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The ISG Buyers Guides™ for Data Platforms 2025, produced by ISG Software Research, highlight the evolution of data platforms to meet the demands of agentic and generative AI. With rankings of 38 software providers, the guides emphasize the shift toward hybrid platforms that support both analytic and operational workloads, enabling enterprises to drive AI-powered innovation.
ISG evaluates 38 providers across Data, Analytic, and Operational Platforms.
Oracle leads Data and Operational Platforms; Databricks tops Analytic Platforms.
Hybrid platforms blur traditional analytic-operational distinctions for AI needs.
Top providers: Oracle, InterSystems, Google Cloud, Databricks, AWS, and more.
Supports real-time AI applications like personalization and predictions.
By 2027, two-thirds of enterprises expected to adopt new operational databases.
The ISG Buyers Guides reveal that enterprises increasingly rely on data platforms for both business analysis and operations, with AI driving the need for hybrid solutions. “Enterprises have become totally dependent on data platforms for business analysis and operations,” said Matt Aslett, director of research, Analytics, Data & AI, ISG Software Research. The research finds that platforms are evolving to support real-time, AI-powered functions like personalization and predictions, with providers delivering capabilities for generative AI (GenAI) and machine learning.
ISG assessed providers across three categories: Data Platforms, Analytic Data Platforms, and Operational Data Platforms, evaluating them on usability, manageability, reliability, capability, adaptability, validation, and total cost of ownership/return on investment (TCO/ROI). The Overall Leaders include:
Data Platforms: Oracle (Leader in 6 categories), InterSystems (4), Google Cloud (3), with Actian, AWS, Cloudera, Couchbase, IBM, Microsoft, and SAP rated Exemplary.
Analytic Data Platforms: Databricks (Leader in 7 categories), Oracle (6), Google Cloud (3), with Actian, AWS, Cloudera, Couchbase, IBM, InterSystems, Microsoft, SAP, Snowflake, and Teradata rated Exemplary.
Operational Data Platforms: Oracle (Leader in 6 categories), InterSystems (4), Google Cloud (3), with Actian, AWS, Cloudera, Couchbase, IBM, Microsoft, MongoDB, SAP, and Yugabyte rated Exemplary.
The traditional divide between analytic (business intelligence, data science) and operational (finance, sales, customer experience) platforms is blurring as AI requires integrated capabilities. ISG predicts that by 2027, two-thirds of enterprises will adopt new operational database products to support AI-driven applications. “Enterprises need modern data platforms to support the diverse set of needs for operations and decision-making, and the direct set of requirements for AI,” said Mark Smith, partner and chief software analyst, ISG Software Research. Providers are prioritizing hybrid functionality to handle these evolving needs.
The ISG Buyers Guides, based on over a year of independent research, offer enterprises a roadmap to evaluate and select data platforms. With providers like Oracle, Databricks, and Google Cloud leading the charge, businesses can leverage these platforms to enhance agility through cloud infrastructure and managed services, ensuring they meet the performance and scalability demands of AI-driven applications.
This comprehensive analysis positions enterprises to optimize their technology investments, aligning with the AI revolution by selecting providers that deliver robust, hybrid data platforms for both operational and analytic excellence.
ISG 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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