If there is an industry that has been able to withstand the most complex and disruptive global events, it’s the IT. This market continues to grow, even in the face of political, economic and energy crises, pandemics and climate change, among other challenges.

 

However, by having to constantly adapt to new challenges, the IT market continues to reinvent its practices. Outsourcing continues to be one of the most valuable, as it allows companies to reduce risks and costs, while maintaining or increasing their productivity.


In 2024 alone, the revenue of the global IT Outsourcing market reached $541.1 billion (€514.96 billion). From 2025 to 2030, it’s expected to expand at an annual rate of 8.6%, eventually reaching $1,219.31 billion (€1160.40 billion) by 2030.


For now, in 2025, these are the IT Outsourcing trends to keep an eye on.

 

 

1. MANAGED SERVICES CONTINUE TO RISE

Outsourcing IT infrastructure and services is benefitting both small, large, new, and experienced organisations. By relying on a third-party provider to monitor and manage networks, systems, databases, applications, cybersecurity, among other things, companies can reduce costs and risks, while improving efficiency and achieving growth. This means that the most technical parts of the job are handled by highly specialised IT experts, while the company can focus on business operations.


One of the areas where managed services are growing strong is cybersecurity. Solutions like Managed SOC, Managed EDR or Managed NDR can help companies improve their network and endpoint resilience, overall vulnerability management and incident response capabilities, while internal security teams focus on core daily activities.


Managed services have also been expanding to the cloud, which has become a fundamental part of any organisation’s digital transformation process. Building and maintaining a reliable and flexible infrastructure is more complex these days, which is why companies are increasingly searching for managed cloud services providers to partner with. According to Gartner, all cloud segments are expected to record double-digit growth in 2025.

 

 

2. CYBERSECURITY BUDGETS ARE EXPANDING

The numbers are overwhelming: there are 600 million cyberattacks happening every day all over the world, while the cost of cybercrime for companies is expected to rise from $12 trillion (€11.43 trillion) in 2025 to roughly $24 trillion (€22.85 trillion) by 2027.


Therefore, it’s only natural that cybersecurity is a growing concern for companies, also because a significant part of their employees is working from home (and using their personal network connections), which makes them more vulnerable to cybercriminals.

 

As such, securing network infrastructure and data is a top priority for companies – cybersecurity budgets are expected to increase significantly, with global information security spending estimated to reach $212 billion (€201.90 billion) in 2025, an increase of 15.1% from 2024.


Outsourcing this type of service is a smart move, as it allows companies to get 24/7 protection (which, with an in-house team, would be more difficult), a faster response to potential incidents, while saving in the long term (since the outsourcing cybersecurity team can be adjusted as needed).


Read more about Alter Solutions cybersecurity services like Pentesting, Red Teaming, or Managed Cyberdefence Services.

 

 

3. DATA IS DRIVING BUSINESS DECISIONS

Businesses are in constant need to deal with complex challenges posed by technology, economic and political landscapes. The only way to navigate this uncertainty and avoid being left behind is to be able to perform data analysis in real-time – it allows businesses to anticipate market trends and roadblocks, understand customer behaviour, and make smarter business decisions in real-time.


Since data analytics is in such high demand, and requires highly specialised professionals, companies are turning to outsourcing to get the right services and experts to meet their needs.


In 2025, the data-related roles in highest demand are data scientists (due to the rise of AI and Machine Learning) and data engineers (who become more critical given the rise of big data).

 

 

4. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND MACHINE LEARNING REMAIN WIDELY ADOPTED

Both were already trending topics in 2024 and continue to be so in 2025. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (ML) are here to stay and are not only changing the way we live, but also redefining the way we work.


The numbers don’t lie: the global AI and ML market is expected to grow at an annual rate of 36.6% between 2024 and 2030, with around 97 million people projected to work in the industry by 2025. These figures are a direct result of AI’s dominant position as an IT Outsourcing trend.


AI development is mainly outsourced because, just like data analytics, it’s a complex and demanding field that requires highly specialised experts. Two very specific outsourcing trends involving the use of AI are the development of Generative AI models and the adoption of co-pilot tools to assist business processes.


Companies are increasingly adopting AI solutions like those because they are proved to provide greater work efficiency through the automation of routine tasks, cost reduction, greater security and control over processes. They have been clear catalysts in areas such as data analytics, software development, and customer service.

 

 

5. CLOUD AND HYBRID COMPUTING AS STRATEGIC MOVES

Cloud-based technology has been evolving at an unprecedented pace. Today, most organisations recognise the value of the cloud in providing a scalable and flexible infrastructure to implement sophisticated solutions – such as AI and ML – and to answer to growing market demands and fluctuations.


In 2025, multi-cloud outsourcing strategies continue to be widely adopted, so companies can store their data on several cloud providers to reduce the risk of data loss and compromise. Gartner predicts that 90% of organisations will adopt hybrid cloud (multi-cloud becomes hybrid when public and private providers are combined) through 2027.

 

But let’s talk 2025 numbers: worldwide public cloud services spending is projected to grow by 21.5% in 2025, reaching a total of $723.4 billion (€688.47 billion), up from $595.7 billion (€566.94 billion) in 2024.


For other companies, going full-cloud might not be the best approach, so they’ll look for hybrid computing outsourcing as an alternative. This means that they will combine in-house physical servers (usually to protect more sensitive data) with cloud infrastructure to ensure scalability.

 

 

6. DATA PROTECTION AT THE HEART OF BUSINESS

Strict data protection and security legislations, like NIS 2 and DORA in Europe, are shaping the way businesses operate and redefining their security posture. Outsourcing this type of service means organisations can access specialised and experienced allies in data privacy and compliance, thus avoiding future legal, financial and reputational damages.

 

Different types of services are being outsourced to ensure data privacy and security, namely:

  • Biometric technology
    Facial recognition, fingerprint and iris scanning are a few biometric solutions in high demand, especially in banking and other critical sectors, where transaction security is a priority.

  • Identity and Access Management (IAM)
    More and more organisations are looking to implement software designed to manage digital identities and ensure access control, ultimately guaranteeing that only authorised users can access specific data.

  • NIS 2 Compliance Consulting
    To make sure they fully comply with the most comprehensive EU cybersecurity legislation, organisations are looking for experienced partners to help them identify the essential services and processes of their company, implement the necessary security measures, and monitor performance.

 

7. SPECIALISED WORKFORCE IN HIGH DEMAND

It’s no news that talent shortage in the IT sector is a real problem, due to the unbelievable pace of digital transformation. The International Data Corporation (IDC) predicts that by 2026, more than 90% of organisations worldwide will be affected by the IT skills shortage crisis, amounting to $5.5 trillion (€5.23 trillion) in losses caused by product delays, loss of competitiveness and business.

In 2025, the most sought-after skills are:

  • Artificial Intelligence skills
    Including Generative AI expertise (job postings have surged over the last year) and experience with technologies like Angular, Flutter, Kotlin, and Terraform.

  • Machine Learning skills
    It involves deep knowledge in data science. ML is the fastest growing skill in 2024, with a 383% growth rate. 

  • Core tech skills
    Including technologies like React, .NET, Python, Node, and Java.

  • Cloud and data-related skills
    There is a 77% growth in demand for data infrastructure-related skills, which includes tools like Databricks, Snowflake, and MongoDB. Data management and storage skills are also in high demand.

Companies are increasingly turning to Outsourcing to access a wider talent pool and fill in these gaps. Nearshore, specifically, remains one of the most popular business models for this, since it allows access to lower labour costs and, consequently, cost savings.
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