2025 IT Sourcing Study – Netherlands
The 2025 Dutch IT Sourcing Study, conducted by Whitelane Research in collaboration with Eraneos, is the most comprehensive survey on IT service provider and cloud platform provider performance in the Netherlands. It evaluates over 650 unique IT sourcing relationships and more than 800 cloud platform relationships from close to 300 of the top IT-spending organizations.
Shifting IT Spending Trends in the Netherlands.
37% of survey respondents plan to increase IT spending on external providers over the next two years, a 6% decline from 2024. At the same time, the number of organizations planning to reduce spending has risen from 13% in 2024 to 20% in 2025—the highest level recorded. Meanwhile, 29% expect their IT spending to remain stable, while 14% are uncertain about their sourcing plans.
Public Sector Leads in Growth of External Sourcing.
The public sector stands out from the overall trend, with 62% of respondents planning to increase IT spending on external providers—compared to just 38% in financial services and 26% in manufacturing and chemicals. Meanwhile, only 8% of public sector respondents expect to reduce spending, significantly lower than the 20% average and other key sectors.
Scalability and Core Business Focus Drive Increased IT Spending.
The top reasons for clients planning to increase IT spending on external providers are scalability to business needs (51%) and the ability to focus on core business functions (51%). By outsourcing IT operations, organizations can allocate more resources and strategic efforts to their primary competencies rather than managing IT in-house.
Retaining Key Knowledge is the Top Reason for Insourcing.
The primary driver for reducing spending on external providers is retaining key knowledge in-house (59%) and minimizing reliance on third parties for core business or IT functions. Additionally, 46% see insourcing as more cost-effective than outsourcing, while 32% cite faster time-to-market and improved quality as key factors.
AI Adoption Grows, but Impact Remains Limited.
AI adoption is rising, with only 9% of respondents not using AI or generative AI—down from 18% last year. The largest segment (32%) is experimenting with generative AI but has yet to fully implement it, while 30% use widely available tools like ChatGPT and Copilot. However, AI’s impact remains limited: 18% report minor effects, just 4% have seen significant operational changes, and only 1% report full business transformation.
AI Investments Expected to Rise.
88% of clients plan to increase their investments in AI in the next 2-3 years—36% significantly and 52% moderately. Only 4% intend to maintain current investment levels, and none foresee a decrease. At the same time, clients cite compliance concerns as the biggest challenge facing AI adoption (56%), closely followed by data quality and availability (55%), and a lack of skilled personnel (36%).
Significant AI Investment
36%
Moderate AI Investment
52%
Shift Toward Nearshore Outsourcing.
40% of respondents plan to increase nearshore outsourcing, only 6% expect a decrease, and 54% foresee no change. Nearshoring appeals due to its cost efficiency, EU compliance, risk reduction, and geographic proximity. In contrast, onshore outsourcing expects the largest decline, with 32% of respondents planning to reduce use of this delivery model, up from 24% in 2024.
Rising Client Satisfaction in IT Services. Among the 652 IT sourcing relationships evaluated, 72% were rated as “satisfied” or “very satisfied,” marking a two-percentage-point increase from last year. Meanwhile, dissatisfaction declined from 10% to 6%, with no relationships receiving a “very unsatisfied” rating.
2025 IT Service Provider Rankings. Schuberg Philis tops the general satisfaction ranking for the first time with a 92% satisfaction score, followed by newcomer Levi9 at 89%. EPAM and Wipro share third place at 83%, while CGI, T-Systems, and HCLTech follow with 82%. The average satisfaction score increased by two percentage points to 76%—the highest on record.
General Satisfaction (Top 5)
Exceptional Performers
Nine IT service providers have achieved exceptional performance in one or more IT service towers, with satisfaction scores exceeding the market average and above the standard deviation:
General Satisfaction: Schuberg Philis & Levi9
Application Services: Levi9, Schuberg Philis, Wipro, EPAM & Cognizant
Cloud & Infrastructure Services: Schuberg Philis, Sogeti & TCS
Workplace Services: TCS & Sogeti
Network & Connectivity Services: TCS & Atos/Eviden
Security Services: Schuberg Philis & Northwave
Clients indicate that IT service providers should challenge them more.
The top weakness of service providers in the Netherlands is a lack of proactive challenge, cited by 41% of organizations. Insufficient business knowledge follows (31%), suggesting many providers lack a deep understanding of their clients’ industries. Workforce instability is another weakness identified, with inexperienced resources (27%) and high staff turnover (22%) impacting service quality and continuity. Additionally, 25% of clients feel providers fail to act as true partners, highlighting the need for stronger collaboration and engagement.
Public Cloud Adoption Remains Strong.
84% of respondents plan to either expand their public cloud usage significantly (45%) or largely maintain their current level of adoption (39%). A tiny percentage (3%) plan to reduce their public cloud usage, while 13% are uncertain.
Cloud Provider Platform Rankings.
In this year’s evaluation of 812 cloud platform relationships, Amazon Web Services (AWS) leads the infrastructure cloud platforms ranking with a score of 78%. At the same time, Microsoft Dynamics 365 retains the top spot in the software cloud platforms ranking with a score of 73%.
IaaS/PaaS
SaaS
