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2026: The Six Defining Challenges for the Office of the CFO — Blog Series (3 of 6)
By GrowCFO in partnership with Acterys
For decades, spreadsheets have been the backbone of finance. They are familiar, flexible, and powerful — yet fundamentally fragile. As business complexity grows and volatility intensifies, spreadsheet-driven planning simply cannot keep pace.
Why Spreadsheet Dependency Is Now a Strategic Risk
Spreadsheet limitations are well-documented:
- Version control chaos
- Manual consolidation inefficiencies
- High error rates
- Lack of governance
- Slow reporting cycles
- Disconnected data sources
This fragmentation means decisions are often based on outdated or incomplete information — a risk no modern CFO can afford.
2026: The Turning Point
2026 will mark the definitive shift away from spreadsheet-dependent planning toward governed, AI-ready performance platforms. These new systems:
- Unify data instead of duplicating it
- Create real-time visibility
- Support predictive analytics
- Enable modelling at scale
- Reduce manual effort
- Improve governance and control
The launch of Microsoft Fabric is accelerating this transition.
Microsoft Fabric + Acterys = A New Finance Architecture
Fabric provides a unified analytics foundation across every department. Combined with Acterys, finance gains:
- Enterprise-grade write-back and modelling
- Connected planning across Power BI, Fabric, and Excel
- Centralised data governance
- Real-time forecasting
- Automated consolidation
- AI-driven insights
GrowCFO members report dramatic improvements:
- 70% reduction in manual consolidation time
- 3–5x faster forecasting cycles
- Instant, board-ready scenario modelling
Why This Matters for CFOs
Data has become the new capital—an asset that must be governed, maintained, and leveraged strategically. The CFO is now responsible for building the data and planning foundation that enables AI.
GrowCFO Insight
Data is the new capital. Building an AI-ready finance architecture means governing it with the same discipline you apply to financial assets.
