As enterprises navigate a dynamic business environment, operational excellence becomes a cornerstone of sustainable growth and competitive advantage. Shifting from traditional, fragmented models, they are adopting intelligent operations powered by automation, AI, and cloud-native platforms to enhance agility, resilience, and scalability. This transformation not only boosts efficiency but also fosters innovation, improves customer experience, and safeguards businesses against market disruptions. This Viewpoint explores how enterprises advance toward intelligent operations through distinct maturity phases: beginning with ad hoc, manual processes, progressing to managed, standardized workflows, then evolving into data-driven, automated operations, and ultimately reaching cognitive phases where AI and advanced analytics enable proactive, autonomous, and continuously improving functions. It offers a strategic roadmap to navigate operational transformation, identify key challenges, and highlight the essential technology enablers and provider capabilities needed. Additionally, expert guidance on partner selection strategies ensures that enterprises build adaptable, future-ready operations aligned with changing business needs. Scope All industries and geographies Contents This Viewpoint outlines: The persistent challenges enterprises face in modernizing operations A strategic framework to achieve future-ready, intelligent operations, guiding organizations through a phased transformation Expert guidance on selecting providers, emphasizing the importance of evaluating partners for their ability to deliver measurable outcomes, integrate advanced technologies, and drive sustainable, business-aligned transformation Memberships Cloud and Infrastructure Services Sourcing and Vendor Management

Europe has established itself as a stable and resilient market for cloud services with robust growth. This growth is due to strong demand from public services, energy and utilities, and manufacturing sectors, alongside sustained contributions from BFSI and technology-related industries. The demand outlook remains positive despite macroeconomic pressures and geopolitical tensions affecting large contracts due to enterprise needs for complex workload migration, cloud-native development, and automation. European enterprises are increasingly adopting hybrid and multi-cloud strategies to address stringent regulatory requirements in BFSI, healthcare, and logistics while balancing performance and scalability. Moreover, with a growing focus on sustainability, businesses emphasize energy-efficient infrastructure and tools to meet EU climate objectives. Security and compliance demand is rising, with GDPR and the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) regulations shaping cloud adoption. Enterprises also seek strategic partnerships with providers offering robust cost management, innovation, and compliance solutions to maximize value from cloud engagements and gain a competitive edge. Europe is also witnessing accelerated generative AI adoption amid fragmentation and governance challenges. In the future, Europe’s cloud landscape will prioritize sustainable, secure, and sovereign solutions tailored to its unique regulatory and operational requirements. In this report, we offer an overview of the European cloud services market, including trends, demand drivers, and key enterprise concerns. The report also outlines cloud services engagement characteristics in Europe and examines the market outlook for 2025. Scope All industries Geography: Europe This analysis is based on Everest Group’s annual RFI process for the calendar year 2024, interactions with leading cloud service providers, client reference checks, enterprise interactions, and an ongoing analysis of the cloud services market in Europe Contents In this report, we examine: Trends, demand drivers, and key enterprise concerns in the Europe cloud services market Enterprises’ top demands on cloud services and enterprise strategies to maximize their Google Cloud adoption value realization The future outlook for 2025 Membership(s) Cloud and Infrastructure Services Sourcing and Vendor Management

The mainframe services market is growing steadily due to enterprises’ evolving demands. As businesses undergo digital transformations, enterprises are reassessing their mainframe strategies, prioritizing integration with cloud platforms, and modernizing legacy applications. The shortage of skilled professionals proficient in mainframe technologies also drives the enterprise’s need to modernize. Thus, the demand for mainframe services outsourcing shows steady and positive growth across geographies and industries. Enterprises seek mainframe solutions that accelerate application modernization and deployment, leverage AI/ML and generative AI, reduce costs and technical debt, and transform their businesses. In this report, we examine the current global mainframe services market, including trends across industries, geographies, and service segments. Scope All industries and geographies This assessment is based on Everest Group’s annual RFI process for the calendar years 2023-2024, interactions with leading mainframe service providers, client reference checks, and an ongoing analysis of the mainframe services market Contents In this report, we: Examine the global mainframe services market Evaluate mainframe services trends and demand drivers Analyze providers’ offerings Membership(s) Cloud and Infrastructure Services Sourcing and Vendor Management

As FinOps evolves to address modern cloud environments’ complexities, Kubernetes management has become a key area for organizations seeking financial control and efficiency within their containerized infrastructures. Kubernetes introduces unique challenges in cost visibility and resource utilization, making it essential for businesses to adopt FinOps practices tailored to this dynamic environment. By focusing on cost allocation, resource monitoring, and cross-cluster management, Kubernetes management within FinOps enables companies to achieve transparency, accountability, and optimal resource use across their cloud-native applications. In this report, we profile the top eight technology providers dedicated to optimizing Kubernetes FinOps. Each provider is evaluated based on their capabilities in cost allocation, showback/chargeback models, resource monitoring, rightsizing recommendations, and cloud billing integration. This report equips enterprises with vital insights to select Kubernetes management solutions that best align with their financial goals and operational requirements. By analyzing these key providers, the report offers actionable guidance to help enterprises manage Kubernetes costs effectively, ensuring they can maximize their cloud-native investments’ value. Additionally, it highlights best practices and common challenges in Kubernetes FinOps, making it a comprehensive resource for enterprises to refine their Kubernetes cost strategies, enhance efficiency, and maintain robust financial oversight within their containerized environments. Scope All industries and geographies Contents In this report, we assess eight providers dedicated to optimizing Kubernetes FinOps based on their capabilities in cost allocation, showback/chargeback models, resource monitoring, rightsizing recommendations, and cloud billing integration. Membership(s) Cloud and Infrastructure Services Sourcing and Vendor Management

As cloud adoption grows, FinOps is essential for organizations seeking financial accountability and cost control in their cloud environments. The FinOps framework combines financial management with cloud operations, enabling organizations to manage and optimize spending and fostering collaboration across IT, finance, and business teams. This shift empowers companies to harness cloud benefits without overspending, making FinOps technology providers vital for achieving these goals. Among FinOps’ core focus is rate and usage optimization, which reduces cloud expenses through strategic purchasing, efficient resource management, and automation. Discount management, rightsizing, and auto-scaling enable companies to secure better rates and align resources with actual needs. For several enterprises, rate and usage optimization is the key to realizing cloud investments’ true value. In this report, we evaluate the top 10 providers in rate and usage optimization space based on discount management, spot instance usage, and auto-scaling capabilities. The report equips enterprises with the insights needed to select the right FinOps tools, helping them drive sustainable cloud cost efficiency and make data-driven decisions in their cloud management journeys. Scope All industries and geographies Contents In this report, we: Offer a FinOps market overview, highlighting its market size and CAGR Highlight optimization levers and FinOps' adoption outlook Assess the top 10 technology providers Membership(s) Cloud and Infrastructure Services Sourcing and Vendor Management

Rapid AI adoption is reshaping the enterprise technology landscape, driving businesses to seek solutions that enhance performance, streamline operations, and support innovation. Organizations seeking to harness AI are increasingly adopting hybrid AI models that offer flexibility, control, and cost efficiency. Lenovo is at the forefront of this movement with its Hybrid AI Advantage. The solution, developed in collaboration with NVIDIA, Intel, and VMware, delivers practical AI capabilities tailored to specific enterprise needs. The Hybrid AI Advantage offers a pre-integrated AI stack, edge-to-cloud compatibility, and the Lenovo AI Library with industry-specific templates for rapid AI deployment. It also enables enterprises to scale AI, ensuring smoother transitions to hybrid environments. In this report, we examine Lenovo’s market positioning, strategic partnerships, and challenges it faces in driving hybrid AI adoption. The report explores how Lenovo’s offerings empower organizations to simplify AI integration while prioritizing sustainability and social impact. It analyzes key hybrid AI adoption drivers and inhibitors. The report examines the platform’s capabilities, such as its pre-integrated AI stack and edge-to-cloud compatibility and improvement areas. It provides valuable insights for IT decision-makers to assess Lenovo’s AI strategy, strengths, and growth opportunities, focusing on hybrid cloud partnerships and balancing AI performance, compliance, and cost. Scope All industries and geographies This assessment is based on Everest Group’s review of Lenovo’s Hybrid AI Advantage solution Contents In this report, we examine: Offer an overview of the hybrid AI market, highlighting its key drivers and inhibitors Examine Lenovo’s positioning in the hybrid AI market Review Lenovo’s Hybrid AI Advantage Membership(s) Cloud and Infrastructure Services Sourcing and Vendor Management

Mainframe systems remain the cornerstone of enterprises' IT strategies, especially for those requiring substantial processing power for high-volume transactions. Despite the evolving technology and business landscapes, enterprises maintain a positive outlook on mainframe services’ future, focusing on value generation and operational efficiency. Providers are considered essential partners in navigating mainframe technology’s complexities and sustaining a competitive edge. To understand enterprise satisfaction with mainframe service providers, Everest Group conducted over 60 structured interviews with leading service providers’ buyers. These interviews were part of the Mainframe Services PEAK Matrix® evaluation carried out between 2023 and 2024. The report captures enterprise experiences comprehensively, providing insights into technology priorities, digital agendas, outsourcing strategies, and service providers' perceptions. As part of the study, key enterprise stakeholders were surveyed on various dimensions related to satisfaction with mainframe services. These enterprises were nominated as reference clients by different service providers examined across Mainframe Services PEAK Matrix® evaluation. In addition to providing insights into enterprises' satisfaction levels with mainframe service providers across key parameters, this report identifies the top three providers delivering superior value across mainframe services. Scope All industries and geographies The report is based on a detailed assessment of client reference feedback that Everest Group gathered as part of its Mainframe Services PEAK Matrix® evaluation conducted between 2023 and 2024 Contents In this report, we: Evaluate in-depth various enterprises’ feedback across different satisfaction dimensions, such as technology priorities, digital agendas, and outsourcing strategies Highlight the top three service providers delivering superior value and detail the key strengths and limitations of 14 additional providers Membership(s) Cloud and Infrastructure Services Sourcing and Vendor Management

Mainframe services remain essential in enterprise IT infrastructure as they manage extensive processing needs for high-volume transactions, making them a favorable business option. Renowned for their strong performance and reliability rooted in unique computing architecture, mainframe systems are vital. However, the rapid advances of cloud transformation initiatives compel enterprises to review their current mainframe configurations focused on integration and modernization. Skilled personnel shortage further accelerates this review process. Enterprises seek innovative solutions from providers to enable swift application migration, intelligent optimization, and seamless integration into modern hybrid environments. This compendium provides comprehensive and fact-based snapshots of 17 mainframe service providers’ capabilities and offerings. Each profile offers a detailed overview of the provider’s service focus, key IPs/solutions, and domain investments. The research will enable buyers to select the best-fit provider for their needs and empower providers to benchmark themselves against their competition. Scope All industries and geographies This report is based on Everest Group’s RFI process for the calendar year 2024, interactions with leading mainframe service providers, client reference checks, and an ongoing analysis of the mainframe services market Contents This report features 17 mainframe service provider profiles which includes: An overview of the mainframe service providers Providers’ case studies and proprietary solutions Partnerships and investments in the mainframe services domain Membership(s) Cloud and Infrastructure Services Sourcing and Vendor Management