Briefs

Each brief is a self-contained decision document. Preview material is available directly on each brief page. Full editions and calibrations are available on request by email.

Available briefs

Available · NFR-2026-09 · May 2026 DACH Edition

The Agent Oversight Architecture Brief

Risk tiering, oversight modes, accountability models, and audit depth for enterprises whose AI agents are already in production.

A buyer decision brief for CIO, Chief Risk Officer, General Counsel, Chief AI Officer, and CISO decision-makers facing the gap between AI governance policy and the architecture that has to enforce it. Covers the four oversight decisions, the four-cell signature per agent class, and the evidence layer needed before the August 2026 enforcement window.

Format: PDF, 18 pages

Primary buyer: CIO, CRO, General Counsel, Chief AI Officer, CISO

Available · NFR-UK-2026-09 · May 2026 UK Edition

The Agent Oversight Architecture Brief — UK Edition

SMCR accountability, risk tiering, oversight modes, and audit depth for UK financial-services AI agents.

A UK edition of the Agent Oversight Architecture framework for insurance, retirement, and financial-services buyers. Anchored in UK governance expectations and the accountability question facing senior risk and AI owners when agentic systems move from pilots into production.

Format: PDF, 21 pages

Primary buyer: UK CRO, Chief AI Officer, CIO, AI operating lead

Available · NFR-CH-2026-09 · May 2026 Swiss Edition

The Agent Oversight Architecture Brief — Swiss Edition

FINMA-anchored oversight architecture for AI agents in Swiss banking, insurance, and financial infrastructure.

A Swiss edition of the Agent Oversight Architecture framework, anchored in FINMA Guidance 08/2024 and the FINMA AI Survey 2025. Written for Swiss CRO, CIO, CDTO, CAIO, and senior partner audiences translating AI governance expectations into architecture and evidence.

Format: PDF, 26 pages

Primary buyer: Swiss CRO, CIO, CDTO, CAIO, senior technology partner

Available · NFR-2026-05 · May 2026 Edition

The Sovereign AI Decision Brief

Workload classification, provider archetypes, and the path to minimum sufficient sovereignty in 2026–2028.

A buyer decision brief on where data, models, and workloads should actually reside. Covers the EU AI Act timeline, the AWS European Sovereign Cloud launch, the European Commission's €180M sovereign cloud award, and four provider archetypes: US hyperscaler EU partition, national partner cloud, EU-native public cloud, and Sovereign Private / Repatriation. Includes the Sovereignty Workload Matrix and the TIER path logic.

Format: PDF, 23 pages

Primary buyer: CIO, CTO Office, Chief Data Officer, Chief AI Officer

Available · ENT-BDB-2026-02 · April 2026 Edition

The Interconnect Capital Allocation Brief

Copper, optics, and hybrid paths for AI infrastructure 2026–2029.

A capital allocation brief on where investment should move in the AI data center interconnect layer. Covers copper extension, co-packaged optics, photonic fabric, and the incumbent optical ecosystem, with more than $9 billion in strategic capital deployed between late 2025 and early 2026. Includes the Interconnect Exposure Matrix and the CROSS path logic.

Format: PDF, 16 pages

Primary buyer: Corporate strategy, corporate development, product strategy, infrastructure investors

Available · NFR-2026-01 · May 2026 Edition

AI Visibility for Enterprise E-Commerce Brands

A 2026 buyer decision brief on monitoring, optimization, measurement, and platform selection in AI-native product discovery.

A buyer decision brief for enterprise e-commerce decision-makers evaluating exposure to AI-mediated discovery. Covers the Exposure Test, the five-layer buying stack, the MOPC decision ladder, and the vendor archetypes shaping AI visibility in 2026.

Format: PDF, 17 pages

Primary buyer: Enterprise e-commerce decision-makers, with supporting use by CMO, Chief Digital Officer, Head of E-Commerce, Head of Growth

Available · NFR-2026-04 · May 2026 Edition

The AI Act After Omnibus

EU AI Act compliance after the Digital Omnibus shift — high-risk classification, conformity pathways, and prioritization under regulatory uncertainty.

A buyer decision brief on how enterprises should structure AI portfolio compliance across shifting implementation timelines. Covers the Risk Classification Matrix, the PACE path logic (Prohibit, Adapt, Conform, Exempt), and the four conformity archetypes. Includes explicit treatment of the November 2025 Digital Omnibus proposal and how to plan under both the August 2026 and December 2027 scenarios.

Format: PDF, 21 pages

Primary buyer: Chief AI Officer, General Counsel, Chief Risk Officer

Available · NFR-2026-07 · April 2026 Edition

The SAP 2027 Decision Brief

Path choice under deadline, contract exposure, and transformation capacity.

A buyer decision brief for CIO, CFO, and Transformation Steering Committee decision-makers navigating the SAP ECC end-of-maintenance window. Covers the Board Decision Matrix, the PACT path logic (Preserve, Accept, Convert, Transition), and the commercial logic of the 2027, 2030, and selectively available 2033 paths.

Format: PDF, 20 pages

Primary buyer: CIO, CFO, Transformation Steering Committee

In preparation

The following briefs are in active development. Indicative release timing is noted for each. To be notified on publication, send a short email with the brief code.

In preparation · NFR-2026-06 · Expected Q3 2026

The Enterprise Inference Stack Brief

OSS-first, hybrid, and managed inference paths for enterprise AI teams.

A decision brief on how enterprise AI teams should structure their inference infrastructure. Covers when OSS-first with vLLM is rational, when hybrid becomes the default, and when managed platforms justify their premium.

In preparation · NFR-2026-08 · Expected Q4 2026

The LLM Evaluation Build-vs-Buy Brief

Evaluation infrastructure decisions for serious AI programs.

A decision brief for AI platform teams evaluating whether to build internal evaluation infrastructure or commit to a platform-based path. Covers the evaluation stack landscape and the decision logic for serious AI programs.

Licensing and availability

Northfold briefs are available under three licence tiers — Single User, Team, and Enterprise — with optional Standard and Extended Calibration. Each regional edition is priced in its home currency: EUR for DACH, GBP for the United Kingdom, CHF for Switzerland.

Current market-specific pricing for all editions and calibrations is on the Pricing page. The price stated in the relevant Executive Preview, offer, order confirmation, or invoice governs.

B2B only; requests require confirmation that the requester acts in a commercial or professional capacity. Licensing terms are detailed in the Terms of Sale and Licence. Northfold Research publications do not constitute legal, tax, investment, or implementation advice.