HFS Research

What HFS Research does

HFS Research Ltd. is a privately-held global research and advisory firm founded in 2007, headquartered operationally in New York with a UK-incorporated legal entity. The firm focuses on IT and business services, enterprise transformation, and the intersection of technology and operations for Global 2000 enterprises. Its core offerings include the HFS Horizons report series, Hot Tech vendor evaluations, Market Challenger reports, Competitive Intelligence reports, the HFS Pulse demand-side survey platform, and bespoke Enterprise Advisory and Vendor Engagement Programs. Proprietary frameworks include the OneOffice model, the OneEcosystem concept, and the trademarked Services-as-Software (SaS) term, supplemented by the GCC Quotient framework co-developed with ANSR.

The firm's technology stack centers on three proprietary assets: (1) the HFS Data Intelligence Suite, consolidating datasets on over 1,800 real-world AI deployments, 1,500+ Global Capability Centers, and an Enterprise Mandate Index built on more than 500,000 data points; (2) the HFS Pulse Dashboard, a survey platform drawing on responses from 605 Global 2000 enterprise respondents; and (3) Ask HFS AI Beta, a generative AI-powered knowledge retrieval tool trained on HFS's research library that delivers analyst-backed natural language responses. Revenue is generated through a freemium content model with premium subscriptions, enterprise advisory engagements, vendor sponsorship programs, and Data Intelligence Suite licensing. Customer segments span Global 2000 enterprises (primary), service providers, technology vendors, and advisors/consultants, with go-to-market executed through direct analyst relationships, OneCouncil community engagement, summits, roundtables, and joint research partnerships with major firms including Genpact, KPMG, TCS, Hitachi Digital Services, Altimetrik, Cognizant, GlobalLogic, NewRocket, and Globality.

HFS's leadership team is led by CEO and Chief Analyst Phil Fersht, widely cited as a recognized industry voice, with President Saurabh Gupta, Chief Growth Officer Sia Ravari, and Chief Research Officer Joel Martin. The firm maintains a Cambridge, UK legal presence alongside its New York operational HQ and opened a Dubai office in December 2025 to support Middle East AI transformation demand. The company has no disclosed external funding, no parent organization, and operates as an independent private entity.

Name

HFS Research

Legal name

HFS Research Ltd.

Website

https://hfsresearch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

HFS Research is a privately-held global research and advisory firm serving Global 2000 enterprises with proprietary frameworks (OneOffice, Services-as-Software), the Pulse survey platform, the Data Intelligence Suite, and the Ask HFS AI tool, monetized via subscriptions, advisory, and vendor engagement programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

IT and Business Services Research & Advisory

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (54191)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Industry & Sector Research (Syndicated/Custom) (BPAHALAE)

Keywords

• IT services research
• Enterprise advisory services
• Business process research
• Market intelligence reports
• Technology analyst firm

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations

Revenue model

1. Research Subscriptions: Free research access with premium subscription providing complete library access, direct analyst access, and other benefits. Most research is freely available, with Horizons reports being premium.
2. Enterprise Advisory Services: Data-driven research, practitioner insights, and workshop-driven collaboration for enterprise transformation acceleration with tangible results delivery.
3. Vendor Engagement Programs: Bespoke insights, expert advice, and strategic opportunities for vendors to anticipate market shifts, future-proof strategy, and drive business success.
4. Data Intelligence Suite: Proprietary data platform providing structured intelligence across AI deployments, GCCs, buyer sentiment, and pricing - positioned as response to declining confidence in analyst insights amid AI proliferation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

HFS Research is a global research and advisory firm that sells subscription-based research access, Horizons market assessments, Hot Tech vendor evaluations, Competitive Intelligence Reports, and Pulse survey dashboards to Global 2000 enterprises and service providers. It supplements this research with paid Enterprise Advisory Services and Vendor Engagement Programs, plus the proprietary HFS Data Intelligence Suite and Ask HFS AI Beta tool for structured data and AI-powered research access.

Product overview

HFS Research is a global research and advisory firm offering a unified platform of research reports, AI-powered insights, and advisory services. The core offering includes Horizons Reports (forward-looking market assessments), Hot Tech Reports (emerging vendor evaluations), and Competitive Intelligence Reports, supplemented by the Ask HFS AI Beta tool for instant AI-powered research answers. The HFS Data Intelligence Suite provides proprietary data consolidation across AI deployments and GCCs, while Enterprise Advisory Services and Vendor Engagement Programs offer direct analyst engagement. The portfolio centers on serving Global 2000 enterprises with insights on technology and services transformation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• HFS Data Intelligence Suite Proprietary data intelligence platform consolidating datasets on AI deployments, Global Capability Centers, enterprise priorities, and service benchmarks for Global 2000 enterprise buyers and service providers.
• Horizons Reports Forward-looking market assessments evaluating service providers across IT and business process services, emerging technologies, and industry domains using OneOffice and OneEcosystem models.
• Hot Tech Reports Evaluations of emerging technology vendors offering distinct value propositions aimed at innovating toward HFS OneOffice or OneEcosystem value.
• Market Challenger Reports Bite-size insights into up-and-coming service providers, evaluating their capabilities and market positioning.
• Competitive Intelligence Reports Vendor-specific competitive intelligence reports providing insights on leading IT and business process services providers and emerging tech market players.
• Enterprise Research & Advisory Services Data-driven research, seasoned practitioner insights, and workshop-driven collaboration to accelerate enterprise transformation and deliver tangible results for Global 2000 enterprises.
• Vendor Engagement Programs Bespoke insights, expert advice, and strategic opportunities for service providers and technology vendors to anticipate market shifts and future-proof strategy.
• GCC Quotient (GQ) A first-of-its-kind framework designed to define, measure, and benchmark how enterprises build, evolve, and extract value from Global Capability Centers in an AI-driven world, co-developed with ANSR.
• HFS Pulse Dashboard Survey-based research dashboard showcasing current and future demand trends for technology and business services, based on responses from 605 Global 2000 enterprise respondents.
• Ask HFS AI Beta AI-powered instant answer tool that delivers analyst-backed responses sourced directly from HFS Research's library to enterprise users.

Quantifiable outcome

• HFS Pulse Dashboard based on survey of 605 Global 2000 enterprise respondents across 40% IT, 42% Business, 18% Hybrid roles
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• ANSRcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 May 2026Strategic partnership to launch the 'GCC Quotient' (GQ), a first-of-its-kind framework designed to define, measure, and benchmark how enterprises build, evolve, and extract value from Global Capability Centers in an AI-driven world. The collaboration produces joint thought leadership reports, an AI-first maturity framework, and GCC success stories to help enterprise leaders navigate operational ambiguity in the rapidly evolving capability center landscape.
• GenpactcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint research partnership producing significant industry studies including the $18 trillion enterprise debt study (2026), agentic AI survey of 545 executives (2026), and various reports on enterprise transformation and AI adoption. Studies span Global 2000 executives across multiple industries with joint authorship and co-branding.
• AltimetrikcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint report 'Humans at the Helm of AI' based on survey of 500+ senior executives at Global 2000 organizations, finding that only 14% have documented AI strategy. Partnership produces research on enterprise AI governance, accountability structures, and workforce AI engagement.
• Hitachi Digital ServicesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint report warning that most enterprises aren't ready for the Human+Machine era, highlighting significant barriers such as outdated workflows and data governance issues for digital-physical convergence.
• GlobalLogicmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on AI talent gap research in industrial sector, with 51% of industrial firms citing talent shortages as key barrier to AI adoption. Report emphasizes need for modernization, upskilling, and strategic planning.
• NewRocketminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint study finding that implementation partners with AI-first operating models are in high demand for ServiceNow deployments, with 55% of executives open to switching providers and 44% preferring AI strategy specialists.
• KPMGmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner2024-2025 Managed Services Outlook Survey identifying five key trends reshaping managed services based on responses from over 1,200 global business leaders. Research highlights shift from transactional processing to AI-powered actionable insights.
• GlobalityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint research report finding that AI-driven autonomous sourcing reduces enterprise costs by 20%, with case studies demonstrating AI-powered procurement platforms slashing contract times by 50%.
• CognizantminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint study on AI adoption in non-bank mortgage lending, revealing that 74% of lenders are betting on innovation for differentiation though only 21% consider themselves true innovators.
• TCS (Tata Consultancy Services)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarket Impact Report partnership exploring how 6G will unlock new value creation opportunities for telecom operators as the technology approaches commercial deployment.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• IDC (International Data Corporation): IDC is a global market intelligence firm for IT, telecommunications, and consumer technology. It overlaps directly with HFS in IT services research, vendor evaluations, and enterprise advisory, but at substantially larger scale.
• Gartner: Gartner is the dominant global IT research and advisory firm with Magic Quadrant, Hype Cycle, and enterprise advisory services. It is the broadest incumbent HFS competes against for Global 2000 research budgets, though Gartner covers a much wider technology footprint.
• 451 Research (S&P Global Market Intelligence): 451 Research, now part of S&P Global, provides enterprise technology research covering cloud, data, AI, and security. It is comparable in enterprise tech research focus and overlaps with HFS's data/AI and IT infrastructure coverage.

Emerging players

• CB Insights: CB Insights is a tech market intelligence platform combining proprietary data, analyst research, and predictive analytics. It compares to HFS's Data Intelligence Suite evolution and AI/GCC intelligence offerings, though with broader private-market coverage.

Direct peers

• Forrester Research: Forrester is a publicly-traded research and advisory firm serving enterprise technology and business decision-makers with Wave evaluations and advisory. It is the closest direct peer to HFS in business and IT services research for Global 2000 clients.
• Nucleus Research: Nucleus Research provides ROI-focused technology research targeting enterprise buyers and the mid-market. It is comparable to HFS in serving enterprise decision-makers with evaluation research, though narrower in scope.
• Everest Group: Everest Group is a research and consulting firm focused on IT services, BPO, and Global Capability Centers with PEAK Matrix assessments. It directly competes with HFS in GCC research and service provider evaluations.
• Constellation Research: Constellation Research is a research and advisory firm focused on disruptive enterprise technologies and business models. It overlaps with HFS's Horizons, Hot Tech, and OneOffice framework positioning for enterprise CXOs.
• ISG (Information Services Group): ISG provides technology research and advisory, including sourcing advisory and the ISG Index, and is a direct competitor in BPO/IT services research. ISG's enterprise sourcing focus closely mirrors HFS's vendor engagement and Horizons evaluations.

Regional players

• PAC (Pierre Audoin Consultants): PAC is a European-headquartered IT research and advisory firm with strong presence in France, Germany, and the UK. It overlaps with HFS in enterprise IT and digital transformation research, serving as a comparable European-focused peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hfsresearch
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/hfsresearch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hfs-research

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HFS Research