With the holiday season comes an opportunity to review some of the major deals and developments of the past year. The market as a whole is approaching its best year in more than a decade, with major indexes reporting major gains. The S&P 500 is up 28%. The NASDAQ is up more than 37%. 

But what about the MW IT Index^®?

martinwolf publishes the MW IT Index (Global Edition), that is used by IT sector businesses, international media, and the bankers at our firm to analyze the state of the industry. The MW IT Index remains the only index of its kind in the IT Services industry, and is a meaningful tool for understanding the major developments that have taken place.

The year showcased several opportunities for companies to transform their businesses. Continued strong performances in the Software as a Service (SaaS) sector, which remains significantly above both the comparison NASDAQ index and the other MW IT Index components from a five-year historical perspective, is inspiring firms across the industry to turn to acquisitions as a means toward similar success.

While the IT Supply Chain Industry continues to face ongoing structural problems, some companies are turning to privatization as a means of making necessary shifts to their business models. Dell and Softchoice, two of the highest-profile companies undergoing such a process, have the potential to transfom their businesses to secure higher margins and rising values.

On the global stage, Chinese companies are beginning to show strong evidence that they are ready to take the necessary steps to grow their businesses into formidable competitors -- while Indian firms are taking steps up the value chain by acquiring high-end services firms.

To read the entire MW IT Index report, click here.