- 51%
- Accuracy
- 7 of 8
- Analyst ranking
- 12
- Predictions scored
- 2
- Still to fall due
Wrong · 0%ISG is forecasting 4.5 percent revenue growth for managed services and 18 percent revenue growth for cloud-based services (as-a-service or XaaS)
What happened. Cloud-based services ACV rose 29 percent to a record $84.0 billion in 2025. ISG raised the forecast to 25 percent in October 2025. Strong growth called correctly, but actual growth was 11 points (about 60 percent) above the forecast. Sources: ir.isg-one.com, ir.isg-one.com.
Source: AI-Fueled Cloud Demand Powers Global IT, Business Services Market to New High in Q4: ISG Index
Caveat. No independent evidence available. Scored on ISG’s own figures.
Half right · 50%ISG is forecasting 4.5 percent revenue growth for managed services and 18 percent revenue growth for cloud-based services (as-a-service or XaaS)
What happened. Managed services ACV grew 1.3 percent to $43.4 billion in 2025, its slowest rate since 2020. ISG had cut the forecast to 1.3 percent by October 2025. Growth stayed positive, but at under a third of the forecast rate. Sources: ir.isg-one.com.
Source: AI-Fueled Cloud Demand Powers Global IT, Business Services Market to New High in Q4: ISG Index
Caveat. No independent evidence available. Scored on ISG’s own figures.
Half right · 50%ISG is forecasting 4.25 percent growth for managed services and 15 percent revenue growth for XaaS in 2024.
What happened. Cloud-based services (XaaS) ACV rose 19 percent to a record $62.4 billion in 2024. ISG had lowered the forecast to 14 percent by October 2024. Called the rebound from a down year correctly; actual growth beat the forecast by 4 points. Sources: ir.isg-one.com, ir.isg-one.com.
Source: Global Spending on IT, Business Services Down in Q4 Amid Signs of a Rebound: ISG Index
Caveat. No independent evidence available. Scored on ISG’s own figures.
Mostly wrong · 25%ISG is forecasting 4.25 percent growth for managed services and 15 percent revenue growth for XaaS in 2024.
What happened. Managed services ACV grew less than 2 percent to $41.7 billion in 2024. ISG had cut the forecast to 2 percent by October 2024. Growth was positive but under half the forecast rate. Sources: ir.isg-one.com.
Source: Global Spending on IT, Business Services Down in Q4 Amid Signs of a Rebound: ISG Index
Caveat. No independent evidence available. Scored on ISG’s own figures.
Right · 100%We expect the applications market to continue to expand in 2024.
What happened. ISG reported 2024 SaaS ACV up 4.6 percent to $15.8 billion, after a 3 percent fall in 2023. The applications/SaaS market grew in 2024 as he expected, though modestly. Sources: ir.isg-one.com.
Source: Cost Optimization Drives Record Demand for Managed Services in Q3, ISG Index Finds
Caveat. No independent evidence available. Scored on ISG’s own figures.
Right · 100%It will likely be one or two more quarters before we start to see the bottom of this cycle for infrastructure-as-a-service.
What happened. ISG's Q4 2023 release (January 2024) reported signs of a rebound, and its Q1 2024 release (April 2024) said cloud demand rebounded. Full-year 2024 IaaS ACV then rose 25 percent. The IaaS trough and rebound landed within the one-to-two-quarter window he gave. Sources: ir.isg-one.com, ir.isg-one.com.
Source: Cost Optimization Drives Record Demand for Managed Services in Q3, ISG Index Finds · two quarters after Q3 2023 results, i.e. Q1 2024 results
Caveat. No independent evidence available. Scored on ISG’s own figures.
Right · 100%ISG is forecasting 5 percent ACV growth for managed services in 2023.
What happened. Managed services ACV grew 5 percent to a record $40.7 billion in 2023. ISG nudged the forecast to 5.4 percent in October 2023. Exactly on the number. Sources: ir.isg-one.com.
Source: Global Spending on IT and Business Services Declined in Q4, ISG Index Finds
Caveat. No independent evidence available. Scored on ISG’s own figures.
Wrong · 0%ISG is forecasting annual ACV growth of 17 percent for the XaaS market in 2023, lower than in prior years.
What happened. XaaS ACV fell 12.5 percent to $53.6 billion in 2023, its first annual decline. ISG had cut the forecast to 11.5 percent by mid-year and held it in October 2023. Forecast 17 percent growth; the market shrank 12.5 percent, a swing of nearly 30 points. Sources: ir.isg-one.com, ir.isg-one.com.
Source: Global Spending on IT and Business Services Declined in Q4, ISG Index Finds
Caveat. No independent evidence available. Scored on ISG’s own figures.
Right · 100%the global market for managed services will advance 5.1 percent in 2022.
What happened. 2022 managed services ACV grew 6 percent to a record $37.0 billion. ISG had cut the forecast to 3.5 percent in July 2022 and kept it there in October, so the original call was closer than the revision. Forecast 5.1 percent, actual about 6 percent: within a point. Sources: ir.isg-one.com.
Caveat. No independent evidence available. Scored on ISG’s own figures.
Wrong · 0%ISG is forecasting the global market for cloud-based XaaS (IaaS and SaaS) will grow 20 percent
What happened. 2022 XaaS ACV grew 7 percent to $57.6 billion, its lowest annual growth since 2015. ISG raised the forecast to 22 percent in April 2022, then cut it to 18 percent in July and 10.5 percent in October (Hall announcing that cut). Forecast 20 percent; actual was 7 percent, under half, and the first revision went the wrong way. Sources: ir.isg-one.com, ir.isg-one.com.
Caveat. No independent evidence available. Scored on ISG’s own figures.
Mostly wrong · 25%The firm also is raising its forecast for managed services growth to 10.1 percent, up from its prior forecast of 9 percent.
What happened. ISG reported 2021 managed services ACV up 16 percent to $33 billion, against the 10.1 percent forecast. Direction right, but growth came in about 60 percent higher than forecast late in the year. Sources: ir.isg-one.com.
Source: Global Market for IT and Business Services Growing at Fastest Pace Ever, ISG Index Finds
Caveat. No independent evidence available. Scored on ISG’s own figures.
Wrong · 0%ISG is forecasting the market for cloud-based services (IaaS and SaaS) will grow 25 percent globally in 2021
What happened. ISG reported 2021 XaaS ACV up 38 percent to a record $51.3 billion. The 25 percent forecast, issued with only one quarter left, was 13 points too low. Called strong growth correctly but badly understated the size, even with nine months of data in hand. Sources: ir.isg-one.com.
Source: Global Market for IT and Business Services Growing at Fastest Pace Ever, ISG Index Finds
Caveat. No independent evidence available. Scored on ISG’s own figures.