Join Alation at Gartner D&A Summit 2026: Navigating Agentic AI in the Enterprise

The rise of AI has pushed data governance to the center. For years, Chief Data Officers (CDOs) and governance leaders have focused on "eating their vegetables"—the necessary, often arduous work of compliance, policy-writing, and data stewardship. While critical, these activities were often viewed as a defensive tax on the business.

But as we look toward the Gartner Data & Analytics Summit 2026 in Orlando, the conversation has fundamentally shifted. The rise of Agentic AI and autonomous systems has turned data governance from a back-office requirement into the primary engine for enterprise innovation. At Alation, we believe that the organizations that will win in the next decade are those that move past "governance for the sake of governance" and embrace it as foundational to trusted AI. 

What does that look like in practice? We invite you to join us in Orlando from March 9 to 11 to explore how Alation is helping the world’s most complex organizations bridge the gap between data management and business value.

Key themes at Gartner D&A 2026

Gartner’s themes for this year’s summit are centered on Agentic Analytics, AI readiness, and data products. These themes reflect a marketplace that is no longer satisfied with passive data catalogs. The modern enterprise requires a knowledge layer that doesn't just describe data but actively governs it through automation.

This alignment is why Alation continues to be recognized as a market leader. We are proud to be positioned as a Leader in both the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Metadata Management Solutions and the Data and Analytics Governance Platforms. To us, this recognition signals more than just technical excellence; it validates our commitment to helping leaders operationalize accurate, reliable enterprise AI.

Innovations in agentic data management

At the summit, we will showcase how Alation is evolving to meet the demands of the AI-first era. Recent innovations, such as our CDE Manager, Agent Studio, and Chat with Your Data products, are designed to simplify how users interact with structured enterprise data.

By increasing query accuracy and providing a conversational interface for enterprise insights, we are lowering the barrier to entry for data-driven decision-making. These tools allow teams to enact outcome-based governance, so that they can express their intent once (setting the guardrails for privacy, quality, and usage) and then let intelligent agents handle the heavy lifting of enforcement and discovery at scale.

Real-world impact: Customer theater sessions

While technology is the enabler, the real story lies in the outcomes our customers achieve. We are thrilled to feature two theater sessions that showcase how leading organizations are moving from manual processes to opportunistic growth.

Cisco: Driving outcomes with autonomous agents

Tuesday, March 10 | 3:00 P.M. | Coastal A, Level 2, Gaylord Palms Resort | Session Code: SPS52

Scaling AI agents requires more than just better models; it requires a robust knowledge foundation. Join Joe McMorrow, Vice President of Supply Chain at Cisco, and Alation CEO and co-founder Satyen Sangani as they share how Cisco is deploying AI agents across its supply chain to reduce costs and free up valuable employee time. This session will provide a practical roadmap for working backward from business outcomes to data management, ensuring that automation is grounded in governance.

Truist: How AI agents enable outcome-based data governance

Wednesday, March 11 | 12:15 P.M. | Theater 1, Gaylord Palms Resort | Session Code: TH57

For many pragmatic data leaders, governance feels too slow and disconnected from real business needs. In this session, J. Gary Dugan (SVP of Data Management Execution at Truist Bank) and Jonathan Bruce (Field CTO at Alation) explore how Truist, a leading financial services organization, is reversing the traditional data management script.

By shifting focus from "doing tasks" to "understanding why"—such as accelerating the launch of new products while maintaining strict compliance—Truist has moved from a defensive posture to a nimble, opportunistic advance. Join Gary and Jonathan to learn how Truist is moving beyond policy-heavy roadblocks to a vision of outcome-driven governance.

Moving beyond the "what" to the "why"

One key theme sure to emerge at this year’s summit is clear: data leaders are ready to spend less time on manual workflows and more time creating stakeholder value. Whether you are focused on optimizing internal processes or growing revenue through new data products, the goal is to act with a "clearer-eyed view" of your data landscape.

Alation is dedicated to making this transition seamless. We want our customers to feel confident that they can address their challenges through a consistent business lens, ensuring that every data initiative contributes directly to the bottom line.

Join us in Orlando

The journey from metadata management to agentic AI is complex, but you don't have to navigate it alone. We invite you to visit the Alation booth to see our latest innovations in action, meet with our executive team, and learn how we can help you turn your data governance program into a competitive advantage.

Ready to build your knowledge foundation? Visit our event page to schedule a 1:1 meeting or learn more about our sessions.

We look forward to seeing you in Orlando!