Investment in intelligent business systems and automation is well underway across the globe, findings of an independent global study, carried out by analyst firm Freeform Dynamics. Top current application deployment areas cited by respondents include digital customer engagement systems (55 percent), process automation and workflow systems (52 percent), and automated risk monitoring and management solutions (50 percent). Commissioned by Ipswitch, the research further reveals that 45 percent have adopted intelligent IoT (Internet of Things) platforms and services, with 34 percent saying these technologies are on the agenda. Forty-two percent are utilising autonomous apps and bots, and 32 percent say they plan to do so. Forty-five percent are using cognitive computing and inference engines and a further 30 percent are looking to deploy in the near future.