NEW ORLEANS — At Axway Summit Americas 2026, one theme stood out above all others: businesses don’t just want to adopt AI. They want to control it, operationalize it, and see it deliver real value.
Over 80 guests joined Axway leadership and product specialists to discuss the latest innovations in data integration, artificial intelligence, and system security.
After speaking with attendees and sitting through both the mainstage presentations and product sessions, a few themes stood out clearly over the two days.
AI is everywhere, but it’s only as powerful as your data
“AI is already changing all of our businesses,” said Axway CEO Roland Royer as he opened Day 1 of Axway Summit Americas.
This wasn’t just a keynote message, but rather a throughline: AI came up in nearly every session, from plenaries to hands-on learning labs. At this point, we no longer talk about AI as something that is coming anymore — it’s here, and it’s here to stay.
“A lot of discussion about AI, a lot of discussion outside about AI, even driving to the airport the other day, it was about AI on the podcast I was listening to,” said Meetesh Patel, Axway’s Chief Product Officer, during his plenary session. That moment stuck with me, because it perfectly captured what we were seeing throughout the event: AI is no longer a niche topic. It’s part of every conversation, both inside and outside the industry.
But AI doesn’t exist in isolation: it runs on data, and AI technology cannot exist without that data powering it. The quality of the output and the value that AI technology brings to users and customers can never be greater than the quality of data that powers AI.
As Roland Royer put it, “AI is only as powerful as the data it connects.”
That’s why Amplify Fusion, Axway’s multi-pattern integration platform that enables AI-driven orchestration by connecting APIs, files, and events into a unified data foundation, drew so much attention.
At the start of Day 1, only a few attendees had seen Fusion firsthand. But after a day of sessions and demos, the shift was noticeable. Every time I asked people what stood out most, the answer was consistent: Fusion.
Optimism. With caution.
Alongside the excitement around AI, there was also a recurring question: Can I trust it?
This caution is, of course, not unreasonable. As news coverage of unpredictable or downright destructive AI behavior becomes more common, concerns about security and control are top of mind.
See also: AI Governance Lessons from OpenClaw and Moltbook
“AI is great. But how do I control it, how do I secure it?” one attendee told me. “My company works in a highly regulated industry. I need to make sure I have control, that there’s human oversight still involved. These are the questions I ask myself.” Meetesh Patel, Axway’s CPO, echoed the sentiment: “Security, security, security. It is pivotal to your survival.”
This is where Axway’s approach with an AI gateway resonates strongly. Rather than treating governance as an afterthought, Axway positions control as a core capability.
Amplify AI Gateway, built on Amplify Fusion, is a key example. It enables organizations to:
- Apply personalized guardrails to AI interactions
- Enforce policies and compliance
- Maintain visibility and human oversight
In other words, it gives businesses in even the most sensitive industries the ability to unlock AI’s potential without giving up control or security.
Operational excellence still matters very much
Of course, not every conversation at Axway Summit was about AI. For many attendees, especially those managing mission-critical systems, the priority is still reliability.
As one attendee told me: “Look, I understand that people are excited about AI. But I operate our MFT. I need to make sure a file gets from point A to point B. I’m not ready to introduce AI into that.”
That perspective underscores an important reality: while AI provides a new level of opportunities, stability, visibility, and full control continue to be a critical concern for enterprise leaders.
During his plenary session, Paul Lavery, General Manager of Axway MFT, captured it simply: “Keep what works, modernize what doesn’t.”
This philosophy came to life in sessions that dove into Axway Workbench.
Advanced visibility and onboarding with Workbench
Presented on the main stage, Workbench drew strong interest thanks to its centralized governance and control for managed file transfer operations.
In his demo, Axway software architect Razvan Chita Ionescu showcased how Workbench provides:
- Real-time, intuitive visibility into file transfers
- Clear, color-coded status tracking
- Rapid identification of issues without the need for complex log analysis
See also: Introducing Axway Workbench: Visibility, Automation, and Control for MFT Ops
But beyond visibility, one key capability that stood out to many was the ease of partner onboarding.
Many MFT practitioners described onboarding as slow and unpredictable, often taking weeks or even months. At one point, when Paul Lavery asked attendees, “raise your hand if you still onboard your partners via emails,” many hands shot up into the air.
Razvan demonstrated how Workbench transforms that experience, showing the full partner onboarding process as a guided, simplified workflow.
Equally important, Workbench combines two things that stand out: it’s a unique solution that meaningfully reduces operational friction, and it was built in close collaboration with customers who have helped shape it from the start.
The MFT team took the time to sit down with people who use their products, asked them how we can make their experience with Axway products better, listened to the feedback, and rolled out an innovative product that makes people’s lives easier.
More broadly, this reflects how Axway works with customers: not just delivering solutions, but partnering to solve real challenges and ensure they succeed long after the technology is in place.
Connecting and moving data without limits
As the Axway Summit drew to a close, I found myself in a literal “elevator pitch” situation when a fellow passenger asked me, “what does Axway do?” With only about five seconds left in our ascent to respond, the answer was clear: “We connect and move data to accelerate business without limits.”
Axway has long been known for integrating and moving data across complex ecosystems — whether it’s transferring massive file batches, keeping supply chain EDI documents flowing around the clock, or orchestrating real-time data via secure APIs.
But the direction we’re headed is about bringing those flows together. Enterprises are moving away from fragmented systems and toward unified data ecosystems, where files, APIs, events, and more can work together.
I heard that shift reflected in conversations with attendees:
- Longtime MFT customers were exploring Fusion
- B2B users were interested in onboarding and visibility improvements with Workbench
- Some were already looking at emerging capabilities like AI-assisted mapping
As Roland Royer recently emphasized, data movement is constantly evolving, and AI raises the stakes. Seamless movement of data across systems has become a requirement. Integration today is about unifying and integrating fragmented systems, to transform them into reliable data flows that permeate all parts of an organization’s architecture.
“We treat the adoption of agentic AI and multi-pattern integration as the two sides of the same phenomenon of AI-enabled ecosystems,” says Roland Royer, “where real-time data informs AI agents. This is how organizations turn AI from an unpredictable concept into a trusted innovation that brings real value.”
Read more from Axway CEO Roland Royer on where integration is headed next.
A look ahead
It was encouraging to hear the positive feedback from customers shared throughout the event, especially when it comes to how many view Axway: not just a vendor for any specific product, but a trusted partner across their operations.
Axway Summit Americas — the first year we’ve combined our teams, customers, and partners from across the American continent – may be over, but it also marked the beginning of this year’s Summit season. Next stops:
🇧🇷 São Paulo, Brazil: May 27
🇳🇱 Amsterdam, the Netherlands: June 8–10
We look forward to continuing to explore what’s next together.
Missed Axway Summit Americas? Join us in Amsterdam in June.