New market intelligence highlights where enterprises are overspending on mobile, cloud, and telecom, plus practical actions to tighten cost control in 2026

Tangoe, a leader in IT Expense Management (ITEM) for more than two decades, released its fifth annual “2026 IT Expense Management Trends and Savings Recommendations” report. Built on insights generated from $34B in technology spend intelligence and hundreds of enterprise optimization engagements, the report provides IT, finance, and procurement leaders with data-backed guidance on pricing shifts, emerging risks, and practical strategies to strengthen governance and reduce avoidable spend across mobility, cloud, and telecom.

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Tangoe’s 5th annual IT Expense Management Trends & Savings Recommendations report is designed to help CFOs, CIOs, FinOps practitioners, and procurement leaders translate market trends into action. It includes tangible, expert recommendations grounded in real-world spending data from complex enterprise environments. Access it here: https://www.tangoe.com/report/2026-it-expense-management-trends-and-savings-recommendations/

As organizations push innovation forward, discipline is getting tougher. AI investment is accelerating, cloud and data center pricing is shifting, and mobility and telecom environments continue to grow in complexity. Tangoe's 2026 report focuses on where cost and risk are rising fastest, and where better visibility and stronger governance can unlock meaningful savings across the technology estate.

“Technology is evolving at unprecedented speed, and IT spending dynamics are shifting just as quickly,” said James Parker, CEO, Tangoe. “As AI and other emerging capabilities scale, their cost and return profiles are beginning to resemble the early days of cloud – immense promise, but complex, expensive, and often misaligned with business value without disciplined management. Leaders need tools and oversight from day one to help drive measurable ROI. With insight into $34 billion in technology spend intelligence, this report gives IT, finance, and procurement executives the clarity they need to cut through complexity, reduce waste, and build repeatable practices that turn cost optimization into a durable competitive advantage.”

“Mobility and telecom are where waste and risk can compound in the background when controls are limited,” said Chris Ortbals, Chief Product Officer, Tangoe. “AI-driven mobile phishing is becoming more targeted, while legacy services and billing complexity keep draining budgets through leakage, outdated services, and avoidable markups. The organizations that get ahead in 2026 will be the ones that modernize the environment, validate invoices continuously, and manage devices and services as a disciplined lifecycle, not a pile of one-off decisions.”

Key 2026 findings and money-saving actions include:

• Treat AI as its own cost domain. AI budgets are growing rapidly, adding vendors, pricing models, and accountability challenges. Establish cost ownership and governance before spend fragments across teams.
• Get ahead of rising IaaS costs. AI-driven data center expansion is expected to put upward pressure on compute, storage, bandwidth, and GPU-related services. Smarter workload placement, instance strategy, and committed-use planning can reduce IaaS spend by up to 50% depending on the environment.
• Keep digging through SaaS licenses. In 2025, nearly half of paid SaaS licenses went unused – contributing to $20B+ in wasted spend. Reduce auto-renewal exposure and reclaim orphaned seats.
• Plan for device cost pressure. Research cited in the report estimates that average smartphone selling prices could rise ~7% in 2026, increasing urgency for lifecycle discipline and inventory accuracy.
• Don’t ignore the mobile attack surface. Over 1 million enterprise employees were exposed to mobile phishing in Q2 2025, up 20% quarter-over-quarter. Executives were 23% more likely to fall for AI-driven personalized attacks.
• Push hard on legacy voice. A POTS line once priced around $20 can now hit invoices as high as $1,400. Where migration is feasible, legacy replacement can cut costs by up to 80%.
• Re-shop SD-WAN. RFPs that used to involve 2–3 providers now often include 9+ vendors, creating strong leverage to renegotiate or right-size contracts.
• Validate every telecom invoice. Industry audits show 15–20% of telecom invoices contain errors, typically in the vendor’s favor. Automation and continuous auditing accelerate recovery of cost overruns.
• Centralize inventory and automate lifecycle management. Managing IT assets in fragments reduces accountability and limits savings. Build an always-accurate inventory that is audit-ready and decision-grade.

Tangoe’s report is designed to help CFOs, CIOs, FinOps practitioners, and procurement leaders translate market trends into action, with tangible recommendations grounded in real-world spending data from complex enterprise environments.

Download a free copy of the “2026 IT Expense Management Trends and Savings Recommendations” report.

About Tangoe

Tangoe pioneered technology expense management more than 25 years ago, and today we’re the industry leader driving innovation through AI-powered automation, 70+ patents, and the largest ecosystem of global partners. We specialize in helping enterprises of all sizes save money, utilize IT resources more effectively, and gain visibility and control over their spending and mobile devices. With the industry’s first complete solution for telecom, mobile, and cloud cost optimization alongside the largest technology spend under management, Tangoe is the preferred partner for those seeking cost savings, financial predictability, and ROI for digital innovation. Visit us at Tangoe.com and on LinkedIn.

Tangoe is a trademark of Tangoe US, Inc.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260210048958/en/

AI-driven costs and risk are rising fast. Tangoe’s 2026 IT Expense Management Trends report flags where enterprises overspend across cloud, telecom, and mobile, plus practical steps to regain control.