Apptio boosts tool for tracking cloud spend in latest FinOps expansion – CFO Dive

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Rising global IT spending, expected to reach $6.15 trillion in 2026, is intensifying pressure on enterprises to manage cloud costs in real time, the IBM company said.
Gartner projects that global information technology spending will reach $6.15 trillion in 2026, up 10.8% from 2025.
At the same time, executives are being asked to justify the value of massive AI expenditures they cannot fully see or track, Apptio said. The company’s 2026 Technology Investment Management Report found that 90% of business leaders view return-on-investment uncertainty as a challenge affecting technology investment decisions.
As part of Tuesday’s announcement, Apptio said it was adding advanced real-time visibility into cloud spending directly into Cloudability, providing organizations with a more granular view of what is driving those expenses.
The capability, known as Cloudability Advanced Containers, is powered by technology Apptio obtained through its 2024 acquisition of Kubecost, a cost monitoring and management tool for IT teams using so-called Kubernetes software to manage applications in the cloud.
The recent moves build on IBM’s broader push into FinOps following its $4.6 billion acquisition of Apptio in 2023.
On Tuesday, Apptio also offered updates on Conversational Insights, an AI-powered assistant designed to allow users to ask plain-language questions about their technology spending.
The assistant — currently in the “preview” stage with limited use and expected to become generally available in 2026 — is designed to “connect financial, operational and business data across systems in order to help leaders better manage IT costs, optimize cloud spending and align strategic portfolios,” the release said.
A spokesperson said the company delayed general availability of Conversational Insights — previously slated for early 2025 — based on feedback from preview customers.
“Customers were excited about the advanced genAI capabilities of Conversational Insights but remained cautious about introducing AI into financial decision systems that manage some of the world’s most sensitive data,” the spokesperson said via email.
“So, we deliberately took the time to build an AI foundation that is secure, auditable, and trusted for financial decision-making, and to ensure that Conversational Insights meets customer needs for scalable enterprise-ready AI.”
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This article was autogenerated from a news feed from CDO TIMES selected high quality news and research sources. There was no editorial review conducted beyond that by CDO TIMES staff. Need help with any of the topics in our articles? Schedule your free CDO TIMES Tech Navigator call today to stay ahead of the curve and gain insider advantages to propel your business!