To kick off 2026, the IBM ALM team invited ALM partners to the IBM Innovation Center in Austin, Texas, where over 2.5 days the team presented to more than 60 partners on ALM sales execution and technical best practices. Topics included AI‑driven operations, competitive positioning in the datacenter market, targeted ALM customer strategies, and best practices in facility and real estate platform consolidation.

Industry Context & Market Data Added for Business Relevance

Rising Demand for Energy & Operational Intelligence

Global energy demand continues to grow at an accelerated pace. In 2024, worldwide energy consumption increased faster than average, driven heavily by growth in electricity usage due to cooling demand, industrial consumption, electrification, data centers, and AI workloads. Electricity demand rose at nearly twice the rate of broader energy demand. [iea.org]

This growth reinforces why organizations continue to list utility costs among their top five operational challenges, especially those managing large, distributed portfolios with fluctuating billing patterns.

For ALM partners, this highlights a strong market tailwind: customers are under pressure to manage energy use, reduce emissions, and improve asset efficiency—directly aligning with ALM, Maximo, MREF and Envizi.

Utility Cost Volatility & the ROI Opportunity

A Deloitte 2026 utilities outlook notes that customer affordability pressures will rise, with retail electricity prices projected to increase 4.5% in 2025 over 2024.
This creates an immediate financial incentive for organizations to adopt solutions that provide clearer visibility into usage patterns, variance detection, and cost‑saving measures—areas supported by Envizi’s Energy Intelligence capabilities. [deloitte.com]

Workshops & Technical Sessions

Workshops included hands‑on sessions covering:

• Asset Management Planning
• IWMS solutions
• Field Service Management
• Asset Investment Management

Market Data on IWMS & Related ALM Technologies

The Integrated Workplace Management Systems (IWMS) market continues strong growth:

• Market valued at $5.95B in 2025, projected to grow to $6.59B in 2026 and $16.43B by 2035 (10.69% CAGR). [globalgrow...sights.com]
• 74% of U.S. organizations have adopted or plan to implement IWMS tools to manage hybrid work and optimize space. [globalgrow...sights.com]
• IWMS solutions reduce energy costs by an average of 46% and improve operational efficiency by 73%. [globalgrow...sights.com]

These trends underscore increased demand for integrated asset, facility, and sustainability management—areas central to the ALM portfolio.

Envizi Showcases

Envizi was demoed twice, with strong emphasis on:

• Energy intelligence to support Maximo and MREF
• Reporting and analytics
• Space utilization insights
• Utility variance reporting
• Identifying cost‑saving opportunities

Global data center and AI growth are placing unprecedented strain on energy systems. For example, global data center electricity demand is expected to increase 17% by 2026, with ongoing annual growth through 2030. [spglobal.com]

This amplifies the need for tools like Envizi that provide:

• Real‑time tracking of energy consumption
• Variance detection across buildings or asset groups
• Emissions impact measurement
• Support for ESG reporting frameworks

Key Takeaways (Expanded with Market-Backed Insights)

1. Envizi is a Critical Component of the ALM Portfolio

Envizi’s Energy Intelligence delivers measurable bottom‑line impact at a time when:

• Global energy efficiency progress is improving but remains off‑track relative to targets, creating pressure for better operational insights. [iea.org]
• Organizations are increasingly prioritizing energy visibility due to higher costs, rising emissions, and evolving regulatory requirements.

2. Utility Costs Remain a Top Concern for Large Organizations

With global electricity demand surging and U.S. retail prices rising, utility cost management has become one of the top 5 operational challenges for large enterprises. Tools that help forecast, analyze, and control utility spend are in demand. [deloitte.com]

3. Strong ROI Potential for Partners

Given:

• Rising energy costs
• Increasing regulatory requirements for ESG reporting
• Higher expectations for operational efficiency

…partners gain a clear ROI narrative when aligning ALM + Envizi solutions with customer pain points.

4. Envizi’s Roadmap Aligns with Market Needs

As energy volatility, AI‑driven load, and sustainability reporting pressures continue to accelerate, Envizi’s continued release of Energy Intelligence capabilities throughout 2026 will support the rising demand for:

• Emissions tracking
• Utility cost reduction
• Sustainability reporting
• Space and portfolio optimization