Reply: a New Study Shows that Agentic AI will Become a Strategic Alternative to Traditional Sourcing Models for 93% of Tech Leaders

Reply [EXM, STAR: REY] today announced the release of “From Code to Control: AI’s Takeover of Software Development Lifecycle”, a commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting. The research, which surveyed 536 IT Executives across Europe and the US, highlights the progressive transition from simple AI coding assistants to autonomous agents capable of orchestrating the entire software development lifecycle (SDLC).

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The study underscores a critical turning point for software development: as traditional offshoring models struggle with hidden costs and regulatory hurdles, 93% of organisations plan to adopt Agentic AI within the next two to three years as a strategic alternative to outsourced software development and other traditional sourcing models.

The research found that 81% of leaders believe Agentic AI systems, which are capable of autonomous decision-making and workflow orchestration, will become a competitive necessity within the next three to five years. This shift is also driven by the declining efficacy of traditional outsourcing models: according to the study, 78% of leaders find that offshoring complicates compliance with regulations like GDPR, while 76% report increased risks of technical debt and code quality issues (bugs and rework).

The study also reveals a significant maturity gap: while 76% of firms have adopted AI in some steps of the software development lifecycle, only 20% have achieved pervasive integration across the lifecycle. This disparity suggests a substantial opportunity for organisations that can scale AI effectively beyond isolated use cases to a systemic level. Forrester recommends that leaders establish a 90-to-120-day roadmap to reorchestrate their delivery models: this involves treating AI-generated code with “Zero Trust” scrutiny and shifting talent strategies to prioritise architectural domain knowledge over rote coding skills.

"The findings of Forrester study confirm what we are seeing in the market: AI is no longer just a productivity tool, but a useful disruptor that demands a new operating model," said Filippo Rizzante, CTO at Reply. "The limitations of traditional offshoring, specifically in quality and compliance, are driving a return to control. With our Silicon Shoring model, we are answering this need by combining the proximity of Reply industry-specific and AI experts with the infinite scalability of Agentic AI, ensuring that our clients can innovate faster without compromising on security or architectural integrity."

Silicon Shoring is Reply’s delivery model designed to leverage this shift toward Agentic AI. By using the Silicon Reply multi-agent system, this methodology offers a robust alternative to traditional offshoring. It empowers organisations to maintain high standards of compliance and quality by integrating deep human expertise with a growing ecosystem of collaborative autonomous AI agents.

To download the full study visit: “From Code to Control: AI’s Takeover of Software Development Lifecycle”

Reply
Reply [EXM, STAR: REY, ISIN: IT0005282865] specialises in the design and implementation of solutions based on new communication channels and digital media. As a network of highly specialised companies, Reply supports major industrial groups in the telecom and media; industry and services; banking and insurance and public sectors in defining and developing business models enabled by the new paradigms of AI, cloud computing, digital media and the internet of things. Reply’s services include: consulting, system integration and digital services.www.reply.com

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