2026 IT Sourcing Study – Spain
The 2026 Spanish IT Sourcing Study, conducted in collaboration with Eraneos, is the most comprehensive assessment of IT service and cloud platform providers in Spain. Based on input from more than 330 representatives of the country’s largest IT-spending organisations, the study evaluates more than 1,000 unique IT sourcing relationships and over 1,200 cloud platform relationships.
External IT spending remains resilient, despite a shift towards insourcing.
Almost two-thirds of Spanish organisations (63%) expect to increase or maintain spending on external IT providers over the next two years. However, the share planning to reduce spending has risen from 9% to 16%, while a further 21% remain uncertain about their future sourcing strategy. Together, these findings suggest that while external IT spending remains resilient overall, more organisations are reassessing the role of external providers within their IT operating models.
Sourcing plans vary significantly by industry.
The public sector shows the strongest growth outlook, with 49% of organisations planning to increase external IT spending and just 7% expecting to reduce it. Financial services shows the greatest divergence in sourcing plans, with 34% expecting to increase spending and 24% planning to reduce it. Manufacturing and chemicals have the most uncertain outlook, with 29% of organisations still undecided about their future external IT spending.
AI demand is reshaping sourcing strategies.
Growing demand for AI is reshaping sourcing strategies, driving some organisations to turn to external providers while others bring more capabilities in-house. As AI adoption accelerates, some are looking externally for the technology and talent they need, while others are prioritising the development and retention of these capabilities internally.
Access to emerging technologies is the leading driver of increased outsourcing, cited by 62% of respondents, followed closely by access to resources and talent (59%), both of which are closely linked to growing AI demand. At the same time, 68% of organisations increasing insourcing cite AI as a driver, highlighting how AI is simultaneously increasing demand for external expertise and encouraging organisations to build greater capability in-house.
No. 1 outsourcing driver
No. 1 insourcing driver
Onshore delivery remains strong in Spain.
Onshore delivery has the strongest growth outlook, with 29% of organisations planning to increase its use and just 6% expecting a reduction. Offshore delivery is moving in the opposite direction: 23% plan to reduce its use, compared with only 7% expecting an increase. Nearshore delivery is considerably more stable, with almost four in five organisations (78%) expecting no change.
AI adoption is mainstream, but business impact remains limited.
AI is now widely used across organisations in Spain, with just 2% reporting no use at all. However, widespread adoption has yet to translate into substantial business impact: only 17% report a significant impact from proprietary AI, while just 3% say AI has transformed their operations.
Maturity also varies by sector. Financial services shows greater integration of AI into business operations, while the public sector remains more focused on standard tools and experimentation.
Sovereign IT is reshaping IT strategy.
More than four in ten respondents (43%) say Sovereign IT is having a medium or large impact on their IT strategy. For 14%, the impact is significant enough to drive major changes, such as cloud exits, platform migrations or pauses to transformation programmes.
Satisfied or Very Satisfied
80%
Satisfaction in Spain reaches one of Europe’s highest levels.
Survey respondents evaluated 1,028 unique IT sourcing relationships, with 80% rated as satisfied or very satisfied, up two percentage points from 2025. Almost one-third (31%) are rated very satisfied, the highest proportion recorded in any European market surveyed.
Competition remains intense among leading providers.
The 2026 General Satisfaction ranking is highly competitive, with just two percentage points separating the top eight providers. Ayesa Digital, DXC Technology and T-Systems jointly lead with scores of 86%, while newcomer EPAM NEORIS makes a strong debut among the Exceptional Performers. The overall market average remains stable at 79%.
Excessive Focus on Costs
Clients and providers disagree on vendor management priorities.
Both clients and service providers identify an excessive focus on costs as the leading governance weakness. However, providers are considerably more likely to highlight the issue, cited by 71% compared with 49% of clients.
Clients expect providers to be more proactive.
The most commonly cited provider weakness is a lack of constructive challenge, identified by 43% of clients. This suggests that clients increasingly expect providers to bring new ideas, challenge established approaches, and actively drive improvement, rather than simply execute requirements.
IaaS/PaaS
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
SaaS
Office 365 &
Google Workspace
AWS leads infrastructure cloud, while Office 365 and Google Workspace top software cloud platforms.
AWS remains the highest-rated infrastructure cloud provider, with a satisfaction score of 81%, despite the market average falling two percentage points to 74%. Among software cloud platforms, Microsoft Office 365 and Google Workspace share first place at 80%, five points ahead of last year’s leader, Salesforce.
2026 Final Report – Spain
Whitelane’s final report offers key insights into IT sourcing and governance trends, featuring rankings of IT service providers across five IT service towers and four key performance indicators (KPIs). It also includes rankings of the leading cloud platform providers for both IaaS/PaaS and SaaS. For more information, contact info(@)whitelane.com