SPIRIT/21
SPIRIT/21 is an owner-managed German IT consulting and managed services firm with around 450 experts across eleven DACH locations. It delivers cloud, SAP, workplace, and security services to mid-market companies and large enterprises through professional and managed engagements.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersBöblingen, Germany
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What SPIRIT/21 does
SPIRIT/21 is a privately held, owner-managed IT consulting and managed services firm headquartered in Böblingen, Germany. Founded in December 1998 by two former IBM executives with roughly 30 years of IBM tenure each, the company delivers services across four product pillars: User Centric (workplace, collaboration, unified endpoint management, digital employee experience), Applications & Security (DevOps, application lifecycle, security operations), SAP (S/4HANA transformation, cloud ERP, application management, training), and Datacenter & Network (container/server management, storage and backup, network services, multi-cloud). It supports approximately 450 IT experts across eleven offices in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, with certified partnerships covering AWS, Microsoft (including Azure, M365, Intune, Sentinel, Teams Phone), SAP, STACKIT, Red Hat OpenShift, and a long tail of security, storage, and observability vendors. Its proprietary Business-Trans-IT migration methodology and the 6R Cloud Migration Strategy codify delivery experience spanning hundreds of thousands of endpoints and mailboxes.
The company commercializes through professional services engagements and ITIL-aligned managed services contracts (Plan, Build, Run & Optimize), with quote-based B2B pricing and direct enterprise and mid-market sales teams. Customer outcomes include ~80% post-migration performance gains and ~40% storage cost savings on disclosed reference projects. Certifications (ISO 27001:2022, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, TISAX Level 2, CrefoZert) underpin eligibility for automotive and regulated-industry tenders, while sustainability (KLIMAfit 2024, EcoVadis, IntegrityNext, CDP) is positioned as a differentiator in DACH enterprise procurement.
From 2014 through 2025 the firm executed a deliberate strategic shift away from low-margin subcontract work for large system integrators toward a focused Mittelstand and large-enterprise positioning. As of October 2024, Silke Nixdorf leads the management board; wholly-owned subsidiaries operate in Austria and Switzerland. No external funding events, M&A, or IPO activity are disclosed.
SPIRIT/21 firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SPIRIT/21
- Legal name
- SPIRIT/21 GmbH
- Website
- https://spirit21.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1998
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- SPIRIT/21 is an owner-managed German IT consulting and managed services firm with around 450 experts across eleven DACH locations. It delivers cloud, SAP, workplace, and security services to mid-market companies and large enterprises through professional and managed engagements.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where SPIRIT/21 is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Böblingen
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices12 records
Markets served
SPIRIT/21 business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- IT Consulting Services: Strategic IT consulting, analysis of IT landscapes, development of operator concepts, planning and advisory services for business success. Includes IT strategy consulting, process optimization, software development, infrastructure management, data analytics, and IT security solutions.
- Managed Services: Plan, Build, Run & Optimize services covering IT project execution and managed operations. Includes transition management, project management, service management, project-based support, and infrastructure operations aligned with ITIL best practices.
- Cloud Services: Cloud strategy, architecture, migration, and managed cloud operations. Includes multi-cloud strategies, AWS and Azure expertise, and cloud transformation projects.
- SAP Services: Comprehensive SAP services including S/4HANA transformation, SAP Cloud-ERP, application management services, SAP operations, and SAP training.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
SPIRIT/21 product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SPIRIT/21 is an owner-managed IT consulting and managed services provider that delivers end-to-end IT lifecycle services across four pillars: User Centric (workplace, service desk, collaboration, endpoint management), Applications & Security (DevOps, application development, IT security/SOC), SAP (S/4HANA transformation, cloud ERP, application management, operations, training), and Datacenter & Network (container/server, storage/backup, network, cloud services). The company serves mid-market and enterprise customers in the DACH region through consulting engagements, build-and-manage project delivery, and ongoing ITIL-aligned managed services contracts.
Product overview
SPIRIT/21 is a medium-sized IT consulting and service company operating a modular services portfolio organized into four main pillars: User Centric (workplace and end-user services), Applications & Security (development and IT security), SAP (full-service ERP offerings), and Datacenter & Network (infrastructure services). The company delivers these services through consulting engagements, build-and-manage project delivery, and ongoing managed services contracts. Key service modules include Communication & Collaboration, Unified Endpoint Management, IT Security, SAP S/4HANA Transformation, Cloud Services, Container & Server Management, and Storage & Backup. A proprietary Business-Trans-IT migration methodology and ITIL-aligned managed operations framework support service delivery. The company serves mid-market and enterprise customers across the DACH region from eleven locations with approximately 450 IT experts.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- User Centric End-user workplace IT services for businesses, including onsite services, service desk, communication and collaboration tools, unified endpoint management, and digital employee experience management. Designed for mid-market and enterprise customers in the DACH region.
- Applications & Security Business application development and IT security services for enterprises, including DevOps, application lifecycle management, Security Operations Center (SOC) using Microsoft Sentinel, zero trust architecture, NIS-2 compliance, and cyber exposure management.
- SAP Services End-to-end SAP services for enterprises, including S/4HANA transformation, public and private cloud ERP (RISE with SAP on STACKIT), application management, managed operations from SPIRIT/21 data centers, and SAP user and administrator training.
- Datacenter & Network Core IT infrastructure services for businesses, including container and server management (Red Hat OpenShift), storage and backup with ransomware protection, network services with managed firewalls and micro-segmentation, and multi-cloud services spanning AWS, Azure, and STACKIT.
- IT Consulting Strategic IT consulting for businesses, covering IT landscape analysis, IT strategy development, process optimization, infrastructure management, data analytics, IT security solutions, and cloud transformation planning using SPIRIT/21's vendor-neutral, independent approach.
- Plan, Build, Run & Optimize Comprehensive managed services for businesses covering the full IT lifecycle: transition management, project management, service management, project-based support, and ongoing infrastructure operations aligned with ITIL best practices and regulatory requirements.
- Business-Trans-IT Migration Methodology
Quantifiable outcome
- Up to 80% system performance improvement after cloud migration
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use SPIRIT/21
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
SPIRIT/21 technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration12 records
AI capability2 records
Feature2 records
SPIRIT/21 partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- AWS (Amazon Web Services)coreAWS Partner providing cloud services. SPIRIT/21 has a special partnership with AWS that has been maintained and developed for many years. Supports customers with AWS cloud migrations, architectures, and managed services.
- MicrosoftcorePartner for Microsoft solutions including Azure, Microsoft 365, Teams, Intune, and related technologies. Supports cloud, workplace, and security solutions.
- SAPcoreSAP Sell Partner authorized to directly sell SAP solutions. SAP PartnerEdge Partner (Service Partner since 2021). SAP Outsourcing Operations Partner (since 2015). Provides S/4HANA transformation, Cloud-ERP, application management, and SAP training.
- STACKITcoreSchwarz Group's sovereign cloud platform operated exclusively in Germany and Austria. Provides European alternative for cloud strategy with full data sovereignty. Especially relevant for SAP RISE scenarios.
Scale indicators14 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
SPIRIT/21 competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Computacenter plc: UK-headquartered European IT infrastructure and managed services provider with significant DACH operations. Comparable as a multi-vendor enterprise IT services and managed workplace/cloud competitor, though at significantly larger scale (FTSE 250).
- T-Systems International: Deutsche Telekom subsidiary providing IT services, cloud, and SAP managed services across Europe. Overlaps with SPIRIT/21's SAP, cloud, and managed services portfolio, though operates at much larger scale with telco parent backing.
- Bechtle AG: One of the largest European IT service providers and system houses, headquartered in Neckarsulm, Germany. Comparable as a DACH-focused IT services and managed services competitor, though significantly larger scale and broader product mix including hardware resale.
- Atos SE: French-headquartered global IT services company with significant DACH operations and SAP/cloud practices. Comparable across managed services and digital transformation portfolio, though currently undergoing financial restructuring and operational transformation.
- Sopra Steria Group: Major European IT services and consulting firm with significant DACH presence (notably through its Steria and Sopra banking heritage). Comparable across consulting, SAP, cloud, and managed services, though operates at much larger scale (CAC 40 listed).
Direct peers
- GFT Technologies SE: German IT services and digital transformation company with comparable size and DACH banking/insurance focus. Relevant comparable for managed services, cloud, and application development service mix, though more software-product oriented than SPIRIT/21.
- Allgeier SE: German mid-market IT services and consulting group operating across enterprise software, cloud, and SAP. Directly comparable to SPIRIT/21 in target customer profile (DACH Mittelstand), service portfolio (managed services + consulting), and scale (mid-sized SI with thousands of employees).
- msg group: German IT consulting and software company headquartered near Munich, with strong SAP and insurance industry focus. Closely comparable to SPIRIT/21 in DACH-centric service delivery, SAP partnership depth, and Mittelstand-to-enterprise customer mix.
- SVA System Vertrieb Alexander GmbH: German mid-market IT system house and managed services provider with strong vendor partnerships (Cisco, Microsoft, VMware). Closely comparable to SPIRIT/21 in target customers (DACH Mittelstand), managed services delivery, and partner-led service model.
Emerging players
- Devoteam SA: European IT consulting firm specialized in cloud, cybersecurity, and digital workplace. Comparable as a multi-cloud and managed services competitor with strong Microsoft partnership, though primarily France-headquartered with growing DACH presence.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
SPIRIT/21 social profiles
Digital presenceSPIRIT/21 compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance9 records
SPIRIT/21 financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SPIRIT/21 leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
SPIRIT/21 subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
SPIRIT/21 funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SPIRIT/21 M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about SPIRIT/21
What does SPIRIT/21 do?
SPIRIT/21 is an owner-managed IT consulting and managed services provider that delivers end-to-end IT lifecycle services across four pillars: User Centric (workplace, service desk, collaboration, endpoint management), Applications & Security (DevOps, application development, IT security/SOC), SAP (S/4HANA transformation, cloud ERP, application management, operations, training), and Datacenter & Network (container/server, storage/backup, network, cloud services). The company serves mid-market and enterprise customers in the DACH region through consulting engagements, build-and-manage project delivery, and ongoing ITIL-aligned managed services contracts.
Is SPIRIT/21 a public or private company?
SPIRIT/21 is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was SPIRIT/21 founded?
SPIRIT/21 was founded in 1998. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is SPIRIT/21 based?
SPIRIT/21 is headquartered in Böblingen, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does SPIRIT/21 make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. IT Consulting Services are the primary driver. The others are managed Services, cloud Services and SAP Services.
Who are SPIRIT/21's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Computacenter plc, T-Systems International, Bechtle AG, Atos SE and Sopra Steria Group. Direct peers are GFT Technologies SE, Allgeier SE, msg group and SVA System Vertrieb Alexander GmbH. Devoteam SA is listed as an emerging player.
Does SPIRIT/21 have an API?
No public API is recorded for SPIRIT/21.