IT consulting firms

[tomtomagain]

I think there is a gap in the market for decent honest trustworthy consultancy which has delivery orientated people at its heart.

All consultancies claim to be trustworthy and delivery orientated. They all have the best people.

They also all share the same flawed business model. That is whatever way you cut it, they play a numbers game. It's all about placing resources and minimising the bench. Land then Expand : The consultants motto.

Anyone who is any good at a consultancy rapidly ends up embedded at one particular client. The client doesn't want to let him go. The consultancy doesn't give him any progression or other opportunity because he's earning. And in the end he either goes native or goes contracting.

[Lance]

Some are in meltdown currently as HPE and CSC are, and I expect to fail massively and crumble or merge further.

HPE offering max of £360/day for architect roles in the NE. Another meltdown or another spreadsheet jockey who reckons he can save money by slashing rates.

[SueEllen]

InfoSys

Wipro

[spoons]

HP split into two. HPE is HP Enterprise which is professional services, server kit, outsourcing, and software products.

HP Inc (or laughingly HP Ink as lots of their profit comes from printer ink) is mainly end user devices and consumables

HPE is due to split and merge more, services part becomes part of CSC. Software bit has been sold to Micro Focus I seem to recall. Which will leave HPE only being various kinds of Server kit.

HPE Services and CSC are in complete and utter meltdown.

And due to merge in March 2017 for a whole new world of chaos

[NotAllThere]

...
Anyone who is any good at a consultancy rapidly ends up embedded at one particular client. The client doesn't want to let him go. The consultancy doesn't give him any progression or other opportunity because he's earning. And in the end he either goes native or goes contracting.

In Switzerland, after two years the client must offer a permanent internal role. The consultancy cannot block it or charge any fee if the consultant takes the role.

[Bee]

With all the talk in another thread about consultancies it made me think, and I was wondering in pure IT terms which firms were which and more likely to contract with, not that I have that desire but just to be aware.

So to start, a stab at some groupings....

The big 4: Pricewaterhouse Coopers, Ernst & Young, Deloitte, KPMG

IT firms: Microsoft, Oracle, HP, IBM

Not big 4 nor IT firm: Capgemini, CGI, Accenture, Capita

Interested in your views on this list, any obvious missing? wrong grouping?

I start my career in one of the IT Consultants of your list, a very good one.

Yes you have a wrong grouping.
Capgemini, CGI, Accenture are IT Consultant firms.

[oracleslave]

Within the Oracle UK space, there are loads of "small" consultancies that have large clients and good turnover. eg. Claremont, Certus, Rocela...

Hitachi Consulting are another one that I'd add to your list.

You worked at any of those?

[Bee]

All consultancies claim to be trustworthy and delivery orientated. They all have the best people.

They also all share the same flawed business model. That is whatever way you cut it, they play a numbers game. It's all about placing resources and minimising the bench. Land then Expand : The consultants motto.

Anyone who is any good at a consultancy rapidly ends up embedded at one particular client. The client doesn't want to let him go. The consultancy doesn't give him any progression or other opportunity because he's earning. And in the end he either goes native or goes contracting.

The add value of a good IT Consultant is the quality of the services and you cant's have that without mentoring, oriented trainings and experience. They choose the good ones for progressing.
It's true that you can be placed in one client for years but if a good consultant got stuck in his career or needed in another project (challenge) that needs him/her they will be moved.

[missinggreenfields]

You worked at any of those?

No - I've had interviews for roles with most of them, though. For one reason or another they didn't materialise, but I know people who have worked for all of them - Claremont when it was Premiertec, Hitachi when it was Molliere (and others) etc

[sal]

The add value of a good IT Consultant is the quality of the services and you cant's have that without mentoring, oriented trainings and experience. They choose the good ones for progressing.
It's true that you can be placed in one client for years but if a good consultant got stuck in his career or needed in another project (challenge) that needs him/her they will be moved.

Not always, back in the days when i was a permie at what is now HPE the management was deliberately blocking some of the best people from advancement as they would have left a gaping holes in their old positions. It was a wide spread practice involving multiple teams, so obviously a senior management mandate and not some line manager decision. That kind of flawed logic led to the best people leaving for other jobs or going contracting leaving HPE the steaming pile of tulip it is now.