ISG to Evaluate Life Sciences Service Providers Worldwide
Upcoming ISG Provider Lens™ report will assess the capabilities of providers helping companies advance their research and navigate regulatory complexities
Information Services Group (ISG) (Nasdaq: III), a global AI-centered technology research and advisory firm, has launched a research study examining service providers offering industry-specific expertise, strategic advice and technology support to life sciences companies worldwide.
The study results will be published in a comprehensive ISG Provider Lens™ report, called Life Sciences Digital Services, scheduled to be released in June 2025. The report will cover both digital service providers and contract research organizations (CROs) offering support for clinical development, patient management and the manufacturing supply chain.
Enterprise buyers will be able to use information from the report to evaluate their current vendor relationships, potential new engagements and available offerings, while ISG advisors use the information to recommend providers to the firm's buy-side clients.
The life sciences industry is undergoing significant digital transformation driven by the urgent need to advance research and navigate regulatory complexities. Advanced technologies such as AI, ML and automation are playing a prominent role, yet issues with low-quality, outdated and incomplete data challenge seamless process integration.
The imperative to reduce time-to-market continues to prompt increased collaboration among industry players, but traditional data management tools often result in data duplication and raise security concerns.
"Leaders in life sciences are faced with navigating a fluctuating landscape where the costs of innovation have surged, often exponentially," said Iain Fisher, director, ISG Provider Lens Research. "However, there is a growing need for these companies to adopt innovation at scale, especially to maximize the efficiency of business models newly empowered by AI."
ISG has distributed surveys to more than 130 providers serving the global life sciences and services market. Working in collaboration with ISG's global advisors, the research team will produce eight quadrants – five of which examine the capabilities of service providers, and three of which examine the capabilities of CROs, based on ISG's experience working with its clients. The five service provider-related quadrants are:
- Clinical Development, evaluating providers of technology for patient recruitment, data collection, monitoring, analysis and regulatory compliance. Providers integrate innovations such as AI, big data analytics, mobile health applications and electronic health records to aid in patient identification and safety monitoring, improve treatment efficacy and ensure compliance with regulations and reporting requirements.
- Patient Engagement, assessing providers specializing in life science customer services, utilizing digital tools such as mobile applications, wearable devices, telehealth platforms and online portals to facilitate seamless communication between patients and healthcare providers. Digitally transformed patient engagement fosters a collaborative, patient-centric healthcare ecosystem that improve healthcare outcomes.
- Manufacturing Supply Chain, covering providers adopting digital technologies such as IoT, AI, blockchain and advanced analytics to enhance efficiency, visibility and agility across the entire supply chain. Advancements in supply chain management streamline operations, reduce lead times, minimize errors and ensure regulatory compliance, while cultivating a more resilient, adaptive and responsive ecosystem.
- Pharmacovigilance and Regulatory Affairs — Digital Evolution, evaluating providers supporting patient safety monitoring, adhering to regulatory requirements and facilitating reporting through diverse processes and platforms leveraging AI, natural language processing and machine learning. Recent breakthroughs in these fields are opening avenues for innovation and improved operational efficiency.
- Commercial Operations — Digital Evolution, assessing providers driving the digital evolution of life sciences commercial operations, including data analytics, customer engagement, supply chain optimization and personalized medicine, through technologies such as AI and IoT. More life sciences companies are seeking digital channels for direct-to-consumer engagement, online sales and efficient product distribution.
The three CRO-related quadrants are:
- Clinical Development, covering CROs that support life sciences in the execution of clinical trials across all phases. High costs, along with complex issues such as high failure rates and the need to maintain efficient service delivery levels, make CROs critical for helping organizations mitigate operational and financial risks, optimizing patient safety monitoring and ensuring adherence to global standards.
- Patient Engagement, evaluating CROs that focus on design strategies that emphasize personalize outreach, education and support to improve recruitment efficiency and clinical trial experiences. These CROs leverage digital platforms, AI-driven insights and behavioral analytics for proactive engagement while ensuring compliance with privacy regulations.
- Pharmacovigilance and Regulatory Affairs — Digital Evolution, assessing CROs that help companies ensure drug safety while navigating adverse event reporting and regulatory frameworks. Services in this space also encompass benefit/risk assessment, submission preparation and communication with regulatory authorities for compliance and transparency.
The study will cover the global life sciences and digital services market and examine products and services available worldwide. ISG analyst Rohan Sinha will serve as lead author of the report.
A list of identified providers and vendors and further details on the study are available in this digital brochure. Companies not listed as life sciences digital service providers can contact ISG and ask to be included in the study.
All 2025 ISG Provider Lens™ evaluations feature expanded customer experience (CX) data that measures actual enterprise experience with specific provider services and solutions, based on ISG's continuous CX research. Enterprise customers wishing to share their experience about a specific provider or vendor are invited to complete this online survey. Participants will receive a copy of this report in return for their feedback.
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.
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Will Thoretz, ISG
+1 203 517 3119
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Julianna Sheridan, Matter Communications for ISG
+1 978-518-4520
[email protected]