We’re proud to announce that Livingstone has once again been named a Leader in the 2026 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Software Asset Management Managed Services. This marks the sixth consecutive year of recognition.

That’s the headline. And we’re proud of it.

But if you’re choosing a partner to help manage millions in software investment, we encourage you to do more.

Look behind the quadrant.

A position on a quadrant is one part of the picture. What’s more interesting is understanding what sits behind it: the people, technology, operating model, and philosophy that determine how a provider delivers for its customers.

In a SAM managed services market that continues to evolve, it’s worth looking carefully at exactly who and what you’re choosing.

A changing market. A consistent Leader.

We feel this year’s Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Software Asset Management Managed Services reflects a market that keeps changing.

The mix of providers has evolved. New names have entered the Leaders Quadrant, others are no longer included, and providers' relative positioning has shifted.

Livingstone has moved too.

But one thing hasn’t changed: Livingstone has been recognized as a Leader for six consecutive years.

For us, that consistency matters.

Software Asset Management isn’t a static discipline. Enterprise software estates have expanded from traditional on-prem licensing into SaaS, cloud, and now AI. Commercial models have become more complex. Vendor negotiations have become more consequential. And organizations are under increasing pressure to demonstrate value from every technology investment.

Being a Leader in that environment isn’t simply about appearing in a particular part of a chart. It’s about continuing to develop the capabilities customers need as the challenge itself changes.

That’s why we think organizations evaluating the market should look beyond relative position and ask a more important question:

What enables each provider to deliver effectively?

Look beyond the dot

The Gartner Magic Quadrant evaluates providers on two axes: Completeness of Vision and Ability to Execute.

Both matter.

However, neither should be viewed separately from the customer experience.

Execution happens inside complex enterprise software environments, where entitlement data may be incomplete, contracts are intricate, responsibilities are split across teams, and major vendor negotiations can involve millions in cost and risk.

For a major negotiation, an almost-accurate license position isn't enough. Nor is visibility across only most vendors sufficient to manage risk effectively. Identifying an opportunity creates no value unless the right expertise, technology, and processes can turn it into a measurable result. That is why Livingstone combines specialist expertise, technology and a disciplined operating model to help customers progress from data to intelligence to action.

Acuity sits at the heart of this approach.

Acuity: the intelligence behind the execution

Acuity is Livingstone’s platform for creating continuous visibility across software entitlement, deployment and consumption.

It consolidates information often scattered across contracts, procurement records, discovery tools and internal systems, revealing gaps between what you’ve bought, what you use and what you need.

But Acuity isn’t the answer on its own.

Technology can identify an issue or opportunity. It takes expertise to understand its commercial significance, decide what to do about it, and turn that insight into better outcomes.

That’s why Acuity sits within a managed service.

The platform provides the intelligence. Livingstone’s specialists turn it into action. And that distinction takes us beyond traditional Software Asset Management.

From Software Asset Management to Software Investment Management.

Traditional SAM has often focused on an important question:

Are we correctly licensed?

Software Investment Management asks a bigger one:

Are we getting the right commercial return from everything we’re spending on software, cloud and AI?

Compliance and license management remain essential. But today’s software estate spans traditional licensing, SaaS, cloud and increasingly AI. The commercial challenge has become much bigger than simply reconciling installations against entitlements.

Software Investment Management treats software as exactly what it has become: a major enterprise investment that needs continuous commercial scrutiny.

Are we buying only what we need?

Are we using what we’ve already bought?

Where are we carrying unnecessary cost or risk?

What should we change before the next renewal?

And when a major vendor negotiation begins, do we have the evidence and expertise to negotiate from a position of strength?

Acuity provides the intelligence layer. Livingstone provides the specialist expertise. Software Investment Management brings the two together.

Specialist focus, backed by greater scale

Livingstone operates as a specialist business within the Trustmarque and Ultima group.

That means retaining the specialist software investment expertise that has always defined Livingstone, while benefiting from the wider group's scale and capabilities. We believe that combination matters because organizations don’t simply need more software data. They need people who can interrogate that data, challenge assumptions, understand complex licensing and commercial models, and help turn insight into action. They need specialist expertise applied to one of the largest areas of enterprise technology expenditure. They also need a partner whose capabilities continue to evolve as the market does.

Six years as a Leader. What matters next?

We’re proud to be recognized as a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for the sixth consecutive year. But we don’t believe any organization should choose its Software Investment Management partner based solely on a dot on a chart, including ours.

Use the Magic Quadrant to understand the market and the providers Gartner has evaluated.

Then look behind it.

Look at the technology. Look at the expertise. Look at the operating model. Look at the breadth and depth of capability. And, most importantly, look at how each provider turns those things into measurable customer outcomes.

Because where a provider appears on the quadrant is useful.

Understanding what’s behind that position is what helps you decide whether they’re the right partner for you.

Start by downloading the 2026 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Software Asset Management Managed Services and exploring the market for yourself.

Then take a closer look at Livingstone Software Investment Management and Acuity to learn what drives six consecutive years of recognition as a Leader.