Q1 2026 Constellation ShortList™: 83 Categories Updated Across Two Weeks

The final wave of Q1 2026 Constellation ShortList™ updates is now live — adding 40 new and refreshed categories to the portfolio.

With this release, Constellation completes its Q1 ShortList™ cycle, reflecting the rapid evolution of AI, security, cloud infrastructure, automation, and enterprise platforms reshaping technology investment priorities in 2026.

Why This Release Matters

If week one reflected acceleration in generative AI and autonomous systems, week two highlights where enterprise architectures are being re-engineered:

• The rise of agentic platforms and AI factories
• Increased focus on decision automation and observability
• Growing demand for sovereign cloud and security resilience
• Expansion of low-code, enterprise platform, and ERP modernization strategies
• Continued momentum in quantum computing and next-gen infrastructure

This second wave reinforces a broader shift: enterprises are moving from experimentation to operational scale, and vendor maturity now matters more than messaging. Together, both releases reflect the breadth and velocity of change across 83 enterprise technology categories.

What’s New in Week Two

New ShortLists in this release include:

• Agentic Platforms of the Enterprise
• AI Frameworks
• AI Factory Providers
• Decision Automation Platforms
• Observability and AIOps Services
• Sales Enablement Platforms
• Sovereign Clouds

Full List of 40 Updated and New Categories

• Agentic Platforms of the Enterprise – NEW
• AI Frameworks – NEW
• AI Factory Providers – NEW
• Application Security Testing
• Cloud Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP)
• Cloud-Based Data Science & ML Platforms
• Cloud-Based Planning and Performance Management Platforms
• Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS)
• Cross-Platform Agentic AI
• Decision Automation Platforms – NEW
• Digital Adoption Platforms
• Digital Asset Management (DAM) for DX
• Digital Canvas Workboards
• Digital Experience (DX) Platforms
• Endpoint Protection Platforms
• Enterprise Application Platforms from non ERP vendors
• Enterprise Cloud Finance
• Enterprise Low-Code Tools and Platforms
• Field Service Management
• Global IaaS for Next-Gen Applications
• Healthcare ERP
• Hybrid and Multicloud Analytical Data Platforms
• Incident Management
• Learning Marketplaces
• Master Data Management
• Microsegmentation
• Microsoft End-to-End Service Providers
• No Code / Low Code for SAP Systems
• Observability and AIOps Services – NEW
• PaaS Suites
• Privileged Access Management (PAM)
• Product-Centric Cloud ERP
• QA Tools for NextGen Apps
• Quantum Computing Platforms
• Quantum Computing Software Platforms
• Sales Enablement Platforms – NEW
• Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)
• Sovereign Clouds – NEW
• Talent Management Suites
• Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS)

How Vendors Are Selected

Each technology vendor included meets Constellation’s threshold criteria based on:

• Product and services capabilities
• Technology investment and roadmap
• Strategic vision
• Customer value and use cases
• Executive leadership
• Market traction and pricing considerations

ShortLists are designed to serve as a starting point in the vendor selection process — providing signal in fast-moving markets.

All reports are part of Constellation’s open research library and are available for free download.

Explore the full portfolio here: https://www.constellationr.com/research/shortlist-overview.

If you missed week one’s 43 updated categories, you can view them here. Together, both releases represent one of the most comprehensive updates to the ShortList™ portfolio in recent years.

What’s Next

The ShortList portfolio will continue evolving throughout 2026. Some categories update twice per year depending on market velocity and analyst discretion.

If a category wasn’t refreshed this quarter, it is scheduled for review later this year in Q3.

If you're navigating vendor selection, contract negotiation, or strategic platform decisions, our advisory team can assist. Contact [email protected] to engage with Constellation analysts.