ISG
The European market for IT and business services remains robust, with record demand for cloud-based services in the first quarter and continued strength in managed services, 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 $6.0 billion, up 20 percent year on year, but off 5 percent from a record fourth quarter.
Cloud-based as-a-service ACV reached a quarterly record of US $2.5 billion, up 16 percent versus the prior year. Within this segment, infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) climbed 19 percent, to a record US $1.8 billion, while software-as-a-service (SaaS) rose 9 percent, to a record US $658 million.
Managed services, meanwhile, produced its second straight strong quarter, with ACV of US $3.5 billion, up 23 percent year on year, fueled by growth in both IT outsourcing (ITO) and business process outsourcing (BPO) and strong results in the UK, France and DACH. ITO was up 17 percent year on year, to US $3.0 billion, on strength in both ADM and infrastructure services, while BPO surged 66 percent, to US $521 million, on strong demand for industry-specific, finance and accounting, and engineering and R&D services.
“EMEA has produced two consecutive quarters with US $6 billion or more of ACV, adding more than US $1.4 billion from its pandemic low,” said Steve Hall, president, ISG EMEA. “Importantly, the region is seeing strength in both the as-a-service segment, as more and more enterprises adopt a public or hybrid cloud strategy, and on the managed services side, which is experiencing a resurgence.”
Hall pointed out that three of the four mega-deals (those with ACV of US $100 million or more) in the first quarter were awarded in the EMEA region. “That brings the total to eight mega-deals over the last two quarters; you have to go back to early 2017 to find a two-quarter period in EMEA that had more mega-deals awarded.”
Among significant IT awards in the first quarter, Mphasis contracted with Ardonagh Group, the U.K. independent insurance broker, to support its digital transformation. On the infrastructure side, Atos won a large digital workplace contract with telecom company Wind Tre in Italy, and HCL inked a five-year digital workplace services agreement with Airbus, the European aerospace manufacturer.
Within the BPO space, KPIT signed significant engineering services deals with BMW and automotive technology company Veoneer to support work on autonomous driving and intelligent mobility. ISS Group, meanwhile, secured an eight-year extension with Barclays in the U.K. to provide integrated facility and workplace services across the bank’s operations in 30 countries.
With the automotive sector becoming a battleground for major public cloud providers, BMW Group announced it is migrating workloads to AWS, joining automakers Renault and Volkswagen on AWS. In the travel sector, ISG advised on one of the biggest cloud deals in the region this quarter with the signed agreement between global travel technology company Amadeus and Microsoft Azure.
In the SaaS segment, Microsoft signed deals this quarter with Daimler, GlaxoSmithKline and IKEA, while Oracle secured contracts with NatWest Group to standardize its various banks on Oracle Fusion in the cloud.
Market Insights
The DACH market generated more than US $1 billion of managed services ACV in the first quarter, up 13 percent over the prior year. It was the second consecutive quarter DACH ACV was above US $1 billion mark—about a third higher than its historic norm. DACH now accounts for nearly 30 percent of managed services ACV in the EMEA region.
Managed services ACV in the UK reached US $866 million, up 20 percent over the prior year. It was the fourth consecutive quarter the UK generated managed services ACV in excess of US $800 million, represented a sustained rebound for the market, but still below the US $1 billion quarters that were typical prior to 2017 and the onset of Brexit uncertainty.
France, meanwhile, had its best ACV quarter since 2014, with managed services ACV of US $595 million, up nearly 2.5 times from US $243 million in the prior year, with nearly 40 deals reached in the quarter.
2021 Global Forecast
ISG is forecasting the global market for cloud-based services (IaaS and SaaS) will grow 18 percent in 2021, down slightly from its 20 percent forecast at the start of the year. ISG, meanwhile, has raised its growth forecast for managed services to 5 percent, up from 3 percent at the start of the year.
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 74 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/20210413005463/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
TOURISE Reframes Tourism Sector as Global Powerhouse on a Path to $16 Trillion During Davos24.1.2026 00:22:00 CET | Press release
TOURISE advanced tourism’s role as a vital sector connecting industries, economies, and regions to address shared global challenges at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260123950180/en/ His Excellency Ahmed Al‑Khateeb, Minister of Tourism of Saudi Arabia and Chairman of TOURISE, convenes executives from Trip.com, Visa, TikTok, PayPal, Salesforce, Forbes, Avolta, ByteDance, and more at Davos 2026 Often overlooked as a siloed industry, TOURISE pressed the importance of tourism being recognized as a strategic sector, contributing one in every $10 to global GDP and uplifting every industry it touches. His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb, Minister of Tourism of Saudi Arabia and Chairman of TOURISE said alliances and collaboration across sectors will see tourism continue to rise. “Tourism is more than a lifestyle sector, it functions as a strategic economic system. TOURISE
Zycus Named a Leader in the 2026 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Source-to-Pay Suites23.1.2026 20:00:00 CET | Press release
This acknowledgment reflects Zycus’ momentum in Agentic AI, comprehensive S2P suite, brand trust and customer outcomes. Zycus, a global provider in Source-to-Pay (S2P) technology, today announced that it has been recognized as a Leaderin the 2026 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Source-to-Pay Suites. We believe the report points to Zycus’ continued investment in Merlin Intake to streamline user experience and Agentic AI to support workflows such as tail-spend management via autonomous negotiation. This aligns with Zycus’ “Intake to Outcomes” (I2O) belief: simplify how work enters procurement, orchestrate execution with Agentic AI, and deliver outcomes with the right governance and control. “Being recognized as a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Source-to-Pay Suites reflects our long-term commitment to innovation, customer outcomes, and responsible AI,” said Aatish Dedhia, Founder & CEO of Zycus. “Merlin Agentic AI is designed to move beyond task automation towards end-to-end outcom
Bureau Veritas to Acquire a Leading Sustainability Specialist for Consumer Products in Italy23.1.2026 18:13:00 CET | Press release
Bureau Veritas, a global leader in Testing, Inspection, and Certification services (TIC), announces the acquisition of SPIN360, a leading Italian consulting firm specialized in sustainable innovation and development across primary premium fashion and luxury brands. This acquisition aligns with Bureau Veritas’ LEAP | 28 strategy to create new strongholds in the Consumer Product Services (CPS) industry, and to accelerate its growth in key markets such as Italy. The transaction will deliver on value creation opportunities, by combining SPIN360's proprietary Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) tools and data-driven advisory services with Bureau Veritas' certification and supply chain auditing expertise. It will also help position Bureau Veritas as a global center of excellence for premium fashion and luxury. Created in 2009 and based in Milan, SPIN360 provides technical advisory services covering LCA, life cycle costing, environmental product declarations, carbon footprint, supply chain engagement
HCLTech to Acquire Singapore-based Finergic to Boost Digital Transformation Offerings for Wealth Management Industry23.1.2026 17:55:00 CET | Press release
HCLTech, a leading global technology company, today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Finergic Solutions Pte Ltd, a boutique wealth consulting firm headquartered in Singapore. The transaction is expected to close by April 30, 2026. Founded in 2019, Finergic focuses on core banking and wealth management transformation and has a strong, well-established global presence. The addition of Finergic’s niche capabilities, combined with the scale of HCLTech, is expected to unlock stronger synergies and enhance service delivery across the financial services and wealth management industry. HCLTech brings 25+ years of global experience in serving leading financial institutions. By integrating Finergic’s specialized transformation strategy, consulting and wealth-architecture capabilities, HCLTech will accelerate the delivery of next-generation, platform-enabled wealth management solutions anchored by advanced AI-native workflows. These capabilities will complement HCLTe
Saudi Arabia to Host World Economic Forum Global Collaboration and Growth Meeting: Building Common Ground and Reviving Growth on 22-23 April 202623.1.2026 16:29:00 CET | Press release
Saudi Arabia will host the World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Collaboration and Growth Meeting: Building Common Ground and Reviving Growth in Jeddah on 22-23 April 2026, it was announced on the closing day of the 56th Annual Meeting of the Forum in Davos, Switzerland. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260123725881/en/ HE Faisal F. Alibrahim, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Economy and Planning, announces that the Kingdom will host the World Economic Forum Global Collaboration and Growth Meeting in Jeddah in April 2026 (Photo: AETOSWire) His Excellency Faisal F. Alibrahim, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Economy and Planning today confirmed the details for the regular high-level WEF meeting, which was announced at the 2025 WEF Annual Meeting. Calling for pragmatism and collaboration against a backdrop of geopolitical fragmentation, HE Alibrahim said “stability can’t be quickly built, and it can’t be bought”. “Stability need
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
