https://tbri.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/activitating-artificial-intelligence-with-a-simple-touch_canva-pro.png
1350
1080
Jill Cookinham
https://tbri.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/TBR-Insight-Center-Logo.png
Jill Cookinham2026-04-21 09:21:582026-04-21 15:15:36Who Will Win the AI Services Race in the Next Wave of AI?You are here: Home1 / Competitive Insights – Analyst Perspectives – TBR2 / Competitive Insights and Analyses Blog
https://tbri.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/activitating-artificial-intelligence-with-a-simple-touch_canva-pro.png
1350
1080
Jill Cookinham
https://tbri.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/TBR-Insight-Center-Logo.png
Jill Cookinham2026-04-21 09:21:582026-04-21 15:15:36Who Will Win the AI Services Race in the Next Wave of AI?
Anthropic, OpenAI and Palantir: Who Gains and Who Loses in the Federal Fallout
Insights into how important the recent developments between Anthropic, OpenAI and Palantir are considering the implications for the largest agency (DOD), within the single largest buyer of IT in the world (U.S. Federal Government), relating to the single largest technology priority (AI).
Technology Business Research, Inc.Salesforce Highlights Strengths in Innovation and Relationships at Agentforce World Tour
With the recent hype around the “death of SaaS” and other pressures on the business models of technology companies, Salesforce’s growing presence, success, and apparent disruption of competitors and alliance partners alike underscore Salesforce’s strengths in creating stickier client relationships and continually innovating, two qualities essential in the agentic AI age.
Pexels, Canva ProFederal IT Spending Trends: Why Growth Is Contracting and Where It Is Shifting
The Trump administration has proposed a double-digit increase in defense spending, which will flow through to IT budgets in the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community, particularly in areas of national security, which will receive top priority. Federal IT acquisition is also slowly pivoting to embrace outcome-based contracting, while the DOD looks to accelerate IT purchasing by adopting new and innovative IT procurement approaches.
Katherinasim, Canva ProGovernance Becomes a Prerequisite for Success with AI
Governance was a recurring theme across content sessions and executive meetings at Mobile World Congress 2026. As telecom operators move from experimentation to operational in AI, creating a corporatewide, centralized framework for data management, model oversight and regulatory compliance is becoming essential. Without clear governance, AI initiatives often remain fragmented across business units, leading to inconsistent outcomes, duplicated efforts and limited enterprise impact.
Getty Images via Canva ProNew Growth in Consulting Is Emerging from an Unexpected Place: Managed Services
A scaled managed services practice trained in spotting consulting opportunities and armed with AI-enabled solutions will unquestionably win some management consulting market share. More significantly, from TBR’s objective view, is whether the Big Four firms can manage their staffing, brand promise and technology alliances to take advantage of the managed services practices they’ve already built and use those opportunities to return to robust management consulting growth. Maybe, but probably not all four. The next two years will be telling, and TBR expects the existing differences between the Big Four will become even more pronounced.

Skills Shortage Will Challenge the Scaling of Sovereign AI in 2026
AI-related skills will remain scarce across both buyers and ecosystem partners as the rapid pace of innovation and the technical complexity required to enable sovereign AI continue to hinder adoption. These challenges, combined with a lack of clearly defined and compliant use cases among sovereign customers, gaps in sovereign cloud infrastructure availability and steep AI learning curve faced by ecosystem partners, will constrain meaningful investment and implementation of sovereign AI throughout 2026.

PaaS Revenue Will Outpace SaaS Revenue for Cloud Software Vendors
Enterprise customers are prioritizing the modernization of their existing SaaS estates rather than adding new applications, driven by market saturation, accumulated technical debt, and a growing imperative to become AI-ready. As IT buyers shift their focus toward modern platforms, traditional SaaS leaders should expect their PaaS segments to continue significantly outperforming their core SaaS businesses in revenue growth.
Dee Angela, Canva ProAlliances Will Extend Beyond Core Offerings as AI-driven Sales and Marketing Reshape Ecosystems
IT services companies have their limits, and clients have preferred technology vendors, leading IT services companies to look to alliances to drive new growth. We have seen this pattern before, but in 2026 we will see IT services companies extend those alliances into devices, connectivity and even silicon, requiring a multiparty alliance approach that will strain commercial models, sales strategies and alliance leaders across the ecosystem.
Our most-read analysis, free in your inbox each week!
Fill out the form to the right to subscribe to Insights Flight today

SoftwareOne Acquires Beniva in ServiceNow Expansion Play
/by Bozhidar Hristov, Principal AnalystIn a discussion with TBR, SoftwareOne’s regional vice president & transformation leader, explained that the acquisition of Beniva would help SoftwareOne move more expansively into the ServiceNow space, but in a manner that plays to two of SoftwareOne’s strengths: value-added software reselling and ITAM services.
What Is Driving Wireless Revenue Growth for U.S. Operators?
/by Steve Vachon, Senior AnalystDespite the relatively mature smartphone market, the majority of U.S. telecom operators were able to sustain year-to-year wireless revenue growth in 4Q22. Though inflation is limiting discretionary spending, operators are withstanding these pressures as wireless connectivity remains essential to most consumer and business customers. However, operators are being impacted by certain customers seeking lower-priced service plans to accommodate their tighter budgets, which is spurring operators to introduce new entry-level service plans, such as Verizon’s Welcome Unlimited plan.
Why Federal IT Contractors and Commercial Tech Firms Need to Align
/by TBRIn this month’s Gimme 3, Patrick chats with TBR Federal IT Services lead and Senior Analyst John Caucis on the U.S. federal IT operations and alliance activity of market newcomers Accenture, CGI and IBM
How Important Are Vendor Ecosystems in Network Services Deployment, and How Are They Evolving?
/by TBRFor prime contractors, managing an ecosystem of subcontractors is a constant challenge. These challenges are prompting vendors to reevaluate their subcontractor ecosystem strategies, driving change in the makeup of subcontractor ecosystems as well as the approaches used to manage partners
Changes in MI/CI Observed by TBR
/by TBRThe biggest change for CI/MI (competitive intelligence/market intelligence) in 2023 is the intensification of the “do more for less” mandate. Doing more for less has always been part and parcel of the CI/MI experience, but it’s particularly true in 2023.
Comcast Business Showcases Significant Progression Toward Becoming a Leading Global Provider of Secure Networking Solutions at 2023 Analyst Conference
/by Steve Vachon, Senior AnalystThe 2023 Comcast Business Analyst Conference highlighted Comcast’s evolution from primarily serving local small businesses with traditional connectivity solutions during its infancy to its current ambition of competing as a leading global provider of secure networking solutions, supported by the Masergy acquisition and Comcast Business’ burgeoning enterprise business.
What’s Next for Innovation and Transformation Centers?
/by TBRLearn how vendors are handling investments in innovation and transformation centers amid macroeconomic volatility and buyers reassessing their budget priorities
Top 10 Impacts for CI & MI Teams in 2023
/by adminIn February of 2023 TBR surveyed its clean service teams on the state of competitive and market intelligence in 2023. One megatrend stood out in those results — change. In this blog post, we address the megatrend of change and dive into 10 subtopics that standout.
Challenges Facing Telecom Infrastructure Services Vendors
/by adminWhile the specific challenges differ by vendor, geography and/or TIS service line, TBR consistently hears about four major pain points that are broadly impacting most providers of telecom infrastructure services: wage and benefits inflation, worker and subcontractor shortages, navigating government incentives and stimulus, and ability to differentiate.
Where to Start with an Alliance Partnership
/by Patrick Heffernan, Practice Manager and Principal AnalystAlliance partner prospecting will start with requests from the stakeholders for more information about a specific vendor — a request, basically to understand, Who are those guys?