TBR’s Business Insights

Skills Shortage Will Challenge the Scaling of Sovereign AI in 2026

02.20.26

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

02.17.26

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 Pro

Alliances Will Extend Beyond Core Offerings as AI-driven Sales and Marketing Reshape Ecosystems

02.12.26

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.

Consulting Will Rebound in 2026

02.10.26

After a period of relative softness, consulting revenues are expected to rebound to high-single- or low-double-digit growth as pervasive uncertainty pushes enterprises to seek external guidance. Demand will be particularly strong around risk mitigation, strategic planning and AI adoption, positioning forward-deployed engineers, supply chain management and people advisory services as leading revenue drivers in 2026.

Bad Debt Expenses Will Rise for CSPs in 2026

02.06.26

In a K-shaped economy that increasingly separates financial winners from losers, the majority of households and businesses on the lower arm of the “K” are under mounting financial strain and are finding it more difficult to pay their bills. As these economic pressures persist, communications service providers (CSPs) should expect bad debt expenses to continue rising, with the potential to meet, or even exceed, levels experienced during the Great Recession.

How Will Advanced AI Impact Pricing, Labor Practices and Client Expectations?

02.05.26

Advanced AI may be front and center in IT services strategy, but execution challenges remain a familiar story. Despite ongoing hype around unlocking new efficiencies and nonlinear growth, IT services firms continue to grapple with the reality of needing labor arbitrage in the short term and meeting client expectations.

Gustavo Quiroga Gaitan, Canva Pro

AI Alliances Will Increasingly Target OT

02.03.26

New and expanding partnerships are increasingly targeting the convergence of IT and OT, as system integrators (SIs) align with OEMs, manufacturing ISVs and silicon providers. This momentum is driven by the strong growth potential in high-tech manufacturing, where solutions that improve accuracy, efficiency and safety can be deployed on-site without reliance on rack-scale compute systems in neoclouds or Tier 1 clouds. As a result, while AI has long operated at the edge, these partnerships will accelerate both the sophistication of AI-driven use cases and the pace of solution framework development.

Agentic AI Adoption Is Pressuring Security Architectures to Converge

01.29.26

The emerging pattern of multicloud security consolidation has direct implications for both Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft, as enterprises reassess detection pipelines, governance models and operating frameworks heading into 2026. Although AWS remains well positioned in analytics-heavy workloads, the company needs to reevaluate its long-established “building block” approach, especially as peers deliver more integrated platforms. For Microsoft, its strengths will continue to be with organizations where Microsoft 365 already anchors their identity and collaboration strategies.

Saitharn, Getty Images via Canva Pro

The U.S. doesn’t have a Spectrum Shortage — It has a Utilization Problem

01.13.26

The mobile industry continues to beat the drum for more spectrum, but it should instead focus on fully utilizing the spectrum already allocated. TBR notes there are vast tranches of spectrum in the U.S. market that are broadly underutilized, either for technical or economic reasons. And challenges will only worsen as the industry aims to bring upper midband frequencies into the fray, which have greater propagation challenges and are less suited for macro coverage.

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When Will GenAI Impact the Devices Market?

04.02.24/by TBR

Generative AI (GenAI) will make devices, especially PCs and smartphones, more powerful and easier to use, and that will drive business among device, platform, silicon and software vendors but will not change the structure of the ecosystem. New opportunities in software and services will present themselves, new companies will enter the market, and most new companies will ultimately be acquired.

Cloud Components Market 2024: AI, Hybrid Solutions and Key Acquisitions

03.21.24/by Catie Merrill, Senior Analyst

Explore the latest trends in the cloud components market for 2024, focusing on acquisitions, AI advancements, and hybrid solutions. Discover how leading vendors like Dell, Cisco and HPE are shaping the landscape.

Unlocking Business Success: Competitive Intelligence

03.13.24/by Allan Krans, Practice Manager and Principal Analyst

Discover the power of competitive intelligence for business success. Learn how to leverage CI to gain insights on competitors, partners and customers.

Expectations for GenAI Deployment in IT Services in 2024

02.28.24/by Patrick Heffernan, Practice Manager and Principal Analyst

Delve into the current landscape of GenAI deployment in 2024. Despite initial hype, concerns around cost, technology challenges, and ethics persist. Explore how IT services vendors are pivoting towards business-backed use cases to sustain client interest. Anticipate shifts towards outcome-based pricing and increased focus on data orchestration. Download TBR’s predictions for IT services and consulting markets in 2024 for insights into GenAI pressures and talent challenges.

6G Transition: Preparing for Next-Gen Networks

02.26.24/by Steve Vachon, Senior Analyst

Discover the impending transition to 6G networks and the preparations being made by the telecom industry and global government entities. Stay ahead of the curve with this insightful blog post.

AI’s Impact on IT Infrastructure in 2024: Key Predictions and Trends

02.23.24/by Angela Lambert, Principal Analyst and Practice Manager

Explore TBR’s insights on how AI will impact IT infrastructure in 2024. Learn about market recovery, AI-enabled infrastructure, cost optimization, and the rise of multicloud environments.

Staying Competitive in the Fast-changing IT Services Market

02.22.24/by Kelly Lesiczka, Senior Analyst

Discover how competitive intelligence for IT services impacts IT vendors, budgeting, labor costs and more.

Technology Business Research, Inc.

Unlocking Competitive Insights: Beginner’s Guide

02.21.24/by Allan Krans, Practice Manager and Principal Analyst

Discover the unique facets of competitive intelligence – competitors, customers, partnerships. Read this guide today to learn more!

How to Gain Cloud Market Share in 2024

02.20.24/by Allan Krans, Practice Manager and Principal Analyst

Explore the evolving cloud market landscape in 2024. Vendors must adopt strategic approaches to gain market share, leveraging AI-led growth, expanding addressable markets, and orchestrating multivendor partnerships. Discover TBR’s predictions for the evolving cloud market in 2024.

Open RAN Adoption in 2024

02.20.24/by Chris Antlitz, Principal Analyst

Explore the slow development of the open RAN market in 2024. Despite vendor marketing and CSP interest, technological complexity and cost hinder mainstream adoption. Open RAN deployments remain limited to greenfield networks, while vRAN gains traction for its agility and cost efficiencies. Download TBR’s predictions for the telecom market in 2024 for insights into industry responses to challenges.

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