In this episode of SHI’s Research Breakdown, Victoria Barber, Head of Strategic Insights at SHI, sits down with Field CTO Dave Gruver to unpack one of Gartner’s most thought-provoking reports—the Hype Cycle for Trends Beyond Technology, which we covered in the very first edition of the Research Roundup newsletter.  

Unlike traditional Hype Cycles focused on specific tools or disciplines, this one zooms out to examine the broader forces shaping our world: from geopolitical shifts and generational divides to workforce transformation and the erosion of critical thinking in an AI-saturated landscape. 

Victoria and Dave explore how businesses can build frameworks for smarter decision-making in an era of information overload and technological acceleration. They touch on everything from the rise of global talent pools to the role of curiosity in future-proofing your career. 

For more analysis on research like this, be sure to subscribe to SHI’s Research Roundup on LinkedIn. 

Discussed in this episode 

Welcome to the first episode of SHI’s Research Breakdown! In each episode, we’ll connect with experts to dive deeper into one of the topics from SHI’s Research Roundup LinkedIn Newsletter. 

In this debut episode, Victoria Barber (Senior Director of Strategic Insights at SHI) is joined by Shane Cronin, Head of ITAM Services at SHI, and Jennifer Kuvlesky, Director of Product Marketing at Flexera, to unpack the findings from Flexera’s 2025 State of ITAM Report. 

Together, they dive into why audit costs remain stubbornly high, the persistent challenges of IT asset sprawl, and how AI and FinOps are reshaping ITAM practices. The episode sheds light on what’s holding ITAM back and where the opportunities lie for organizations ready to evolve. 

Discussed in this episode