IBM’s acquisition of Confluent sparked a lot of discussion across the data and analytics world. Many see it as an “AI play,” but it also shifts the needs for Cognos, watsonx BI, and enterprise analytics teams preparing for real-time, AI-driven workloads. Here’s the breakdown of why this matters.

IBM just spent $11B on Confluent.
That’s not a bet… that’s a message.

…and if you work in Analytics, you should be paying VERY close attention.

Everyone thinks this was just an “AI move.”
Nope.
This was a data move.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth in most enterprises right now:
You can’t do real AI with stale data, scattered data, or data that takes six meetings and three spreadsheets to assemble.

IBM didn’t spend $11 billion for fun.
They bought Confluent because streaming data is the backbone of every AI and analytics workflow that actually works.

And here’s where it gets really interesting for Cognos and WxBI:

Confluent = real-time pipes
Cognos = governed, trusted analytics
WxBI = AI-assisted insights

Put them together and suddenly:
• Cognos isn’t looking at yesterday’s numbers
• WxBI isn’t hallucinating off incomplete data
• AI models stop being science projects and actually become business tools

It’s the analytics trifecta:
Real-time data → Real-time intelligence → Real-time decisions.

IDC says there will be 1 BILLION new applications by 2028.
Guess what those apps will all need?
Clean, connected, streaming data.

Right now, is when companies should be rebuilding their analytics foundation.
Not “next quarter.”
Not “if we have the budget.”
Now!

Because next December, executives will be asking the same painful question:

“Why didn’t we get our data ready earlier?”

Don’t be that company.
Get your analytics house in order.
The AI wave isn’t coming, it’s already here, and it’s running on data.