Print
Email
Print Edition StoriesSee the table of New England's Largest IT Consulting Firms
As the industries served by IT consultants change, so the consulting industry itself must adapt to the new challenges and technologies, according to Bob Hannum, senior vice president of CGI Inc.’s U.S. East business unit. In New England, where healthcare and insurance are economic drivers, said Hannum, IT consulting companies are keeping their eyes on changes expected from upcoming legislation. Those industries, he said, will be the most interesting to watch in the coming year.
On a broader scale, globalization and emerging technologies have goaded the consulting industry as a whole to change in order to survive. No longer is dominance in the U.S. and Canada enough. Consulting firms now have to expand globally to compete with the stiff competition of consulting agencies in India, said Hannum. The increased competition, he said, has been good for the industry by encouraging companies to quickly evolve.
“You can’t sit still. You have to grow,” said Hannum. Furthermore, the move toward cloud technology has required consultants to move toward rapid development but has also allowed greater flexibility and reduced service costs. This can mean opportunities for consultancies to expand their customer bases to include clients who would otherwise be unable to afford new technologies into their business, said Hannum.
To excel in this ever-changing environment, said Hannum, consulting firms need to be proactive in both staying knowledgeable about new technologies and understanding the evolving needs of their target industries. Despite the changing technologies, solid analytical skills in IT consultants are still essential. “The thing that hasn’t changed is what customers expect when they invest in IT,” said Hannum.
New England's 30 largest IT consulting firms
Ranked by New England information technology consultants, ties ranked by total New England employees
* Companies that did not respond to survey request are not included on this list.
Source: MHT Research
Note: IBM Corp. no longer breaks out their employee numbers regionally. Last year they were #1 on the list with 1,831 N.E. IT Consultants and 11,000 N.E. Employees.
Note: SAI Systems International, which was #5 on the list last year, did not respond to numerous survey requests.
Comments
If you are commenting using a Facebook account, your profile information may be displayed with your comment depending on your privacy settings. By leaving the 'Post to Facebook' box selected, your comment will be published to your Facebook profile in addition to the space below.
RSS Feeds
