The public cloud market is significantly growing due to enterprises’ pursuit of digital transformation, innovation, and operational resilience. Microsoft Azure has effectively addressed this demand through strategic investments in generative AI (in collaboration with OpenAI), industry-tailored cloud offerings, Microsoft Fabric for data, and robust security capabilities. As Azure’s portfolio expands, enterprises are turning to specialized Azure service providers to lead cloud migration efforts and drive ongoing optimization. These partners bring key expertise in cost efficiency, resource management, and cloud-native development, enabling organizations to maximize their Azure investments’ value. In response to evolving enterprise needs, Azure service providers are enhancing their go-to-market approaches, earning certifications and specializations, and building proprietary Azure-aligned IP. Their close collaboration with Microsoft allows them to deliver industry-specific, high-impact solutions that strengthen operations and unlock new growth opportunities. In this report, we assess 29 cloud service providers featured in the Microsoft Azure Services PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2024 and categorize them as Leaders, Major Contenders, and Aspirants based on their capabilities and offerings. Each profile offers a comprehensive picture of the provider’s operational overview, delivery presence, solutions on offer, investments, and market success.

In May 2025, Google Cloud expanded its sovereign cloud offerings to address increasing demands for data sovereignty and operational autonomy. It launched Google Cloud Air-Gapped, a fully isolated environment designed for sectors with stringent data security requirements, such as defense and intelligence. This solution operates without external network connectivity and is authorized to handle US government Top Secret data. Google Cloud Dedicated, developed in partnership with Thales, a French leader in cybersecurity, offers region-specific services operated by local partners to meet national compliance standards, such as France’s SecNumCloud. The Google Cloud Data Boundary service expansion now offers customers granular control over data residency and access, complemented by the User Data Shield, which incorporates Mandiant’s security assessments to validate application security postures. While these initiatives demonstrate Google Cloud’s commitment to offering flexible, secure, and compliant cloud solutions, challenges remain. These challenges include the limited geographic availability of certain services and complexities in integrating sovereign solutions with existing multi-cloud architectures. Enterprises must carefully assess these factors when considering Google Cloud’s offerings for their sovereignty objectives.

Price Book is available only to Outsourcing Excellence members. For information on membership, please contact us The PriceBook is an off-the-shelf reference that strategic outsourcing and vendor management professionals can use to support a range of ongoing pricing and commercial discussions with providers, internal planning, and back-of-the-envelope business cases. Members can also use the analyst inquiry service to clarify points, ask for additional advice, and discuss other points related to the PriceBook. Scope The PriceBook H2 2024 includes the following: Price benchmarks for ~65 IT, BPO, and consulting roles across 10 common onshore, nearshore, and offshore global delivery geographies Pricing trends and their drivers over the past six months Performance metrics and benchmarks for ~20 key metrics Key delivery and solution metrics that impact the total cost of ownership Contents The PriceBook contains insights on price, performance, and delivery metrics for key outsourced services such as IT applications and infrastructure, finance and accounting, contact center, and business consulting. It also includes drivers impacting ITO and BPO services pricing in onshore, offshore, and nearshore delivery geographies. The price benchmarks are normalized to best-in-class, industry-standard nomenclatures and solution considerations. Some of the delivery and solution metrics covered in the PriceBook include: Staffing mix Offshore and nearshore ratios Premiums based on underlying technology skills Contemporary productivity commitments Efficiency ratios for infrastructure services Language premiums for voice-based services For information on membership, please contact us

As AI becomes a key business innovation and competitive advantage driver, enterprises must rethink how their IT stack supports AI adoption. Many organizations currently implement AI as a bolt-on solution rather than integrating it into their IT stack’s core. However, this approach limits long-term differentiation and business impact. To unlock AI’s full potential, enterprises must transform their entire IT operating model, ensuring that AI is seamlessly embedded across infrastructure, middleware, databases, applications, and data layers. This report explores the IT stack’s evolution in an AI-powered world, highlighting key enablers such as AI-driven infrastructure, advanced data engineering, and application modernization. It also examines system integrators’ essential role in helping enterprises navigate this transition. Beyond the technical aspects, the report touches upon broader IT operating model changes, including strategy and solution elements. By providing a comprehensive view of what it takes to build an AI-ready enterprise, this report serves as a strategic guide for IT leaders, decision-makers, and business executives. It offers actionable insights into modernizing the IT stack, leveraging system integrators, and preparing for the fundamental shifts required to sustain AI-driven innovation. Enterprises can use this knowledge to develop a robust AI adoption strategy, ensuring long-term business value and competitive resilience in an AI-first future. Scope All industries and geographies Contents In this report, we explore: IT stack’s future in an AI-powered world AI enablement through infrastructure, applications, and data engineering System integrators’ role in making an enterprise IT stack AI-ready IT operating model’s other elements that will need changes Memberships Cloud and Infrastructure Services Application Services Sourcing and Vendor Management

Watch Everest Group experts Rohan Pant, Vice President, Ricky Sundrani, Partner, and Richa Tapadia, Practice Director, for an insightful webinar on the evolving landscape of Cloud and Infrastructure Services (CIS) pricing and deal trends for 2025. As 2024 experienced flat market growth and pricing stability, the next 6-12 months are set to bring significant shifts with far-reaching implications for CIS deals. From anticipated reductions in standard/commodity CIS rates to projected decreases in ACV/TCV for managed services, it is crucial for enterprises and providers to adapt their strategies to remain competitive in an evolving market. This session provided a deep dive into key pricing trends shaping the future of CIS deals, evolving solutions and their impact on pricing strategies, and practical guidance for factoring market changes into your bids. What questions did the webinar answer for the participants? Is being the lowest-cost bidder the silver bullet to winning CIS deals for service providers? How is gen AI impacting CIS deals? What are the most common contracting and pricing models observed for CIS deals?

In today’s IT services landscape, early signs of recovery are beginning to emerge. While North America shows encouraging momentum, Europe remains steady, making it an optimal time for organizations to prepare for the next phase of growth. This webinar provided insights into the IT services market in EMEA, focusing on current outsourcing pricing trends and the forecast for 2025 in key European markets. We also shared our observations on what European organizations expect from their IT service providers and what makes a successful outsourcing deal in today’s dynamic environment. Watch our commercial and solution experts as they discuss strategies to prepare for upcoming deal renewals in 2025 and how to navigate the shifting IT services landscape with confidence. What questions did the webinar answer? How has the demand for IT services in EMEA evolved in 2024, and what’s the outlook for 2025? What are the latest outsourcing pricing trends, and what is the forecast for 2025 in European markets as we start to see early green shoots of recovery? What do European organizations expect from their IT service providers? What does a good outsourcing deal look like in this shifting market?

The rise in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and gen AI adoption has cast the spotlight on technology infrastructure’s demand to support AI workloads. AI workloads can put considerable strain on IT infrastructure, placing huge demands on data, storage, and network infrastructure during model training and inferencing. Enterprises are increasingly recognizing the need for dedicated infrastructure, which is vital for AI applications’ optimal functioning and forms AI deployment’s backbone. As AI’s demand grows, they are strongly emphasizing advanced compute hardware, high storage capacity, enhanced connectivity, and robust cloud platforms and data centers. In this report, we provide the global AI infrastructure market’s outlook along with enterprise concerns and challenges, adoption framework, recent developments, and implications for enterprises and providers. Additionally, the report provides an enterprise playbook for AI infrastructure adoption and the top 20 AI infrastructure providers’ overview. Scope All industries and geographies AI infrastructure Contents In this report, we provide: Global AI infrastructure market’s overview with demand drivers, enterprise concerns, and adoption framework The top 20 AI infrastructure providers’ overview Membership(s) Cloud and Infrastructure Services Sourcing and Vendor Management

Rapidly transforming digital modernization in IT infrastructure has unified cloud, on-premise, and edge environments. This integration amplifies complexity and broadens the attack surface, heightening the infrastructure's susceptibility to cyber threats. Modern infrastructure demands a contemporary approach for enhanced preparedness against evolving threats. Enterprises must integrate next-gen technologies to achieve holistic cybersecurity, emphasizing economy, efficiency, and effectiveness. Recognizing cybersecurity as a business growth enabler rather than just a cost is essential for enterprises. This viewpoint highlights the need for an evolved cybersecurity approach tailored to this modern infrastructure. This report is based on Everest Group’s comprehensive research, industry expertise, interactions with leading providers and enterprises, and ongoing market analysis. Scope All industries and geographies Contents In this report, we examine: Modern infrastructure security Evolving cyber threats in modern infrastructure Security adoption guide for enterprises Next-gen cybersecurity solutions Enterprise considerations for Proactive, Panaroma, Resist, and Regain (P2R2) framework adoption Membership(s) Cybersecurity Sourcing and Vendor Management

The economic environment is currently uncertain due to concerns around inflation and geopolitical instability in parts of the world. As a result, enterprises are pushing service providers to deliver more while keeping costs static or even lowering them. Providers can differentiate themselves through a mix of efficient solution sizing, which involves the best use of granular market insights, continuous service improvement levers (including generative AI impact), balanced risk-taking to do more with less, and competitive underlying rates. In this webinar, Everest Group’s pricing experts discussed some of the true differentiators observed on recent deals and the outlook for these approaches. What questions did the webinar answer for the participants? What selection criteria have enterprise clients prioritized in recent IT outsourcing deals? What are the price and solution sizing themes that land well in terms of win rates? What are the pitfalls that enterprises and service providers should be mindful of?

Talent dynamics are an ever-changing phenomenon with varying demand-supply, the emergence of new technologies, and changing work cultures. However, enterprises can stay competitive in the talent market by harnessing value from the tech-powered revolution, including generative AI, the maturity of hybrid work models, the reshaping of employability through skills, and the prioritization of sustainability. Watch this webinar where our expert analysts discussed trends likely to shape the talent market in 2024. The speakers answered critical questions about the current state of the talent crisis and provide valuable insights and strategies to help organizations thrive in an environment where talent remains a pivotal factor for success. What questions did the webinar answer for the participants? Which demand segments will likely continue to face talent challenges in 2024, and how will the challenges impact organizations’ growth and innovation? How is generative AI likely to shape the dynamics of talent demand and supply in 2024? What roadmap should organizations follow to stay competitive and harness the latest tools and technologies to future-proof talent strategies?