EMA Research Finds AI-Driven Operations Require an Enterprise Control Plane

New study finds organizations are cautiously expanding AI-driven operational authority as enterprise control becomes increasingly federated

LAFAYETTE, Colo., July 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Enterprise Management Associates (EMA™), a leading IT and data management research and consulting firm, today announced the release of a new research report, From Outcomes to Authority: Defining the Enterprise Control Plane, authored by EMA President and Chief Operating Officer Dan Twing.

Based on a global survey of 336 enterprise IT professionals, the research examines how organizations are adapting enterprise operations as artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into automation, orchestration, observability, service management, cloud platforms, and other operational technologies.

The research finds that enterprise operations have become increasingly distributed, with organizations relying on multiple automation platforms, orchestration technologies, observability solutions, enterprise applications, cloud services, and emerging AI systems working together to deliver business outcomes. Rather than converging around a single operational platform, enterprises are increasingly coordinating work across specialized technologies and operational domains.

As AI becomes embedded throughout enterprise operations, organizations are not approaching autonomy as an all-or-nothing decision. Instead, they are incrementally calibrating the operational authority granted to AI, expanding autonomous execution where value is immediate while strengthening governance, observability, operational context, and outcome assurance before extending AI into higher-risk operational decisions.

Nearly 30% of organizations report encountering incorrect or problematic AI outcomes frequently or very frequently, while more than three-quarters have required human intervention, correction, or rollback of AI-driven actions. The research also finds that organizations grant AI operational authority incrementally based on demonstrated reliability, governance compliance, and operational stability.

"Enterprise operations were already becoming more distributed and more complex as digital transformation continued to expand across the enterprise," said Twing. "AI changes the equation by helping organizations manage that complexity while simultaneously introducing autonomous reasoning into operational workflows. Organizations aren't deciding whether to adopt AI—they're calibrating how much operational authority they are willing to delegate as governance, observability, and operational confidence mature. The Enterprise Control Plane provides the operational framework that enables organizations to safely combine intelligence with control."

The research suggests that the Enterprise Control Plane will evolve through the continued coordination of existing operational control capabilities, including enterprise orchestration, workload automation, observability, service management, cloud operations, AI, and related technologies. As intelligence becomes increasingly embedded within individual operational domains, the enterprise control function itself becomes more federated. The Enterprise Control Plane emerges by coordinating these increasingly federated control capabilities around the critical workflows, governance requirements, and business outcomes that span the enterprise.

As organizations continue expanding AI operational authority, the ability to coordinate federated control capabilities will increasingly determine how confidently they can automate enterprise-wide business outcomes.

To address this evolution, EMA defines the Enterprise Control Plane as the operational coordination layer responsible for governing execution authority across increasingly autonomous enterprise environments. Rather than replacing existing operational technologies, it extends and coordinates governance, visibility, accountability, operational context, and policy across a federated control function, helping organizations safely expand operational authority while maintaining confidence in business outcomes.

Key findings from the research include:

• Enterprise operations have become increasingly distributed, requiring coordination across multiple automation, orchestration, observability, cloud, and AI platforms.
• Organizations are granting AI operational authority incrementally based on demonstrated reliability, governance compliance, and operational stability.
• Nearly 30% of organizations report encountering incorrect or problematic AI outcomes frequently or very frequently.
• More than three-quarters of organizations have required human intervention to correct or reverse AI-driven actions.
• Insufficient operational context is among the leading reasons organizations reject AI recommendations.

This independent research was sponsored by Beta Systems, BMC, Broadcom, and Stonebranch.

A detailed analysis of the findings is available in the report, From Outcomes to Authority: Defining the Enterprise Control Plane.

EMA will host a complimentary webinar on July 7 featuring Twing, who will discuss how organizations are calibrating AI operational authority, why enterprise control is becoming increasingly federated, and how the Enterprise Control Plane provides a framework for safely expanding autonomous operations.

About EMA
Founded in 1996, EMA is a leading IT research and consulting firm dedicated to delivering actionable insights across the evolving technology landscape. Through independent research, market analysis, and vendor evaluations, we empower organizations to make well-informed technology decisions. Our team of analysts combines practical experience with a deep understanding of industry best practices and emerging vendor solutions to help clients achieve their strategic objectives. Learn more about EMA research, analysis, and consulting services at https://www.enterprisemanagement.com and follow them on X and LinkedIn.

Media Contact:
Raleigh Gould
Enterprise Management Associates
303-543-9500
[email protected]

SOURCE Enterprise Management Associates