Francesca Vanthielen will officially open the conference, welcome attendees, and set the stage for the day ahead. She will introduce the key themes, highlight what participants can expect, and kick off a day of knowledge sharing, networking, and practical insights into the latest developments in IT & Software Asset Management.

In this keynote we will discuss the people side to create cloud value. The cultural shift, skill evolution, and new behaviours required to thrive in a cloud-driven world. While tools and processes matter, success ultimately hinges on how teams collaborate, make decisions, and embrace a more agile, data-driven mindset. Together, we’ll explore how SAM professionals can grow into FinOps contributors and stronger leaders: what skills carry over, what new competencies are needed, and how roles evolve when moving from compliance-focused work to continuous cloud value management. 

The world of IT is moving faster than ever. How can ITAM teams stay up to date with these developments? In this session, we will explore the trends that are expected to play an important role in the coming years, and how teams can prepare for changing responsibilities and ways of working. As a result, this session offers valuable insights not only for ITAM teams, but also for teams that work closely with IT Asset Management or play a role in shaping its direction.

Every major technology breakthrough promises greater efficiency, innovation, and growth. Yet many organizations struggle to capture the expected value. Why? Because technology is no longer the limiting factor, capability is. In this session, we examine why skills shortages, increasing complexity, and the accelerating pace of change are creating a new business challenge: the Capability Crisis. Leaders will gain practical insights into how successful organizations are building, acquiring, and orchestrating the capabilities they need to transform technology investments into measurable business outcomes.

For twenty years, Software Asset Management has been based on one assumption: software is used by people. With the rise of AI, this principle is changing, creating new challenges around software management and licensing models. What does this development mean for the future of the Software Asset Manager? In this session, we explore the potential complexities of AI related licensing models, the key considerations, and how software vendors’ strategies may evolve in the future.

With the introduction of E7, Microsoft is placing a strong emphasis on licensing AI agents. However, like many other software vendors, this licensing model also comes with an unpredictable consumption factor. How should you manage these models, predict usage and costs, and avoid exposure to risks? In this session, we will walk you through Leadout’s approach to these challenges.

SAM teams rarely struggle with insight. They struggle with getting leadership to see its value, because the language does not land outside the SAM bubble. While leadership thinks in risk, growth, capital allocation, and increasingly concepts like FinOps, SAM often speaks in entitlements, discovery, and compliance. That gap is why many SAM functions struggle to get attention, budget, or strategic alignment.

Cloud adoption has created new opportunities for speed, scalability and innovation, but it has also made IT costs more dynamic and harder to predict. For many organisations, gaining control over cloud spend is no longer just a finance challenge, but a shared responsibility between IT, finance, procurement and the business. In this keynote, Mediahuis shares how to kickstart a FinOps practice and create better visibility, ownership and control over cloud costs. The session explores the first steps in building a FinOps approach, the challenges of creating internal alignment, and the lessons learned when turning cloud cost management into an ongoing discipline rather than a one-time exercise. Attendees will gain practical insights into how FinOps can help organisations improve transparency, optimise spending and support more informed decision-making across IT and the business.

In many organisations, IT Asset Management relies heavily on a single individual. ENGIE shares why they chose a different approach, how they built ITAM as a dedicated function, and the benefits this has brought to governance, collaboration and long-term success.