Apptio, IBM’s technology spend management software business, has introduced a series of updates aimed at helping enterprises track technology investments across hybrid environments and connect spending to operational outcomes. The release includes a preview of Conversational Insights, a natural language interface that allows users to query financial and operational data across the Apptio portfolio.
The announcement comes as companies increase spending on AI infrastructure. According to Gartner, worldwide IT spending is expected to reach $6.15 trillion in 2026, up 10.8% from 2025. At the same time, Apptio’s 2026 Technology Investment Management Report found that 90% of surveyed leaders said uncertainty around return on investment affects technology spending decisions.
The new Conversational Insights capability is designed to let users ask questions about project status, resource allocation and financial performance using plain language. The tool draws on data across Apptio applications and is built around Technology Business Management principles. IBM said the interface inherits existing user permissions, allowing organizations in sectors such as government, financial services and healthcare to maintain established access controls.
"Technology is no longer a cost center; it is the engine of modern business,” said Bill Lobig, Vice President Apptio. “This reality demands a shift from reactive reporting to proactive, real-time monitoring of spend. With the introduction of our new AI-infused capabilities, we are providing the automated, real-time insights leaders need to manage the complexity of hybrid IT to help ensure their technology investments become their greatest competitive advantage."
Jevin Jensen, research vice president at IDC, said enterprises need better visibility into AI-related expenses.
“Many organizations still have limited visibility into their AI investments. Organizations need a natural language conversational tool powered by AI to gain better insight into their technology spend and can directly connect costs to measurable business outcomes,” said Jevin Jensen, research vice president, IDC. “This replaces guesswork with financial intelligence and allows IT and business leaders to operate from a shared perspective.”
Alongside the conversational interface, IBM is expanding several products that feed data into the Apptio platform. A new Data Center Total Cost of Ownership capability combines facility and operational information, including rack space, cooling and power, to help organizations analyze capacity and costs. Cloudability Intelligent Forecasting uses IBM’s watsonx.ai models to generate cloud spending forecasts and detect anomalies that could affect budgeting. Another addition, Cloudability Advanced Containers, developed with Kubecost, provides container-level cost visibility for Kubernetes environments across different infrastructure platforms.
IBM said Conversational Insights is currently available in preview and is scheduled for general availability in 2026. Cloudability Intelligent Forecasting and Data Center TCO are expected to become generally available during the second quarter of 2026.
