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Recent collaborations and partnerships with German SMB backers are positioning Salesforce as a premier AI business partner, ISG Provider Lens™ report says

FRANKFURT, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 7, 2025-- Enterprises in Germany are increasingly looking to service providers in the Salesforce ecosystem to help them leverage generative AI (GenAI) and autonomous AI agents to reshape their business operations, according to a new research report published today by Information Services Group (ISG) (Nasdaq: III), a global AI-centered technology research and advisory firm.

The 2025 ISG Provider Lens™ Salesforce Ecosystem Partners report for Germany finds that as more enterprises embrace the transitional power of AI-powered, agentic services, data integration has become an emerging critical factor in determining their success.

“Simply implementing the Salesforce CRM platform is no longer sufficient,” said Dr. Matthias Paletta, director and technology modernization solution lead, ISG EMEA. “Businesses must leverage integrated data to drive intelligent automation, deliver personalized experiences and streamline operations.”

The companies that thrive in this new era, the report says, will be the ones that manage to synthesize disparate data points into actionable intelligence and help companies transform not just their businesses, but the overall business landscape.

The report notes that approximately one-third of German midsize enterprises (Mittelstand) are already significantly leveraging AI in their business operations. Salesforce’s recently formed partnership with Deutscher Mittelstands-Bund (the German Association of Small and Medium-Sized Businesses) underscores the platform provider’s strategy to position itself as a key partner for German SMBs, particularly in implementing AI- and data-driven solutions.

One potential hindrance to this growth plan is a suddenly sluggish economy. Economic uncertainty and cautious IT spending among German enterprises could dampen momentum, leading to a more subdued demand environment as well as potential setbacks for Salesforce in its continued competition for the CRM space against SAP and Microsoft.

With a skills shortage already impacting German enterprises, companies of all sizes may find it more challenging to navigate the complexities of adopting advanced AI and automation tools, the report notes. Service providers in the Salesforce ecosystem should see this situation as an opportunity.

“Enterprises are tired of finding themselves confined to any single vendor’s ecosystem, preferring instead to choose best-of-breed tools that do what they need them to do,” said Jan Erik Aase, partner and global leader, ISG Provider Lens Research. “This gives rise to the need for hybrid platforms in multicloud environments, which paves the way for partnerships and open ecosystems.”

The report also explores other trends, including Salesforce’s deployment of Net Zero Cloud sustainability software for mitigating the environmental impact of cloud computing. Net Zero Cloud’s real-time visibility into carbon emissions, energy usage and other environmental metrics helps German enterprises adhere to the country’s more rigorous sustainability standards and reporting requirements.

For more insights into the competitive environment for partners and service providers in the Salesforce ecosystem, see the ISG Provider Lens™ Focal Points briefing here.

The 2025 ISG Provider Lens™ Salesforce Ecosystem Partners report for Germany evaluates the capabilities of 42 providers across six quadrants: AI-powered Multicloud Implementation Services – Large Enterprises, Implementation Services for Core Clouds and AI Agents – Midmarket, Implementation Services for Marketing and Commerce with AI Enablement, Managed Application Services – Large Enterprises, Managed Application Services – Midmarket and Implementation Services for Industry Clouds.

The report names Accenture, Adesso SE, Capgemini, Cognizant, Deloitte, Deutsche Telekom and Infosys as Leaders in four quadrants each. DIGITALL, HCLTech, IBM, Salesfive and Wipro are named Leaders in three quadrants each. DIA, Factory42 and Reply are named Leaders in two quadrants each. DotSource, Eigenherd, PwC, TCS and Tech Mahindra are named Leaders in one quadrant each.

In addition, NTT DATA is named a Rising Star — a company with a “promising portfolio” and “high future potential” by ISG’s definition — in two quadrants. Cloudity, LTIMindtree, Tech Mahindra and Wipro are named Rising Stars in one quadrant each.

In the area of customer experience, HCLTech is named the global ISG CX Star Performer for 2025 among Salesforce ecosystem providers. HCLTech earned the highest customer satisfaction scores in ISG's Voice of the Customer survey, part of the ISG Star of Excellence™ program, the premier quality recognition for the technology and business services industry.

A customized version of the report is available from Cognizant.

The 2025 ISG Provider Lens™ Salesforce Ecosystem Partners report for Germany is available to subscribers or for one-time purchase on this webpage.

About ISG Provider Lens™ Research

The ISG Provider Lens™ Quadrant research series is the only service provider evaluation of its kind to combine empirical, data-driven research and market analysis with the real-world experience and observations of ISG's global advisory team. Enterprises will find a wealth of detailed data and market analysis to help guide their selection of appropriate sourcing partners, while ISG advisors use the reports to validate their own market knowledge and make recommendations to ISG's enterprise clients. The research currently covers providers offering their services globally, across Europe, as well as in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, the U.K., France, Benelux, Germany, Switzerland, the Nordics, Australia and Singapore/Malaysia, with additional markets to be added in the future. For more information about ISG Provider Lens research, please visit this webpage.

About ISG

ISG (Nasdaq: III) is a global AI-centered technology research and advisory firm. A trusted partner to more than 900 clients, including 75 of the world’s top 100 enterprises, ISG is a long-time leader in technology and business services that is now at the forefront of leveraging AI to help organizations achieve operational excellence and faster growth. The firm, founded in 2006, is known for its proprietary market data, in-depth knowledge of provider ecosystems, and the expertise of its 1,600 professionals worldwide working together to help clients maximize the value of their technology investments.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250507624573/en/

Press Contacts:

Philipp Jaensch, ISG
+49 151 730 365 76
philipp.jaensch@isg-one.com

Matthias Longo, for ISG
+49 152 341 464 63
matthias@longo-pr.de

Source: Information Services Group, Inc.