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To help midsize organizations accelerate cloud ERP overhauls, IBM and SAP joined forces this week to launch IBM Ready for SAP Solutions.
The new offering combines Cognitus’ consulting SAP Cloud ERP methodology with AI-enabled delivery through IBM Consulting Advantage, according to a press release. IBM acquired Cognitus, a global SAP consulting partner, in 2025 to aid enterprises in their SAP transformation efforts.
For 68% of enterprises, accelerating ERP modernization is critical to enhancing operational efficiency, according to a May survey of 1,000 senior executives conducted by the IBM Institute for Business Value.
Levi Strauss & Co. retired more than 90 legacy systems and enabled more than 2,600 employees to work from a single platform amid a multiyear modernization effort, which included migrating to cloud-based ERP system SAP S/4 Fashion. It’s the latest example of a large enterprise prioritizing modernization to pursue operational wins.
Here are some more notable updates in enterprise IT released this week:
Accenture, Dell form modernization group
Accenture and Dell expanded a partnership of more than two decades with the formation of the Accenture Dell Business Group, a joint effort to help enterprises scale AI and modernize infrastructure.
The newly formed group seeks to give companies increased control over data, more predictable AI economics and performance capacity necessary for running agentic workloads
Google unifies modernization tools into single portfolio
Google Cloud launched Google Cloud Modernize, which the company described in a press release as an “end-to-end transformation portfolio to help enterprises collapse multiyear roadmaps with the power of AI.”
Google Cloud Modernize unites the company’s migration and modernization tools such as Google Cloud Mainframe Modernization and Google Cloud VMware Engine, among others.
Also this week, Google unveiled its new Gemini agent, a push to harmonize access to the platform in a single spot for enterprise users.
Cognizant pushes to expedite AI deployment
Cognizant, an AI builder and technology services provider, wants to compress AI implementation timelines for enterprises through the launch of its new business unit Cognizant Activate, which will operate in enterprise environments with vertically integrated teams.
The business unit will deliver pre-built configurations for data and AI, enterprise applications, cloud modernization, cybersecurity and managed services. The unit’s initial focus will be on financial services, retail and consumer packaged goods, healthcare and manufacturing.
Atlassian joins FDE blitz
Joining the cohort of companies tapping into the expertise of forward deployed engineers, productivity software provider Atlassian launched its Forward Deployed Engineering program to scale AI by embedding senior applied AI engineers into enterprise environments.
Microsoft, Google and AWS among others have also put forth FDE programs as enterprises contend with complex environments for AI adoption and broader modernization.
Cisco adds agentic capabilities
Cisco has updated its collaborative platform Webex to include Claude, supporting collaboration between humans and AI agents and enabling data analysis within Webex.
The company is uniting networking and collaboration devices through Intelligent Workplace Experiences, a platform workspace managed through Cisco Cloud Control, while also introducing Dialog, an agentic harness focused on customer relationships.
