applications
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many organizations lack a suitable versioning strategy
Dropbox search extends to other apps such as Slack
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Metrics like time saved by recruiters and cost per hire can give insight into whether an ATS is delivering ROI
Implementations are expensive and can negatively affect company operations if not carried out correctly
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The Steelers drafted former Ohio State quarterback Will Howard in the sixth round on Saturday
but the biggest quarterback news of the weekend involve a different signal caller
but head coach Mike Tomlin didn’t want to put any timeframe on things during an appearance on NFL Network
“That’s certainly a possibility,” Tomlin said
“I’m not going to forecast the ifs and whens regarding not only him
We’ve had really productive talks with him
and I’ve enjoyed having productive talks with him and getting to know him.”
Howard will likely move into a developmental role behind Rodgers and Mason Rudolph on the depth chart
Skylar Thompson is also currently on the roster in Pittsburgh
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Game 15: Game 13 Winner vs. Game 14 Winner
a global leader in cloud enterprise software and Industrial AI applications
has announced the appointment of Rahul Misra as Senior Vice President and Managing Director for the Middle East and Africa (MEA)
Rahul will lead IFS’s growth strategy across key MEA markets
A visionary business and technology leader
Rahul brings more than 25 years of experience in driving transformation
and leading enterprise growth across the Middle East and Africa
He joins IFS after an 18-year career at Oracle
where he held several strategic leadership positions
most recently heading the Cloud Applications business across the Gulf and South Africa
the business achieved consistent double-digit growth and drove significant industry and regional transformation
commented: “We are thrilled to welcome Rahul Misra to the IFS leadership team
The Middle East and Africa represents one of our most strategic growth regions globally
with nations like Saudi Arabia and the UAE leading ambitious national transformation agendas and infrastructure development across Africa gaining rapid momentum
Our strengths in Enterprise Asset Management
and Cloud ERP—underpinned by IFS.ai—are perfectly aligned with the needs of asset and service-intensive industries in these markets
and strong leadership make him the ideal choice to lead this exciting next chapter.”
said: “IFS is entering a defining phase of its journey—crossing €1 billion in ARR and experiencing exceptional momentum in the adoption of IFS.ai
The Middle East and Africa is a region full of promise
where visionary national programs like Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030
the UAE’s innovation-led economic transformation
and the continent-wide infrastructure acceleration in Africa are creating powerful tailwinds for digital and industrial innovation
With IFS’s global leadership in Enterprise Asset and Service Management
we are uniquely positioned to create lasting value for customers across the region
I’m excited to work with our customers and partners to deliver meaningful outcomes and set new benchmarks for success.”
who after six successful years leading the MEA region
will transition into a broader executive role as Vice President
IFS MEA experienced transformative growth and strengthened its reputation as a trusted digital transformation partner
“We thank Mehmood for his outstanding contributions and leadership
His impact has been instrumental in shaping the region’s success
and we look forward to the value he will continue to deliver in his expanded role,” added Hannes Liebe
About IFS IFS is the world’s leading provider of Industrial AI and enterprise software for businesses that power
Our solutions enable companies that manufacture goods
and deliver service-focused operations to unlock the transformative potential of Industrial AI™—driving efficiency
The AI-powered IFS Cloud platform is fully composable and built for adaptability
supporting the evolving needs of our customers across Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
IFS empowers businesses to succeed at their Moment of Service™
IFS today operates in over 80 countries with more than 7,000 employees
IFS is the most recommended vendor in its category
The press release is provided for informational purposes only
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The latest trends in software development from the Computer Weekly Application Developer Network
IFS CEO Mark Moffat kicked off IFS Unleashed 2024 in Orlando this week with a promise to explain how his firm is bringing ‘IFS Industrial AI’ to assets
“We’re not just about ERP services and selling subscription licences and then disappearing for a while
we’re all about being a connected strategic partner with our customers to help them achieve new
bigger and wider business outcomes,” said Moffat
Urging the audience to embrace the opportunity to work as a community
Moffat pointed to the way the 7000 strong members of the IFS staff (or
team purple as they are known) are working to continue the company’s focus on its six key verticals
Moffat set out to meet 100 IFS customers in 100 days… an effort he says he made to show the market that the firm insists that it will never be a bloated sluggish technology mover
Looking at this year’s IFS acquisitions, EmpowerMX (an aviation maintenance company) is one of the key developments… but Copperleaf (story detailed here previously) is probably a higher-profile development
The company is a specialist in helping firms make the right asset investment decisions – and those decisions could be investing in a whole new airport terminal
or rolling out a bunch of new routers and switches (for example) through some operational network
Copperleaf software works out how to use limited funding resources to optimise the scale of investment decisions being made in any given scenario
Moving on to sustainability (and let’s remember that IFS works in aerospace
engineering and manufacturing in particular)
CEO Moffat noted the company’s new sustainability module that is designed to help customers reduce carbon emissions in the immediate
“It’s all about working at the point where data meets the real world,” said Moffat
“So now it is our mission to become the world leader in industrial software.”
Switching to a Satya Nadella video recording (because no keynote is complete without a Satya video or a ‘surprise’ appearance from Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang) previously recorded with Moffat
Nadella enthused about the IFS-MSFT partnership and also spoke about the drive to digitise an increasing amount of our world around us as we apply new reasoning engines (many with agentic capabilities) to impact the way almost all enterprise software will be built now
The IFS ESG roadmap is built on Microsoft Azure
so this was a good chance for Nadella to talk about how Redmond works to make sure AI models are deployed safely in environments where customers are able to keep tight control over their own data
Some themes at enterprise technology shows tend to feel like they are being constantly reinvented… and AI is often a key facilitating factor in this progression…
In terms of what Nadella and indeed IFS’s Moffat are most excited about
the pair agreed that workflow components with human interfaces to copilots will be key… they also see many technology companies deploying an increasing amount of AI agents which will work with humans… and in some scenarios
Microsoft said almost exactly the same thing a decade ago when it first got really excited about RPA ‘bots’… so the AI reinvention seen here is perhaps a little inevitable
Chief product officer at IFS Christian Pedersen took the stage to start driving into a more technical demonstration of what IFS does
Reminding the audience that AI has been around (in practical application terms) for as long as 30-years
Pedersen said that we’ve come a long way from early AI applications focused on postal mail sorting towards today’s generative AI functions
IFS delivered an extended later session of its keynote with a working selection of demos designed to showcase how its platform “connects human beings with backoffice systems” using the IFS Cloud technologies spanning everything from procurement management to manufacturing systems and onwards
With a constant focus on using these systems to manage an organisation’s eco-footprint in all areas of production (whether the deployment is dedicated to either products or services or both)
IFS appears to be crystallising its industrial AI vision into a coherent technology proposition that
makes it very clear that this is not just an ERP company
Thinking back to the company’s conferences and newswire streams some half a decade ago
the Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) and Field Service Management (FSM) aspects of the IFS platform were always present too… but perhaps now the whole ecosystem of tools within IFS Cloud now coalesce and appear to make more sense.
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The increasing demand for industrial AI software, especially in the manufacturing, energy and utilities, and servicing sectors, boosted the revenue for leading enterprise cloud and industrial AI software provider IFS in the third quarter
The company’s annual recurring revenue (ARR) increased by 30% during Q3 compared to a year ago, driven by a 71% increase in its IFS Cloud adoptions and a 46% growth in cloud revenue
“The 30% growth in ARR demonstrates our success in driving predictable
We continue to lead with customer-focused solutions
strongly supported by our innovative global partner network,” said Matthias Heiden
IFS added 90 new organizations to its customer roster
These include Danish Telecom company TDC NET
which strengthened its relationship with the firm after opting for IFS Cloud in October
TDC NET will utilize IFS Cloud’s Field Service Management (FSM) to streamline its workforce management (WFM) processes and consolidate its WFM systems on a single platform
Other companies that became IFS customers in the third quarter include Ahrend
General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems-Canada
and its most recent acquisitions also increased in the third quarter
“Our Q3 results reflect IFS’s commitment to solving critical industry challenges through Industrial AI,” said Mark Moffat
“IFS.ai is driving the next industrial revolution
and our continued growth is a testament to the value we’re delivering to customers and partners alike.”
The company unveiled IFS Cloud 24R2 during its recent IFS Unleashed event
The new solution includes IFS.ai-powered features and over 60 AI use cases
The firm has also created a new sustainability module with PwC called IFS Cloud Sustainability Management Module to help customers resolve their ESG challenges
Reed after top-5 finishes at MastersApr 14
share-facebookshare-xshare-whatsappshare-copy-linkAUGUSTA
Hopes of slipping on a green jacket Sunday evaporated for each LIV Golf player due to those costly uncooperative clubs in the final round of the Masters
two shots behind playoff winner Rory McIlroy
after shooting his second consecutive 3-under 69
DeChambeau shot a final-round 75 to finish tied for fifth at 7 under
RELATED: Best of social media for final round | Photo gallery Sunday at the Masters
They were among five LIV Golf players inside the top 15 on the final leaderboard
Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton finished in a six-way tie for 14th at 3 under
The five LIV Golf players inside the top 15 is the most in any of the 11 majors since LIV Golf's debut in the summer of 2022
Sunday afternoon had the potential to be much more rewarding for DeChambeau and Reed
the 4Aces GC star who was one of just two players in the field to shoot all four rounds under par
“Really lost my opportunity to win a green jacket because of the putter.”
“If I just had somewhat of good iron play this week
it would’ve been a lot different outcome,” added DeChambeau
An incredible showing by @PReedGolf 👏He will finish the tournament at 9-under and in solo 3rd 💪#TheMasters pic.twitter.com/sH6JQjRFQU
who started the day two shots behind McIlroy in the final group
briefly grabbed the lead after a birdie at the par-5 second that came on the heels of McIlroy’s opening double bogey
He actually was pleased with his approach shot to 20 feet but was surprised when his birdie attempt went 9 feet past
“There’s no way that putt goes that far by
I just didn’t realize how firm and fast it could get out here
Open champ could never escape the fact that his iron play was off
He left himself in too many precarious positions
and it proved costly during the next 10 holes when he dropped five strokes
The defining moment came with his 9-iron on the par-4 11th at the start of Amen Corner
He had managed to avoid damage in the previous six holes with a string of pars
“I just tried to hit a draw in there and it started five degrees left,” DeChambeau explained
which would’ve required a legendary rally to have any chance
Two bogeys in his first three holes compounded the challenge
but when he reeled off four consecutive birdies to finish his front nine
which Reed has mentioned all week as being missing in action
It finally ended his hopes at the par-5 13th when he three-putted from inside 5 feet
.@brysondech has taken the outright lead with a birdie on 2🙌#TheMasters pic.twitter.com/QmDpKLRQ3A
He said his birdie putt hit a shiny patch that caused the ball to skid and go hard left
catching the lip and going 4 feet the other way
you’re more upset about the first one because you feel like you should make it,” Reed said
His long-shot chance for a second Masters title was lost at that point, but Reed did have one feel-good moment left in his bag, as his approach from 146 yards at the par-4 17th one-hopped into the cup for an eagle, moving him to 9 under.
Not only did it earn him some crystal glasses – given to Masters competitors for any eagle – but the solo third is his best Masters finish since his victory.
It also enhanced his chances of playing in other majors this year. He moved up to 49th in the world rankings, which means he'll likely get an invite to next month's PGA Championship (usually given to the top 100) and may also qualify for the U.S. Open (he'll need to stay inside the top 60 as of May 19).
“To make that was really cool because you sit there and go, hey, mathematically I might have a chance,” Reed said. “Anytime you can make an eagle and have hardware around here is awesome. Just wish I could have got off to a little better start and had a chance because my putter was cold.”
Still, he walked off the 18th green feeling confident about future opportunities to win a second green jacket, having finished inside the top five in two of the last three Masters. “The game is where it needs to be,” Reed said. “I’m doing things the right way. Now it’s just put it all together and make some putts.”
Despite the disappointment of Sunday, DeChambeau should also be feeling good about his chances moving forward at Augusta National. He tied for sixth last year and tied for fifth this year, his best result in nine starts here. He was in contention despite never really feeling comfortable with his iron play.
“There’s a lot to take away from this week, a lot to learn, a lot to be proud off, a lot to be pissed about,” DeChambeau said. “But I learned a lot and I’m ready to take the challenge on again. … I’m excited for the rest of my life.”
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two prop bets and some big what-ifs for 2025
First, I wanted to shoutout “The Athletic Football Show” for its Lessons Learned episode
If you want to understand how teams won in 2024
Derrik Klassen and Nate Tice is a must-listen
This article is from Scoop City, The Athletic’s daily NFL newsletter. Sign up here to receive it directly in your inbox
Yesterday, James Boyd and Austin Mock took an alternative look at the 2024 season — one in which Jayden Daniels went No
Saquon Barkley stayed in New York and my Bengals had a league-average defense
One that’s often overlooked: What if Chiefs WR Rashee Rice stayed healthy
but Rice’s three healthy 2024 games had him on pace to finish with 136 catches for 1,632 yards and 11 touchdowns
Amazing that they lost him that early and still went 15-2 en route to winning the AFC
For the full list of what-ifs, read the article here.
The Steelers sign Aaron Rodgers? The Super Bowl window for Pittsburgh’s aging defense keeps shrinking
while Rodgers will be another year removed from an Achilles injury and the plethora of minor injuries that hampered him in 2024
Can the 41-year-old pull another Brett Favre
Favre led the Vikings to the NFC Championship after a brief stint with … the Jets.) Speaking of Minnesota:
The Raiders sign Sam Darnold? Alec Lewis detailed Darnold’s free-agent options
The 27-year-old Darnold would benefit from a decent offensive line
TE Brock Bowers and perhaps some time with minority owner Tom Brady
The Broncos sign Aaron Jones? This would give Sean Payton the reliable runner he’s craved since landing in Denver
Fresh off a career-high 1,138 rushing yards
the 30-year-old Jones can replace impending free agent Javonte Williams
becoming the Alvin Kamara to Audric Estime’s Mark Ingram in Payton’s system
On the latest episode of the “Scoop City” podcast
co-host Chase Daniel and I dipped our toes into the draft
if there’s a quarterback worth trading up for
And I made the point that the team trading up for him should be the Giants
This is a make-or-break year for GM Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll
Landing the right quarterback is the best — and maybe only — way they can make it through 2025
I wouldn’t be surprised if they made a call to Tennessee
trying to make sure they can get the quarterback they want
I share three stories from The Athletic that you might have missed
Upon returning to the NFL last month, some Lions teammates referred to Teddy Bridgewater as “Coach Teddy.” That’s the title he’d earned at his high school alma mater, Miami Northwestern, where days prior, he’d finished coaching a state championship team. Bridgewater’s fascinating journey is explained by Dan Pompei
One reader commented: “Best story that I’ve read in a long time
Six massage therapists accused Ravens K Justin Tucker of sexual misconduct, per a Baltimore Banner investigative report. In a statement, Tucker called the allegations “unequivocally false.” Here’s what we know
Next week: Super Bowl matchups to watch
ranking 2025’s free agents and the greatest debates of all time
Yesterday’s most-clicked: The Athletic’s latest 2025 mock draft
in which the Patriots land Arizona WR Tetairoa McMillan
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