AI: increasing need for external support

The results of the BARC study „The Data and Analytics Service Provider Survey 26“ paint a clear picture: many companies are currently modernizing their data basis and continue to rely heavily on external partners for software selection, implementation and strategic consulting. At the same time, satisfaction with the service market is high. With this study, BARC creates transparency in a fragmented market with over 500 service partners in German-speaking countries. 

„The artificial intelligence megatrend has pushed data and analytics high up the list of priorities and the need for external support is increasing significantly,“ comments Larissa Baier, BARC Senior Analyst. 

These are the key findings of the study: 70 percent of respondents expect their company's need for external support to increase as a result of AI. Of these, 23 percent see a strong increase. Satisfaction with the services is high: almost three quarters of the companies surveyed would „definitely“ recommend their service provider. Less than 5 percent rate the collaboration critically. Many companies rely on long-term partnerships: more than half of those surveyed have been working with a service provider for more than two years. When selecting a service partner, technology expertise remains the most important criterion, followed by specialist know-how. 

“The artificial intelligence megatrend has pushed data and analytics to the top of the priority list.”

Larissa Baier,
Senior Analyst,
BARC

Technological and technical expertise are the most important selection criteria. In the DACH region, the selection of a service partner is closely linked to the technology provider used. Accordingly, companies are primarily looking for service providers with in-depth expertise in the relevant ecosystem. 

SAP benefits from ecosystem

The distribution of technology partnerships is heavily concentrated on a few provider ecosystems: Microsoft and SAP have the largest partner landscapes. They are followed by IBM, Qlik and Tableau, among others. Cloud platforms such as Snowflake and Databricks are also firmly established and continue to gain in importance. „Specific technology expertise is weighted much more heavily in partner selection than industry knowledge, for example. Companies are primarily looking for partners who have in-depth knowledge of the chosen technology platform and the appropriate certifications,“ says Stefan Sexl, Fellow, one of the authors of the study. (Source: BARC)