VIENNA, VA (April 16, 2026) – The Retail & Hospitality Information Sharing and Analysis Center (RH-ISAC) announced its 2026 award winners during the RH-ISAC Member Celebration Dinner and Awards Ceremony held on 15 April in Austin, Texas. The awards recognize outstanding companies and individuals who have displayed extraordinary dedication to RH-ISAC’s mission to build a collaborative sharing community that enables consumer-facing organizations to defend against cyber threats.

CISO of the Year: Lena Taylor, Crocs

Lena Taylor, CISO at Crocs, won the 2026 Peer Choice Award for CISO of the Year. This award honors exceptional leadership and recognizes a recipient who is a thought leader whose experiences add strategic value and whose engagements are an asset to the larger community.

Cybersecurity Practitioner of the Year: Chris De La Rosa, Target

Chris De La Rosa, senior threat intel analyst at Target, earned the 2026 Peer Choice Award for Cybersecurity Practitioner of the Year, which honors a cyber intelligence practitioner who has demonstrated significant time, energy, and involvement to add value to the RH-ISAC by sharing threat intelligence and contributing content to events. The second-place winner for the category is Faisal Rahman of Walmart, and the third-place winner is Nezha Ould Slimane, senior manager, information security at Marriott International.

Team of the Year: Target

The Team of the Year award honors a cybersecurity team that has demonstrated significant time, energy, and involvement to add value to the RH-ISAC organization by sharing threat intelligence and contributing content to webinars, events, and working groups. The 2026 recipient of this peer choice award is Target, one of RH-ISAC’s most active Core Members. The second-place winner for the category is Kroger, and the third-place winner is IHG Hotels & Resorts.

Associate Member of the Year: Palo Alto Networks

The Peer Choice Award for Associate Member of the Year honors a company that has displayed valuable support to RH-ISAC members by offering thought leadership, actionable intelligence, and other resources. The 2025 recipient of this award is Palo Alto Networks.

Additional Awards

In addition to the Peer Choice Awards, the RH-ISAC recognized the following individuals and companies for outstanding contributions to the RH-ISAC community.

- Fast Starter Award: This award is given to an organization that has been a Core Member for less than 12 months but has quickly become a valuable contributor across RH-ISAC sharing platforms. The 2026 winners are IKEA and Gymshark.

- Team Player of the Year: This award honors an RH-ISAC member practitioner who has demonstrated significant excellence in providing expertise and leadership. The 2026 winners are Michael Francess of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Tom Hocker of Kroger, and Diego Idi of Casey’s.

- Working Group Warrior: This award honors an RH-ISAC member who has demonstrated significant selflessness in providing expertise and leadership in one or more Working Groups, including presenting or facilitating sessions and spearheading new working groups. The 2026 winners are Jeff Davidhizar of Crutchfield Corporation, Chris De La Rosa of Target, and Kyle Smith of IHG Hotels & Resorts.

- Community Development: This recognition rewards current members who help RH-ISAC grow by sending in referrals, giving testimonials, and participating in calls with potential members. The 2026 winners are Marnie Wilking and the Booking.com team, Brett Cumming and the Skechers team, and Jared Boulden of Marcus Corp.

- Sharing & Collaboration Challenge – Teams: The recipients of this award are based on cumulative points earned in the Sharing & Collaboration Challenge, which tracks team participation in various RH-ISAC channels. Winners are awarded in four categories based on the number of employees on the team. The first-place winners in each category for 2025 are Crutchfield Corporation, IHG Hotels and Resorts, Marriott International, and Target. The second-place winners are Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Staples, Kroger, and Lowe’s. The third-place winners are Kontoor Brands, Williams-Sonoma, Best Buy, and Walmart.

- Sharing & Collaboration Challenge – Individual: This award is given to the individual who earned the most points in the Sharing & Collaboration Challenge. The 2026 first-place winner is Wendi Walker of IHG Hotels & Resorts. The other winners in the category are Nezha Ould Slimane of Marriott International, and Brian Ludwig of Staples.

###

Media Contacts

Annie Chambliss

RH-ISAC Marketing & Communications

[email protected]

About RH-ISAC

The Retail & Hospitality Information Sharing and Analysis Center (RH-ISAC) is the trusted community for sharing sector-specific cybersecurity information and intelligence. The RH-ISAC connects information security teams at the strategic, operational, and tactical levels to work together on issues and challenges, to share practices and insights, and to benchmark among each other – all with the goal of building better security for consumer-facing industries through collaboration. RH-ISAC serves businesses including retailers, restaurants, hotels, gaming casinos, food retailers, consumer products, and other consumer-facing companies. For more information, visit rhisac.org.

Axios npm Package Compromised to Deliver Remote Access Trojan

Executive Summary According to a released report by StepSecurity, on 30 March 2026, an unnamed threat actor compromised a npm account associated with the Axios library and published malicious package versions, impacting developers and organizations relying on the dependency. The threat actor introduced backdoored versions of 1.14.1 and 0.30.4 that included a hidden malicious component designed…

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Vienna, VA (26 May 2026) – The Retail & Hospitality Information Sharing and Analysis Center (RH-ISAC) today announced the 2026 schedule for its Regional Workshop series, a global program designed to bring cybersecurity practitioners together for in-person collaboration, threat intelligence sharing, and professional development.

Hosted in key markets across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, the RH-ISAC Regional Workshops provide a forum for security leaders from retail, hospitality, and other consumer-facing industries to connect with peers and strengthen their defenses against evolving cyber threats. These one-day workshops feature interactive discussions, threat briefings, and the exchange of best practices, along with valuable networking opportunities.

“By bringing the community together in local markets around the world, we are empowering cybersecurity teams to share real-world insights, learn from one another, and collectively strengthen the resilience of consumer-facing industries,” said Suzie Squier, president of RH-ISAC.

2026 Regional Workshop Schedule

- Singapore – 3 June

- Herndon, Virginia (Washington, D.C. area) – 11 June

- Herzogenaurach, Germany – 7 July

- Natick, Massachusetts (Boston area) – 29 July

- Brampton, Canada (Toronto area) – 30 July

- Bangalore, India – 5 August

- Louisville, Kentucky – 13 August

- Richfield, Minnesota (Minneapolis area) – 18 August

- Parsippany, N.J. – 16 September

- Paris, France – 25 September

- Las Vegas, Nevada – 1 October

- Vancouver, Canada – 14 October

- Atlanta, Georgia – 3 November

- Sydney, Australia – 11 November

An additional workshop is planned for London in November, with details to be announced.

Workshops are open to eligible cybersecurity practitioners from retail, hospitality, and other consumer-facing companies, with most events available to non-members. View registration details here: https://rhisac.org/regional-workshops

###

Media Contacts

Annie Chambliss

RH-ISAC Marketing & Communications

[email protected]

About RH-ISAC

The Retail & Hospitality Information Sharing and Analysis Center (RH-ISAC) is the trusted community for sharing sector-specific cybersecurity information and intelligence. The RH-ISAC connects information security teams at the strategic, operational, and tactical levels to work together on issues and challenges, to share practices and insights, and to benchmark among each other – all with the goal of building better security for consumer-facing industries through collaboration. RH-ISAC serves businesses including retailers, restaurants, hotels, gaming casinos, food retailers, consumer products, and other consumer-facing companies. For more information, visit rhisac.org.

Annie Chambliss, RH-ISAC Director of Marketing and Communications

Vienna, VA (26 May 2026) – The Retail & Hospitality Information Sharing and Analysis Center (RH-ISAC) today announced the 2026 schedule for its Regional Workshop series, a global program designed to bring cybersecurity practitioners together for in-person collaboration, threat intelligence sharing, and professional development. Hosted in key markets across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, the…

Annie Chambliss, RH-ISAC Director of Marketing and Communications

VIENNA, VA (April 16, 2026) – The Retail & Hospitality Information Sharing and Analysis Center (RH-ISAC) announced its 2026 award winners during the RH-ISAC Member Celebration Dinner and Awards Ceremony held on 15 April in Austin, Texas. The awards recognize outstanding companies and individuals who have displayed extraordinary dedication to RH-ISAC’s mission to build a…

NEW YORK, NY – April 9, 2026 — Kasada, a leader in protecting digital businesses from automated and human-driven fraud and abuse, today announced it will serve as the title sponsor of the 2026 RH-ISAC Cybersecurity Summit, taking place April 13-15 in Austin, Texas. Hosted by the Retail & Hospitality Information Sharing and Analysis Center…

Annie Chambliss, RH-ISAC Director of Marketing and Communications

VIENNA, VA (1 April 2026) — The Retail & Hospitality Information Sharing and Analysis Center (RH-ISAC) and IANS today announced the release of the 2026 CISO Benchmark Report, providing a comprehensive look at how cybersecurity leaders across the retail and hospitality sectors are navigating economic pressure, evolving threats, and the rapid rise of artificial intelligence…

Annie Chambliss, RH-ISAC Director of Marketing and Communications

VIENNA, VA (13 March 2026) — The Retail & Hospitality Information Sharing and Analysis Center (RH-ISAC) and Retail Council of Canada (RCC) today announced a new strategic partnership aimed at bolstering the cybersecurity posture of retailers across Canada. This collaboration brings together the global threat intelligence of RH-ISAC with RCC’s expertise in the Canadian retail…

Windward Risk Managers Streamlined Policy Processing by Enabling Agents in the Flow of Work

5,500 agents supported

with guided tasks and on-demand support across its Duck Creek claims and policy workflows.

87% reduction

in claims and policy-related support queries with Self Help in two months.

100k agents interacted

with in-app Flows, Task Lists, Smart Tips, and Self Help in the first quarter of implementation.

The Windward Risk Managers’ Story

Navigating Complexity in Independent Insurance

Windward Risk Managers provides comprehensive underwriting, claims handling, policy support, and general customer service. At the heart of their agent experience is Mariella Gonzalez, Director of Agency Support, leads a 10-person team supporting 5,500+ agents. As the team scaled, so did the challenges around onboarding, policy changes, and workflow usage governance within Duck Creek, a platform essential to policy creation and processing for its agents’ network.

The Challenge

A System Under Strain: Agent Confusion Caused Downstream Impact

Agents faced workflow inefficiencies when using Duck Creek, like identifying forms in the quoting process or accessing proper guidelines for handling claims and policy issues. Toggling back and forth between Duck Creek and the agent portal was time-consuming and disruptive.

Without embedded training, agents had to consult subject matter experts and external knowledge repositories for help, leading to policy delays and frequent calls to Windward’s support center. This caused a high call volume of L0/L1 calls into the customer service team, often leading to needless agent frustration.

“We didn’t have visibility into who was getting stuck where,” said Mariella. “There was no data to work from—and the training materials weren’t embedded into our Duck Creek workflows.”

The Solution

Enabling Agents in the Flow of Work at Key Friction Points

Windward implemented Whatfix to create embedded Flows, Self Help content, and pop-ups directly in Duck Creek. This enabled its agents to have embedded workflow support within the application at the moment of need, targeting key friction points that previously resulted in additional calls to the customer service team.

High-engagement content, like a “Processing a Mortgage Change” Flow, received nearly 800 plays. The “New Windward Risk Managers” Pop-Up (a change management campaign to support its company rebrand) was shown over 100,000 times in just seven weeks, helping agents stay aligned with corporate messaging and deflecting customer confusion. Embedded PDF guides, in-app beacons, and Smart Tips further boosted visibility into the Duck Creek’s features and frequent updates, driving user adoption across its agents and maximizing its Duck Creek ROI.

The Results

Frictionless Workflows Unlocked Agent Efficiency and Reduced Burden on Support

Post-implementation, the Self Help search success rate jumped from 61% in Q1’24 to 87% in Q1’25, indicating that agents found the information they needed independently. Its contact center saw fewer basic queries, allowing teams to shift their focus to higher-value tasks.

With Whatfix, Windward created a self-reliant agent network to navigate policy workflows and drive sales without bottlenecks confidently.

“Providing our agents the tools they need when and where they need them helps agents complete the sale faster and more efficiently,” said Mariella.

Industry: Insurance

Use Case:

- Employee Training

- Performance Support

- Task Optimization

Application For: Duck Creek Policy

User Type: Claims and Policy Agents

See why Fortune 1000 enterprises and growth companies choose Whatfix as their digital adoption and user experience partner.

Assima is a systems training platform used by enterprise L&D and transformation teams to create high-fidelity software simulations that let employees practice workflows in a safe environment before touching production systems. It is best known for “clone-based” simulations that aim to mirror complex applications, including a focus on ERP systems.

Assima can fit large transformation programs where the primary constraint is training realism and readiness before go-live. Teams start to feel tradeoffs when simulations become the center of the enablement strategy for months or years.

Simulation-only training creates a false sense of readiness because production work changes weekly. Without governed content operations, ongoing in-app support, and measurable workflow outcomes, training decay becomes the hidden cost that shows up as ticket spikes, errors, and slowed throughput after every release.

Whether you are shortlisting vendors for an enterprise rollout or replacing Assima after a renewal decision, this guide compiles six alternatives for end-to-end user training and support systems, including simulation training, in-app guidance within the workflow, and adoption analytics. The list reflects the tools Assima is most commonly evaluated against in enterprise training and performance support programs.

TL;DR: Which Assima alternative should you choose?

- Whatfix – For enterprise organizations that require an end-to-end system training and adoption solution that pairs pre-production simulation training with in-app guidance, self-service help, analytics, enterprise content governance, and agentic AI.

- uPerform – For teams that require an in-workflow learning delivery and reinforcement across enterprise apps.

- SAP Enable Now – For SAP system training and content creation for transformation programs.

- datango – For performance support, documentation, and structured enablement for transformation programs.

- Adobe Captivate – For L&D teams looking for an eLearning authoring and SCORM course delivery that pairs with basic software simulations.

1. Whatfix

Details:

- Founded: 2014

- Similar to: Assima, WalkMe

- Typical roles: Enterprise application owners, CIO org, transformation PMO, L&D enablement leaders, service desk leaders

- Typical customers: Large enterprises with many applications, frequent change windows, controlled workflows, global rollouts

What Is Whatfix?

Whatfix is an enterprise digital adoption platform designed to accelerate time-to-proficiency, eliminate user errors, and reduce support load by guiding users in the flow of work, delivering contextual self-service support, and measuring adoption and workflow outcomes. Whatfix also includes agentic AI capabilities that reduce the cost of creating, maintaining, and scaling guidance and training across releases.

Whatfix Mirror pairs simulation training with its digital adoption capabilities so customer-facing teams can practice workflows safely before go-live, then carry that same enablement into production with in-app guidance. Large enterprises like Uber, Marriott, and Manpower Group pair Whatfix Mirror with its DAP capabilities to prepare and support their call center and quality assurance teams.

Key Features

- Mirror simulations: High-fidelity practice environments for hands-on training without production risk

- AI roleplay: Pair chat and voice AI roleplay within your simulation environments to adapt on the fly and add a level of realism.

- AI Assessment: Track performance across every interaction, from workflow completion rates to conversational quality, to measure training impact and build contextual learning paths for every employee.

- Flows: Step-by-step workflow guidance that standardizes execution inside live applications and simulated training environments.

- Smart Tips: Field-level contextual support that reduces errors during high-stakes tasks

- Self Help: In-app, searchable support that reduces “how do I” tickets and accelerates task completion

- Analytics: Adoption and engagement insights to identify friction, drop-off, and training needs

- Agentic AI agents: AI-driven authoring, insights, contextual guidance, and task execution.

- Content lifecycle management: Governed draft-to-production controls designed for safe rollout operations

How does Whatfix compare to Assima?

Main differences between Whatfix and Assima: Whatfix connects simulation training to production execution. Mirror prepares users safely before live system usage, then in-app guidance and Self Help keep users productive when workflows change after go-live, in the flow of work. Whatfix is designed for enterprise content operations, including governed releases and maintenance at scale.

Main similarities between Whatfix and Assima: Both support hands-on practice for complex applications and help enterprises reduce go-live risk by improving readiness.

Why do companies use Whatfix?

- Reduce go-live risk with hands-on practice that does not rely on training instances

- Shorten time-to-proficiency on complex ERP, CRM, HCM, and ITSM workflows

- Decrease ticket volume by shifting “how do I” questions into in-app support

- Improve quality and compliance by guiding execution through approved workflows

- Scale enablement across many apps with governed releases and measurable outcomes

What do real customers say about Whatfix?

- “Whatfix provides safe, real app-like practice without touching live data, so people can learn in a realistic setup without accidental damage or data issues. It removes the need for extra sandboxes, heavy IT work, and chasing IT support, while enabling self-study with PDFs, videos, and hands-on exercises. For Heineken, that means faster onboarding, smoother change adoption, and confident users ready for go-live,” said Daniel Szczegielniak, Global Learning & Development Leader at Heineken in their G2 review.

- “Whatfix Mirror allows learners to experience and interact with new workflows, ideas, and experiences without the worry of executing those actions wrong in the live environment, helping create practice and ease of mind. It allows learners to experience the new platform prior to going live and supplements training by giving them a hands-on approach to experiencing new workflows,” Mark Grant, Senior Technical Learning Consultant at CNA Insurance in their G2 review.

TL;DR for Whatfix

- Whatfix is best for: Enterprises that need simulation training plus long-term, in-app guidance workflow enablement across multiple applications, governed content operations, and tie adoption programs to measurable outcomes.

- Whatfix is not a fit for: Training programs looking for a simulation-only tool without the need for in-app guidance or production enablement.

- When Whatfix is the better fit: Multi-application transformations where training must connect to live performance, maintenance, and outcome reporting.

2. uPerform (ANCILE)

Details:

- Founded: 2010 (company)

- Similar to: Assima, SAP Enable Now, Whatfix

- Typical roles: L&D leaders, training operations, application owners, process excellence

- Typical customers: Large enterprises, especially healthcare and ERP-heavy organizations, delivering learning in the workflow

What Is uPerform?

uPerform is a digital learning and performance support platform that delivers just-in-time training, documentation, and support content within enterprise applications. It is commonly deployed to reinforce learning over time and reduce reliance on classroom and ticket-based support.

Key Features

- In-workflow learning delivery: Embedded training and support while users work

- Content development and management: Centralized authoring and distribution workflows

- Process and documentation support: Job aids and knowledge to reinforce compliance

- Enterprise integrations: LMS and application integrations for rollout programs

How does uPerform compare to Assima?

Main differences between uPerform and Assima: uPerform centers on delivering knowledge and reinforcement inside applications during real work. Assima centers on pre-go-live readiness through simulation practice.

Main similarities between uPerform and Assima: Both support enterprise enablement programs that need structured training content and measurable learner progress.

Why do companies use uPerform?

- Reinforce training after go-live to prevent knowledge decay

- Provide role-based learning and support content inside enterprise apps

- Reduce time spent searching for answers and documentation

- Improve consistency and compliance on standardized workflows

TL;DR for uPerform

- Best for: Enterprises that want in-workflow learning and long-term reinforcement across core systems.

- Watch-outs: Programs that require the highest simulation realism for complex workflows may prioritize a simulation-first platform.

- When uPerform is the better fit: Post go-live reinforcement and performance support inside the workflow.

3. SAP Enable Now

Details:

- Founded: SAP (1972)

- Similar to: Assima (training enablement overlap), uPerform

- Typical roles: SAP transformation PMO, L&D, SAP program owners, application owners

- Typical customers: SAP-centric enterprises running large rollouts and ongoing training programs

What Is SAP Enable Now?

SAP Enable Now is a digital learning and enablement content platform designed to create interactive learning content, guided tutorials, and documentation to support software adoption, especially in SAP environments. It is often used to prepare users before go-live and support learning after deployment. With SAP’s acquisition of WalkMe, it plans on depreciating Enable Now in November 2030.

Key Features

- Interactive training content creation: Tutorials, e-learning, and documentation

- SAP ecosystem alignment: Integration patterns for SAP program delivery

- Reusable enablement assets: Multi-format outputs for training distribution

- Repository approach: Centralized access to enablement content

How does SAP Enable Now compare to Assima?

WHITE PAPER

How to Build an Enterprise DAP Business Case

What’s in it for you?

In this white paper, we empower leaders like yourself to create an enterprise business case for pitching a DAP investment to other key organizational stakeholders – from department leaders to C-suite executives. You have realized that a DAP can help you overcome your organization’s technology-related challenges and empower your end-users to maximize their potential through software. Still, you need to familiarize other leaders with the concept of a DAP and showcase its positive ripple effects on proficiency and productivity across the organization.

In this DAP business case white paper, we:

- Introduce and define the concept of a digital adoption platform.

- Explore how a DAP empowers three specific business units across your organization by looking at the investment from the perspective of CIOs/IT leaders, HR/L&D leaders, and CROs/sales leaders – and explore real DAP use cases for each.

- Identify your key problems that a DAP will help overcome and the related intended business outcomes, including the cost/benefit analysis and how to find data to support your DAP business case.

- Help you consider the right questions when selecting a DAP vendor, from internal questions on “build vs. buy”, your “must-have” vs. “nice-to-have” DAP features, and the DAP vendor value adds that enables you with services that make a specific vendor more attractive than others.

- Provide you with the evidence and frame-of-mind to secure buy-in on a DAP investment.

Download the white paper now!

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NEW REPORT

Discover how modern enterprises turn transformation investments into measurable business outcomes by taking a user-first, in-context approach to technology rollout and change management.

The Big Picture:

Enterprise digital transformation has entered a higher-stakes phase. Boards and executive teams are no longer satisfied with deployment milestones or activity metrics. They expect clear evidence that transformation investments are delivering faster value, higher productivity, and sustained returns.

This 2026 ROI report surveyed 300 U.S.-based C-suite and digital transformation leaders to analyze how enterprises prioritize investments, where recent initiatives have succeeded or stalled, and how long it actually takes organizations to realize value. The findings reveal a consistent gap between ambition and outcomes, particularly in AI-driven initiatives, where spending is high, but the measurable impact remains uneven.

The data shows a clear pattern. Organizations that treat user enablement as core infrastructure consistently outperform peers. Digital adoption platforms provide the enablement layer to close the gap between vision and execution by accelerating time-to-value, increasing ROI, and giving leaders the measurement clarity required to scale transformation with confidence.

The most substantial returns come from initiatives anchored to organizational outcomes. Efficiency, productivity, and accessible data define success far more than the number of systems deployed. Transformation programs that lack this alignment struggle to convert investment into impact.

Top cited outcomes of digital investments included:

AI has become the central pillar of enterprise transformation strategies. Security and customer experience follow closely, but AI commands the largest share of executive attention and budget. The challenge now lies in operationalizing these investments at scale, where adoption and proficiency determine whether AI delivers value or stalls in pilot mode.

Without adoption analytics and usage data, transformation performance remains largely subjective. Leaders struggle to benchmark progress, justify reinvestment, or identify friction points that slow results. Measurement maturity has become a defining line between high-performing and underperforming transformation programs.

The most common regrets from recent transformation initiatives center on people, not platforms. Insufficient training, weak onboarding, and poor alignment between IT and business teams continue to undermine adoption. Organizations that fail to operationalize learning and support inside applications pay for it in slower ROI and lower confidence.

Enterprises that match transformation investment with in-context enablement outperform peers across every major benchmark. Hands-on simulation training, guidance in the flow of work, and real-time adoption analytics compress time-to-value and make ROI measurable. Digital adoption has become a force multiplier for enterprise software investments.

You will be redirected to the report after submitting the form.

What Is a Digital Adoption Platform?

A digital adoption platform (DAP) is the enablement and measurement layer that sits on top of applications to help users complete workflows correctly. In large organizations, DAP value appears in three places: guided execution within the application that accelerates time-to-proficiency and eliminates user errors, in-app self-service support that reduces tickets, and analytics that demonstrate adoption, workflow performance, and overall digital value realization.

While there are 95 DAPs listed on G2, only 6 have a enterprise-led market share, with most focusing on mid-market and SMBs. An enterprise DAP can drive measurable ROI across departments and use cases, having down-stream effects across the organizations. Its key outcomes center on accelerated time-to-proficiency, reduction of support tickets, elimination of user errors, faster task completion, and improved customer experience.

DAP Uses Cases & Fit Signals

The table below highlights different use cases by buyer type, including fit signals and outcomes tied to each DAP use case:

The Enterprise ROI of a Digital Adoption Platform

Despite massive investments in software, the expected business value remains elusive for large organizations. Ineffective digital adoption alone is costing mid-sized firms an average of $10.9M annually, according to Forrester’s recent Driving Digital Adoption For Impactful Transformation And Growth report. Additionally, the relentless pace of change creates persistent challenges for users, hindering the adoption and integration of enterprise platforms and tools.

Our 2026 State of Digital Transformation ROI report quantified the impact of a DAP investment, comparing organizations that invest in a DAP to support their digital transformation goals vs. their peers who haven’t. The cohort that utilizes a DAP saw measurable improvements across the board vs the non-DAP cohort, including:

- 37.5% higher user proficiency after three months

- 64% faster time-to-value for digital transformation initiatives after six months

- 67% lift in overall ROI from digital transformation investments

To put this into perspective, for a $3M enterprise software investment, the average ROI (278%) would be $8,340,000. For those with a DAP, a 67% lift would drive that ROI to $13,980,000. And this is for one application deployment, with most modern digital enablement teams using a DAP like Whatfix across multiple high-value applications.

Features to Look For in an Enterprise-Grade Digital Adoption Platform

A true enterprise DAP goes far beyond simple walkthroughs. It includes multiple in-app experience types, like Flows, Smart Tips, Pop-Ups, Task Lists, and field-level guidance, that span complex cross-application workflows, adapt by role and behavior, and improve over time with AI-driven optimization.

Enterprise buyers also require disciplined, operationalized content lifecycle management capabilities that survive constant change. That means no-code authoring, governed draft-to-production workflows, auto-testing, version control, rollback, environment separation, content localization, and AI agents that help teams update guidance when workflows change, contextualize experiences for each user, and reduce the operating cost of keeping content current.

Self-service support is another core DAP category capability. An enterprise-grade DAP unifies help content and knowledge repositories, like SharePoint, Google Drive, SOPs, LMS courses, policies, and training assets, into an in-app help center where users can search without leaving the application, while AI summarizes results, recommends the most relevant resources, and guides users toward the right next step.

Comprehensive DAP platforms (like Whatfix) combine product analytics with adoption insights to surface friction points, drop-offs, and workflow bottlenecks. These insights are turned into targeted guidance, segmentation, and optimization actions inside underlying application, creating a closed-loop model for continuous improvement.

Whatfix pairs Mirror for pre-production simulation training and AI roleplay with in-workflow guidance, Self Help, content governance, and adoption analytics in one unified platform, giving enterprises a safer way to prepare users for regulated workflows, customer-facing interactions, and high-risk tasks before they ever enter live systems, and continue within live systems. This pre-production training, in-workflow guidance, and adoption analytics create a unified digital adoption layer powered by AI that measures business outcomes across the enterprise, and is how Whatfix separates itself from the rest of the DAP category.

What are the best digital adoption platforms for enterprise teams?

1. Whatfix

Details:

- Founded: 2014

- Similar to: WalkMe, Pendo

- Typical roles: Director of Enterprise Applications, Enterprise Application Owner, CIO staff, enablement lead, service desk manager

- Typical customers: 2,000+ employees, multi-region operations, mission-critical enterprise software, high-volume internal users, regulated industries with controlled or audited workflows

What Is Whatfix?

Whatfix DAP is an enterprise-grade digital adoption platform built to maximize ROI from mission-critical applications and accelerate digital transformation value realization. It drives measurable outcomes through contextual in-app guidance, self-service support, and adoption analytics tied to workflow performance.

Whatfix provides comprehensive product analytics to enable a data-driven, closed-loop feedback approach to optimize workflows, new content creation, and adoption milestones. With Mirror simulation training and AI roleplay, Whatfix is the only end-to-end digital adoption solution for pre-production readiness, in-workflow guidance, and closed-feedback loop analytics.

Key Features

- Flows: Step-by-step guidance for completing critical workflows consistently, designed for repeatable execution patterns.

- Smart Tips: Field-level and UI-level contextual help that reduces errors during high-stakes transactions.

- Pop-Ups: Targeted in-app communications for go-lives, policy changes, and workflow updates.

- Task List: Role-based checklists that standardize onboarding and drive completion on priority workflows.

- Self Help: In-app self-service support that surfaces help content in the moment of need to reduce tickets during stabilization windows and uses AI for smart search, recommendations, and summarization.

- Mirror simulations: Risk-free practice environments for readiness validation and hands-on training before production exposure.

- Agentic AI agents plus Seek: AI-driven authoring, insights, contextual assistance, and task execution.

- Content lifecycle management: Governed draft-to-production controls for safe releases at scale.

What factors make Whatfix the best DAP for enterprise companies?

- Coverage across any application type: Supports web, desktop, mobile, and Citrix environments, so enterprises can run one adoption layer across mixed application estates and multi-app workflows.

- Vendor-neutral by design: Whatfix is not tied to a single ISV ecosystem, which makes it a stronger fit for enterprises running Oracle, SAP, Salesforce, Microsoft, custom apps, and other business-critical systems side by side.

- Enterprise-grade content lifecycle management: Governed releases, approvals, testing, rollback, localization, and change controls help teams scale adoption without adding rollout risk.

- One platform for readiness, execution, and optimization: Whatfix unifies pre-production simulation training, in-workflow support, and adoption analytics into a single platform for end-to-end user enablement.

- AI embedded across the full lifecycle: Whatfix integrates agentic AI across authoring, guidance, insights, and task execution, while also embedding GenAI into Self Help and AI roleplay to contextualize support and reduce content operations overhead.

Why do companies use Whatfix?

- Drive faster time-to-proficiency after ERP, CRM, HCM, or ITSM changes by guiding users through the highest-risk workflows.

- Reduce ticket spikes during stabilization by shifting common “how do I” questions into in-app self-service.

- Reduce user errors and improve compliance by guiding execution through approved task paths.

- Validate readiness before go-live using simulations, then reinforce execution in production with guidance and Self Help.

- Instrument workflow outcomes and prioritize interventions using adoption and drop-off signals segmented by role, region, and tenure.

TL;DR for Whatfix

- Best for: Enterprise adoption across many applications where governance, rollout safety, simulations, and measurable workflow outcomes drive buying decisions.

- Watch-outs: SMB or mid-market teams seeking a narrow overlay for one application may not need the full enterprise operating model.

- When Whatfix is the better fit: Multi-application programs with high change cadence and controlled workflows that require lifecycle discipline and outcome-grade measurement.

2. WalkMe

Details:

- Founded: 2011

- Similar to: Whatfix, Userlane

- Typical roles: CIO staff, enterprise application owners, transformation leaders, digital workplace teams

- Typical customers: Large enterprises standardizing adoption programs across multiple systems

What Is WalkMe?

WalkMe is a digital adoption platform used to deliver in-app guidance, onboarding, and adoption analytics across enterprise applications. It is commonly deployed as a cross-application overlay for guided experiences, change communications, and adoption programs.

Key Features

- In-app guidance: Walkthroughs and contextual prompts to support task completion.

- In-app communications: Messaging that supports change initiatives and rollouts.

- Segmentation and targeting: Audience targeting to tailor experiences by cohort.

- Adoption analytics: Insights into engagement and friction points.

Why do companies use WalkMe?

Calendar Year (CY) 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule (CMS-1832-F)

On October 31, 2025, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule that announces final policy changes for Medicare payments under the Physician Fee Schedule (PFS), and other Medicare Part B issues, effective on or after January 1, 2026.

The calendar year (CY) 2026 PFS final rule is one of several final rules that reflect a broader Administration-wide strategy to create a health care system that results in better quality, efficiency, empowerment, and innovation for all Medicare beneficiaries.

Background on the Physician Fee Schedule

Since 1992, Medicare payment has been made under the PFS for the services of physicians and other billing professionals. Physicians’ services paid under the PFS are furnished in a variety of settings, including physician offices, hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs), skilled nursing facilities and other post-acute care settings, hospices, outpatient dialysis facilities, clinical laboratories, and beneficiaries’ homes. Payment is also made to several types of suppliers for technical services, most often in settings for which no institutional payment is made.

For most services furnished in a physician’s office, Medicare makes payment to physicians and other professionals at a single rate based on the full range of resources involved in furnishing the service. In contrast, PFS rates paid to physicians and other billing practitioners in facility settings, such as a hospital outpatient department (HOPD) or an ASC, reflect only the portion of the resources typically incurred by the practitioner while furnishing the service.

For many diagnostic tests and a limited number of other services under the PFS, separate payment may be made for the professional and technical components of services. The technical component is frequently billed by suppliers, like independent diagnostic testing facilities and radiation treatment centers, while the professional component is billed by the physician or practitioner.

Payments are based on the relative resources typically used to furnish the service. Relative value units (RVUs) are applied to each service for work, practice expense, and malpractice expense. These RVUs become payment rates through the application of a conversion factor. Geographic adjusters (geographic practice cost indices) are also applied to the total RVUs to account for variation in costs by geographic area. Payment rates are calculated to include an overall payment update specified by statute.

CY 2026 PFS Rate Setting and Conversion Factor

As required by statute, beginning in CY 2026, there will be two separate conversion factors: one for qualifying alternative payment model (APM) participants (QPs) and one for physicians and practitioners who are not QPs. By statute, QPs are those that meet certain thresholds for participation in an Advanced APM, which means generally that the payment model has features to ensure accountability for quality and cost of care. The update to the qualifying APM conversion factor for CY 2026 is +0.75 percent while the update to the nonqualifying APM conversion factor for CY 2026 is +0.25 percent. The changes to the PFS conversion factors for CY 2026 include these updates as required by statute, a one-year increase of +2.50 percent for CY 2026 stipulated by statute, and an estimated +0.49 percent adjustment necessary to account for finalized changes in work RVUs for some services. The final CY 2026 qualifying APM conversion factor of $33.57 represents a projected increase of $1.22 (+3.77%) from the current conversion factor of $32.35. Similarly, the final CY 2026 nonqualifying APM conversion factor of $33.40 represents a projected increase of $1.05 (+3.26%) from the current conversion factor of $32.35. Per statutory requirements, we are also finalizing updates to the geographic practice cost indices (GPCIs) and malpractice RVUs.

Efficiency Adjustment

CMS historically has relied on survey data primarily provided by the AMA Relative Value Scale Update Committee (AMA RUC) to estimate practitioner time, work intensity, and aspects of practice expense, which are often reflected in the valuation of codes paid under the PFS. Only a small portion of the total codes are considered for revaluation annually, and this process relies primarily on subjective information from surveys that have low response rates, with respondents who may have inherent conflicts of interest (since their responses are used in setting their payment rates). Research has demonstrated that the time assumptions built into the valuation of many PFS services are, as a result, very likely overinflated.[1] In order to mitigate these effects and take into account changes in medical practice, we are finalizing application of an efficiency adjustment to the work RVUs and corresponding intraservice portion of physician time for non-time-based services that we expect to accrue gains in efficiency over time. This would periodically apply to all codes except time-based codes, such as evaluation and management (E/M) services, care management services, behavioral health services, services on the Medicare telehealth list, and maternity codes with a global period of MMM.

To determine this efficiency adjustment, we are finalizing our proposal to use the Medicare Economic Index (MEI) productivity adjustment percentage. The MEI productivity adjustment is calculated by the CMS Office of the Actuary (OACT) each year, and we are finalizing a look-back period of five years, which would result in a final efficiency adjustment of -2.5% for CY 2026. In response to public comments, we are finalizing an updated list of HCPCS codes that will be exempt from the efficiency adjustment. We are also finalizing that, going forward, CMS may give preference to empiric studies of time to incorporate into service valuation, compared to survey data, and solicit comment on the types of empiric data that CMS should consider. CMS expects that moving away from survey data would lead to more accurate valuation of services over time and help address some of the distortions that have occurred in the PFS historically.

These changes address concerns about distorted payment values that have existed for years. The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, the Government Accountability Office, and researchers across the political spectrum have called out long-standing overvaluation of certain procedures and undervaluation of time-intensive services like primary care. Left unaddressed, these gaps compound over time, especially as digital tools and automation accelerate efficiency gains in some specialties.

Practice Expense

The practice expense (PE) methodology currently relies primarily on the AMA’s Physician Practice Information (PPI) Survey data from 2008 that measures specialty-specific practice costs. In 2024, the AMA conducted updated survey efforts and submitted data to CMS in early 2025 for consideration in CY 2026 PFS rate setting. Due to several limitations with the data, as described in the CY 2026 PFS proposed rule, we did not propose, and are not finalizing, to implement the PE/HR data or cost shares from the AMA’s PPI and Clinician Practice Information (CPI) Survey data for 2026 rate setting. Specifically, our concerns focused on small sample sizes and sampling variation, low response rates and representativeness, potential measurement error, and incomplete data submission. We modeled estimated payment impacts of the data’s implementation, which we included in the proposed rule for public comment and potential consideration in future rulemaking.

While we did not propose to incorporate the PPI and CPI Survey data into PFS rate setting for CY 2026, we are finalizing significant updates to our PE methodology to better reflect current clinical practice. Specifically, we are finalizing to recognize greater indirect costs for practitioners in office-based settings compared to facility settings. The original allocation methodologies assumed physicians maintained separate practice locations even if they furnished some care in hospitals. Since the methodologies were established decades ago, there has been a steady decline in the number of physicians working in private practice, with a corresponding rise in physician employment by hospitals and health systems. Therefore, we believe that the allocation of indirect costs for PE RVUs in the facility setting at the same rate as the non-facility setting may no longer reflect contemporary clinical practice.

We are also finalizing to utilize data from auditable, routinely updated hospital data (i.e., from the Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS)) to set relative rates and inform our costs assumptions for some technical services paid under PFS. For CY 2026, we are finalizing to use this data in setting rates for radiation treatment services, and for some remote monitoring services. This approach promotes price transparency across settings, offers more predictable rate setting outcomes, and limits the influence of limited survey data.

Telehealth Services under the PFS

For CY 2026, we are finalizing to streamline the process for adding services to the Medicare Telehealth Services List. We are simplifying our review process by removing the distinction between provisional and permanent services and limiting our review on whether the service can be furnished using an interactive, two-way audio-video telecommunications system.

We are finalizing to permanently remove frequency limitations for subsequent inpatient visits, subsequent nursing facility visits, and critical care consultations.