For 2026, Gartner says CFOs must balance intense cost pressures with strategic growth and AI adoption, focusing on five key actions: improving cost discipline while funding growth, using AI to deliver enterprise-wide savings, identifying high-value AI use cases, developing finance talent with new digital skills, and driving transformation despite constrained budgets.Every CFO wants to back bold AI and automation plans. However, economic volatility brings the question of where to fund AI projects when IT budgets are already stretched? Rimini Street suggests that the AI budget is trapped inside ERP. In PodChats for FutureCFO, Rimini Street CFO Michael Perica shares how finance leaders are rethinking maintenance and upgrading spending to unlock cash for AI and digital innovation. If you’re under pressure to fund transformation without breaking the budget, this conversation is packed with practical ideas you can take straight to your next board meeting.1. What does Rimini Street mean by “trapped inside ERP”?2. How are CFOs identifying and measuring the “trapped” ERP cash within IT budgets, and what metrics best reveal opportunities to redirect spend toward AI and automation?3. Based on your experience, what portion of ERP and maintenance costs can realistically be freed within 12–24 months to fund GenAI or digital initiatives?4. How do finance leaders weigh the risk–return trade‑offs between extending legacy ERP systems and investing in new AI‑driven capabilities?5. What critical questions should CFOs be asking their CIOs and ERP vendors before approving major upgrade or migration proposals?6. How can finance teams build a structured ROI framework that links ERP lifecycle decisions directly to shareholder value and capital allocation discipline?7. What are some standout examples of APAC organisations that have successfully redirected ERP savings to accelerate AI and data‑driven transformation?8. As AI investment decisions converge with cybersecurity, compliance, and operational resilience, how must CFOs redefine their technology investment models beyond 2026?9. Any advise Funding AI and digital initiatives without breaking the bank10. how finance leaders are rethinking maintenance and upgrading spending to unlock cash for AI and digital innovation.

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