XaaS, short for “Anything as a Service,” is an umbrella term for delivering products or business functions over the internet on a subscription or pay-as-you-go basis instead of selling them as one-time purchases. Think of it like renting a streaming service instead of buying DVDs: customers get flexible access and providers earn recurring revenue. For investors, XaaS models often mean more predictable cash flow, faster customer scaling, and different profit dynamics compared with traditional one-time sales.
iaastechnical
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is a cloud computing model that lets companies rent computing resources—like servers, storage, and network capacity—on demand instead of owning hardware. For investors, IaaS matters because it enables faster scaling, lower upfront costs, and predictable operating expenses for businesses, which can boost growth potential and margins; think of it as paying to use a utility grid rather than building your own power plant.
saastechnical
SaaS, or Software as a Service, is a way of delivering computer programs over the internet, allowing users to access and use them through a web browser without needing to install or maintain the software themselves. For investors, it highlights a business model where companies generate recurring revenue by providing ongoing access to their software, often leading to predictable income and growth potential.
bpofinancial
Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) is when a company hires an outside firm to handle routine operations—like customer service, payroll, or IT—so the company can focus on its core work. For investors, BPO matters because it can lower costs, speed growth, and change profit margins, but it also introduces risks around service quality, data security, and loss of control, similar to hiring a contractor to run a critical part of your business.
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Combined market up 46%, led by 64% growth in cloud services
Managed services up 21%, as companies seek cost savings to fund AI
LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Demand for technology services in Europe continued to accelerate in the second quarter, as the region increasingly turns to managed services to reduce costs and cloud services to meet AI objectives, according to the latest state-of-the-industry report from Information Services Group (ISG) (Nasdaq: III), a global AI-centered 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 second-quarter ACV for the combined market (both managed services and cloud-based as-a-service) soared 46 percent—its largest growth in eight years—to US $13.0 billion. The latest quarter adds to a string of three straight quarters in which growth has averaged 33 percent.
“Europe has become the fastest-growing region for technology services, fueled not only by an increasing demand for AI, but for managed services, which acts as a cost-savings lever to help fund AI ambitions and continued digital transformation,” said Anthony Drake, president, ISG EMEA. “We’re seeing strong double-digit growth pretty much across the board.”
Second-Quarter Results by Segment
ACV for the as-a-service (XaaS) segment surged 64 percent year on year, its fastest growth ever, to a record US $8.3 billion, as demand for hyperscaler services to support AI skyrocketed. It was the ninth straight quarter XaaS has grown by double digits, averaging 38.5 percent growth in that span.
Within this segment, infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) climbed 79 percent year on year, to a record US $6.8 billion. Software-as-a-service (SaaS) grew 19 percent versus the prior year, to US $1.5 billion.
Managed services ACV in the second quarter advanced 21 percent, to US $4.7 billion. A total of 294 managed services contracts were awarded in the quarter, up 23 percent from the prior year. Among them were two mega deals (ACV of US $100 million or more), compared with three signed in the second quarter last year, as mega-deal ACV dropped 56 percent year on year. At the other end of the spectrum, the number of smaller awards (those in the US $5 million to US $9 million range) rose 11 percent from the prior year.
Managed services growth in Q2 was driven by new scope activity, with the number of deals up 25 percent and the ACV of those deals up 32 percent, to US $3.3 billion, as enterprises continued to consolidate their provider ecosystems and turn to smaller, niche providers for specialized services.
Within managed services, IT outsourcing (ITO) rose 21 percent, to US $3.2 billion, led by growth in application development and maintenance (ADM) and infrastructure services. Business process outsourcing (BPO) grew 37 percent, to US $915 million, led by growth in industry-specific and facilities management services. Engineering, research and development (ER&D) services advanced 3 percent year on year, to US $519 million, and was up 30 percent from a slow first quarter.
By industry, managed services ACV was sharply higher (up 55 percent) in banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI), as well as in travel, transportation and leisure (up 51 percent), and energy (up 34 percent), which extended its growth trajectory to four straight quarters. For BFSI, it was the first time in nine quarters that the sector’s spending trended higher. Manufacturing, meanwhile, was down 7 percent, its third straight quarter of negative results.
Geographic Performance
EMEA’s largest managed services market, the U.K., posted its best quarter in the last three years, with ACV of US $1.4 billion, up 84 percent year on year. The region’s other traditional powerhouses, DACH and France, however, moved to the downside. DACH declined 5.5 percent, to US $917 million, while France slid 59 percent, to US $332 million. Eastern Europe and Southern Europe each advanced by triple-digits, while the Nordics was up 1.4 percent.
First-Half Results
For the first half, combined market ACV rose 37 percent, to US $25.0 billion. Managed services, at US $9.3 billion, was up 13 percent, while XaaS, at US $15.7 billion, climbed 56.5 percent. A total of 578 managed services contracts were awarded in the half, up 12 percent from last year, including five mega-deals, one fewer than the prior year, as the ACV of those deals fell 29 percent.
Within managed services, ITO was essentially flat (down 0.2 percent), at US $6.2 billion, while BPO surged 86 percent, to US $2.3 billion. On the cloud side, the IaaS market rocketed by 74 percent, to US $12.8 billion, while the SaaS market rose a more modest 8 percent, to US $2.9 billion.
2026 Global Forecast
For the full year, ISG said it is maintaining its global forecast of 2.1 percent revenue growth for managed services. At the same time, ISG is raising its previous growth forecast for cloud-based XaaS by 500 basis points, to 30 percent, reflecting continuing strong demand for AI infrastructure and software services.
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 95 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.
The 2Q26 Global ISG Index results were presented during a webcast on July 9. To view a replay of the webcast and download presentation slides, visit this webpage.
About ISG
ISG (Nasdaq: III) is a global AI-centered technology research and advisory firm. A trusted partner to more than 900 clients, including 75 of the world’s top 100 enterprises, ISG is a long-time leader in technology and business services that is now at the forefront of leveraging AI to help organizations achieve operational excellence and faster growth. The firm, founded in 2006, is known for its proprietary market data and research, in-depth knowledge and governance of provider ecosystems, and the expertise of its 1,500 professionals worldwide working together to help clients maximize the value of their technology investments.
