Companies are driving their AI transformation with managed services

• 99 percent of companies view managed services as strategically relevant; 87 percent have already integrated them.
• 91 percent consider the model necessary for implementing artificial intelligence.
• Pure cost targets are losing importance; growth and innovation are coming to the forefront.
• In Germany, managed services are primarily used to strengthen cybersecurity.

Berlin, April 16, 2026
 

Companies are investing heavily in artificial intelligence. Yet a breakthrough in operational deployment often fails to materialize. As a result, 91 percent of companies are turning to managed services to deploy AI effectively and at scale. External providers handle strategy, operations, integration, and scaling of technological applications or other business functions. This is shown by the KPMG Managed Services Outlook 2026, for which more than 1,200 executives worldwide were surveyed. For 99 percent of companies, managed services are now a strategic priority.

Implementation often fails due to structural hurdles. Complex IT landscapes, a shortage of skilled personnel, and rising operational and security requirements slow progress. As complexity grows—particularly with agent-based AI—these requirements continue to rise. Accordingly, the management of AI systems through managed services is gaining importance: 56 percent of companies cite it as the most important area for investment over the next two years.

Cost efficiency has long been the key driver for the use of managed services. Today, strategic goals are increasingly coming into play as well. In particular, factors such as speed, scalability, and access to new technologies are becoming significantly more important. For instance, two-thirds of companies expect managed services to have a noticeable impact on their business and operational models, as well as on key strategic metrics such as growth and resilience, over the next two years.

There are also clear signs of success: More than 90 percent of companies report that managed services meet or exceed their expectations. 

As the strategic importance of managed services grows, security and governance are also coming into sharper focus. For German companies, cybersecurity is a key entry point in this context: the use of managed services is already more advanced here than on a global scale (46.5 percent vs. 37.1 percent globally). At the same time, there is a clear focus in Germany on predictable and stable operating models. Companies are less likely to use managed services purely as a cost driver (27.6 percent vs. 33.7 percent globally), but rather primarily to operate technologies in a controlled and reliable manner. In Germany, managed services thus serve primarily to integrate innovation into existing structures in a risk-aware and sustainable manner.