SHI’s Research Roundup for May 15, 2026

This edition tackles cloud threats at AI-driven scale, the case for closer FinOps and ITAM collaboration, what shifting geopolitics means for your budget and your data, and how SHI is making progress on sustainability. 

This
Wiz
research analyses threats to cloud environments, in particular the impact of AI, emphasizing that AI doesn’t fundamentally change the nature of attacks but rather the scope and scale by expanding attack surfaces and enabling workflows.  

The threats themselves haven’t changed much, with 80% of documented cloud intrusions due to weaponized vulnerabilities, exposed secrets, and misconfigurations. However, timelines are shorter, downstream consequences bigger, and multiple organizations can now be affected by a single attack. 

The data compares Sept-Dec 2024 with Feb-Dec 2025, and while initial access is still primarily via exploitation of weaponized vulnerabilities (40%, up from 35%), exposed secrets doubled to 21% and supply chain compromises rose to seven percent. 

Over 85% of organizations use AI in cloud environments, yet 25% of them don’t know which AI services are running in those environments, and only 13% are using AI-specific posture management. 

For most organizations, critical workflows are cloud-dependent, and critical data resides in the cloud. Understanding the threats and vulnerabilities to which your cloud investments are exposed is critical to both securing them, and to making informed decisions about where workloads and data should reside. 

Link: https://shi-intl.com/uo3rk 

This paper gives FinOps and ITAM leaders practical, scenario‑based guidance for working together in the Deliver and Govern phase, where fragmented ownership often drives wasted spend and unmanaged risk. Rather than theory, it draws on real practitioner experience to show how teams can jointly manage hybrid licensing, contractual true‑ups, and infrastructure utilization with clearer accountability and stronger governance.

As FinOps and ITAM increasingly converge across cloud, SaaS, licensing, and data center environments, the paper helps organizations align stakeholders, standardize decision‑making, and turn collaboration into measurable cost and value outcomes. 

Link: https://shi-intl.com/uo3ro 

Submitted by:

Shane Cronin

– Head of ITAM Services – SHI 

With current geopolitical uncertainty impacting the global economy and organizations struggling to adapt plans to an ever-changing environment, the
International Monetary Fund
global economic outlook provides a data-based view of the potential impact of the war in the middle east. Despite increasing investment in renewables, the global economy is still dependent on fossil fuels, and the Middle East is a key player in production and supply. 

This analysis provides forecasts based on various scenarios that organizations can use to support their own scenario modeling, with global growth forecasts ranging from 3.1% to 2% and inflation from 4.4% to 6%. The authors identify a move towards a ‘more multipolar’ world, with new regional trade agreements, new trading partners, and more inward-looking policies.   

The authors also consider the potential of AI to support meaningful productivity gains and address the concerns about a possible bubble, as well as the impact on the jobs market. 

Report Link: https://shi-intl.com/uo3rq 

Summary Blog Post Link: https://shi-intl.com/uo5pO 

The current geopolitical climate has renewed interest in technology sovereignty, and for UK and European organizations, data sovereignty is a particular concern given the reliance on US-headquartered cloud providers. 

This article explains how the US CLOUD Act works in relation to UK/European data sovereignty – useful reading for IT leaders tasked with identifying compliant cloud solutions. The author clarifies what data localization and sovereignty mean in practice, explains how the CLOUD Act operates, and offers guidance for organizations evaluating their options. She also notes that data from both Microsoft and Amazon indicates US authorities are rarely granted access to enterprise content stored in Europe or the UK, and that any such requests must be justified before providers can comply. 

Link: https://shi-intl.com/uo3rm 

The report covers not only SHI’s own sustainability performance (100% of electricity from sustainable sources, Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions reduced by 87% since 2023, 98% of waste diverted from landfill, 22% YoY reduction in water consumption) and goals, but also explores the way they support customer sustainability.   

Understanding sustainability within the technology supply chain is complex. Whether it’s the solutions we design for customers, the partners we work with, or the products we sell, this report provides detailed information that ensures that SHI’s customers have the visibility they need to support procurement decision-making in line with their own sustainability goals and requirements. 

Link: https://shi-intl.com/uo3qt