CT-ISG
Growing adoption of cloud-based services is propelling the expansion of the European IT and business services market, with the region setting a new record for as-a-service spending in the second quarter, according to the latest state-of-the-industry report from Information Services Group (ISG ) (Nasdaq:III ), a leading global technology research and advisory firm.
The EMEA ISG Index™, which measures commercial outsourcing contracts with annual contract value (ACV) of US $5 million or more, shows ACV for the combined market, which includes both as-a-service and managed services, reached US $6.3 billion, up 31 percent against a soft quarter last year during the onset of the pandemic, and up 4 percent against the first quarter of 2021. It was the third consecutive quarter that combined market ACV exceeded the US $6 billion mark, with this quarter nearly matching the record established in fourth quarter last year.
Cloud-based as-a-service spending soared 41 percent over last year, and 15 percent from Q1, to a record US $2.9 billion, and now represents 46 percent of the combined market, a record high.
“Europe has traditionally lagged behind other regions in its adoption of cloud-based services but now growth is accelerating,” said Steven Hall, president of ISG EMEA. “COVID-related digital transformation has advanced cloud adoption by three to five years, and as-a-service ACV will soon surpass 50 percent of the market. We are near a tipping point.”
Within the as-a-service segment, infrastructure as-a-service (IaaS) climbed 47 percent (18 percent quarter over quarter), to a record US $2.2 billion, while software-as-a-service (SaaS) rose 27 percent (5 percent quarter over quarter), to a record US $722 million.
Managed services, at US $3.4 billion, was down 4 percent quarter over quarter, its second straight quarterly decline, although it was up 23 percent over a soft Q2 a year ago. Deal activity for the quarter was at a record 217 contracts, amid a flurry of mid-range deals between US $20 million and US $40 million. IT outsourcing (ITO) generated US $2.8 billion of ACV, up 18 percent, and business process outsourcing (BPO) produced US $611 million of ACV, up 54 percent.
For the first half of 2021, the combined market generated a record US $12.3 billion of ACV, up 25 percent. As-a-service, at a record US $5.4 billion, was up 27 percent, and managed services, at a record US $6.9 billion, was up 23 percent. Within as-a-service, IaaS reached a record US $4.0 billion, up 33 percent, and SaaS hit a record US $1.4 billion, up 13 percent. On the managed services side, ITO was at a record US $5.8 billion, up 18 percent, on a record 353 transactions, with strength in ADM and infrastructure. BPO reached US $1.1 billion, up 60 percent, spurred by demand for finance and accounting and engineering services.
Deal Activity
Among the significant ITO awards in the second quarter, HCL won a contract with a multinational oil and gas company for end-user computing services. TietoEVRY also won a three-year, €200 million contract with DNB Bank in Norway.
In BPO, notable deals this quarter included Cognizant’s agreement with a U.K.-based automotive, distribution and retail firm to transform its finance and accounting infrastructure, and Capita’s three-year customer management deal with Tesco Mobile. ISS Group signed a two-year contract extension with Rolls Royce.
In IaaS, GCP signed a large deal with LVMH this quarter to develop new cloud-based AI and machine learning solutions. And AWS inked a contract with Ferrari to become its official cloud, machine learning and AI provider.
In SaaS, Microsoft landed Dynamics 365 contracts with ABN AMRO Bank and BMW, and signed Power BI agreements with Daimler, AB InBev, Dentsu and Swiss Re. Sanofi signed with Microsoft to use Teams.
Market Insights
Among geographic markets for managed services in the second quarter, France grew the most, up 44 percent from the prior year, to US $295.5 million of ACV. The UK and Ireland, the region’s largest managed services market in Q2, at US $1.2 billion, was up 33 percent over the prior year.
The DACH market, meanwhile, generated US $806 million of managed services ACV in Q2, up 17 percent over the prior year, and the Nordics generated US $405 million of ACV, up 15 percent.
Only Benelux and Southern Europe saw pullbacks in managed services ACV versus last year.
2021 Global Forecast
ISG is forecasting the market for cloud-based services (IaaS and SaaS) will grow 21 percent globally in 2021, up from its 18 percent growth forecast last quarter. The firm also is raising its forecast for managed services growth to 9 percent, up from its prior forecast of 5 percent.
About the ISG Index™
The ISG Index™ is recognized as the authoritative source for marketplace intelligence on the global technology and business services industry. For 75 consecutive quarters, it has detailed the latest industry data and trends for financial analysts, enterprise buyers, software and service providers, law firms, universities and the media. In 2016, the ISG Index was expanded to include coverage of the fast-growing as-a-service market, measuring the significant impact cloud-based services are having on digital business transformation. ISG also provides ongoing analysis of automation and other digital technologies in its quarterly ISG Index presentations.
For more information about the ISG Index, visit this webpage .
About ISG
ISG (Information Services Group) (Nasdaq:III ) is a leading global technology research and advisory firm. A trusted business partner to more than 700 clients, including more than 75 of the world’s top 100 enterprises, ISG is committed to helping corporations, public sector organizations, and service and technology providers achieve operational excellence and faster growth. The firm specializes in digital transformation services, including automation, cloud and data analytics; sourcing advisory; managed governance and risk services; network carrier services; strategy and operations design; change management; market intelligence and technology research and analysis. Founded in 2006, and based in Stamford, Conn., ISG employs more than 1,300 digital-ready professionals operating in more than 20 countries—a global team known for its innovative thinking, market influence, deep industry and technology expertise, and world-class research and analytical capabilities based on the industry’s most comprehensive marketplace data. For more information, visit www.isg-one.com .
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210713005319/en/
Link:
Social Media:
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
UAE announces Google Gemini Is Now the Most Culturally Accurate AI for Arabs28.11.2025 22:31:00 CET | Press release
The world’s first assessment to assess AI models’ alignment with Emirati identity and values The UAE’s Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications Office announced that Google Gemini has ranked first in the “AI in the Ring” Index, the world’s first benchmark designed to evaluate how effectively AI language models reflect Emirati culture, dialects, traditions, and national values through a challenge centered on cultural intelligence within the UAE context. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251128785463/en/ UAE announces Google Gemini Is Now the Most Culturally Accurate AI for Arabs (Photo: AETOSWire) Gemini earned the top ranking following a review of over 400 questions across 7 cultural dimensions and 5,200 generated responses from 11 major language models. A Committee of Emirati experts evaluated the outputs to identify which models demonstrated the strongest cultural understanding. F
GE HealthCare announces CE Mark for the Omni 128cm total body PET/CT system28.11.2025 12:00:00 CET | Press release
FOR USE IN CE-MARK EUROPEAN COUNTRIES ONLY GE HealthCare announces CE Mark for its Omni 128cm total body PET/CT,i a next-generation imaging system designed to advance precision care as well as cancer diagnosis, staging and treatment planning The new system is designed to accommodate head-to-thigh imaging in a single bed to improve workflow and efficiency, and enable a significant reduction in dose/scan time – all important factors, especially for populations like pediatric patients Built for both clinical and research excellence, the system may support the development and evaluation of new clinical pathways, novel PET tracers and emerging theranostic agents GE HealthCare today announced CE Mark for its next-generation Omni 128cm total body positron emission tomography / computed tomography (PET/CT) system,i a major milestone in its mission to advance precision care. Designed to advance cancer diagnosis, staging, therapeutic planning and treatment response monitoring, this innovative sy
King Abdulaziz Foundation Organizes the First Edition of the Forum on the “History of Hajj and the Two Holy Mosques” in Jeddah28.11.2025 10:53:00 CET | Press release
King Abdulaziz Foundation (Darah) held the first edition of the Forum on the “History of Hajj and the Two Holy Mosques”, convened as part of the program of the “Hajj Conference and Exhibition 2025” at the Super Dome Hall in Jeddah, in cooperation with the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah and the Guests of God Service Program, during the period from 9–12 November 2025. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251128600368/en/ King Abdulaziz Foundation Organizes the First Edition of the Forum on the “History of Hajj and the Two Holy Mosques” in Jeddah (Photo: AETOSWire) The forum’s activities were inaugurated following the announcement by His Royal Highness Prince Faisal bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Special Advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the King Abdulaziz Foundation, who declared the launch of the forum during the opening ceremony of the “Hajj Conference and Exh
VSO Unveils VCP v1.0, a First-of-Its-Kind Cryptographic Audit Protocol to Restore Trust in AI-Driven Markets28.11.2025 06:30:00 CET | Press release
New open standard replaces opaque server logs with mathematically verifiable evidence, helping market participants meet EU AI Act and MiFID II transparency requirements The VeritasChain Standards Organization (VSO), an independent international standards body, today announced the global release of VeritasChain Protocol (VCP) v1.0, an open cryptographic audit protocol designed to provide mathematically provable transparency for AI‑driven and algorithmic trading systems. VCP replaces mutable server logs with a tamper‑evident chain of cryptographic evidence, enabling regulators, brokers, exchanges and trading firms to move from trust‑based oversight to verification‑based supervision. Why This Matters Now The launch of VCP v1.0 comes at a pivotal moment for global market infrastructure: More than 80 proprietary trading firms collapsed between 2024 and 2025 amid regulatory scrutiny, opaque execution models and frozen payout disputes, leaving a trust gap between traders and platforms. Regula
Andersen Consulting styrker sine kompetencer med BMA27.11.2025 22:48:00 CET | Pressemeddelelse
Andersen Consulting udvider sine kompetencer inden for bæredygtighed og virksomhedsforandring gennem en samarbejdsaftale med BMA, der er et sydafrikansk firma, som arbejder for at styrke konkurrenceevnen i fremstillingsindustrien og fremme inkluderende industriel vækst. BMA, der blev etableret for mere end to årtier siden, arbejder på tværs af produktionsværdikæder – fra producenter til deres kunder – sammen med myndigheder og udviklingsagenturer for at fremme bæredygtig industriel konkurrenceevne. Gennem sine sektorfokuserede industrielle klynger leverer firmaet integrerede tjenester inden for industriel politik og strategisk udvikling, værdikædestrategi, produktionskonkurrenceevne og lean-rådgivning, reduktion af CO2-udledning samt udvikling af små og mellemstore virksomheder og samler interessenter omkring fælles prioriteter og skalerbare, langsigtede løsninger. "Bæredygtig produktion handler om mere end effektivitet. Det drejer sig om at skabe økosystemer, der er regenerative, resi
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom
