Enterprise Procurement and Partnership in the Age of AI and Outcome-Based Connectivity - Analysis by Vertical Market

This IDC Perspective is the second in a series of three documents that examine how businesses expect to procure connectivity services and related transformation projects in the era of AI and outcome-based connectivity. Drawing on IDC's 2025 Future Enterprise Connectivity Infrastructure and Services Survey and other related IDC data sources, this IDC Perspective identifies vertical market differences for connectivity provider preferences and procurement methods across financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, energy, retail, and education/government."Vertical market procurement patterns reveal that industry sector shapes connectivity provider selection more sharply than geography does," commented Paul Hughes, research director, Future Enterprise Connectivity Strategies at IDC. "The same provider can be the dominant trusted partner in one vertical and essentially absent in another - and the criteria for earning this position differ by sector in ways that generic market strategies cannot address."