Information technology consulting
2514855
225793564
2008-07-15T12:49:51Z
UnitedStatesian
3461395
rm non-notable per talk page: editors are encouraged to [[WP:WTAF|write the article first]]
'''Information technology consulting''' ('''IT consulting''' or '''business and technology services''') is a field that focuses on advising businesses on how best to use [[information technology]] to meet their business objectives. In addition to providing advice, IT consultancies often implement, deploy, and administer IT systems [[Outsourcing|on businesses' behalf]].
The IT consulting industry can be viewed as a three-tier system:
*[[Professional services]] firms which maintain large professional workforces and command high bill rates. These firms are increasingly sourcing their employees from [[Offshoring|low-cost nations]].
*[[Staffing]] firms, which place technologists in businesses on a temporary basis. These firms are pejoratively known as "[[Permatemp|body shops]]". While they are geographically limited by their customers, they can exploit global cost differences by bringing [[guest worker]]s to their host country. Body Shops are typically distinguished from Consultancies by their commercial practice of pricing service by the day (the input), rather than by the results of their work (the outputs, or deliverables).
*[[Independent consultant]]s, who function as contractors (in the U.S, on "[[Form 1099|1099]]"), employees of staffing firms (in the U.S, employed on "[[W-2]]"), or as subcontractors in their own right.
{{TOCright}}
There is a relatively unclear line between [[management consulting]] and IT consulting. There are sometimes overlaps between the two fields, but IT consultants often have degrees in [[computer science]], [[electronics]], [[technology]], or [[management information systems]] while management consultants often have degrees in [[accounting]], [[economics]], [[Industrial Engineering]], [[finance]], or a generalized [[MBA]] (Masters in Business Administration).
==List of major IT consulting firms==
The following is a list of the largest IT consulting firms in the world, along with their corporate headquarters location and the total number of consultants they have. Many of these serve primarily as third-party consultants. Many enterprise software companies, such as [[SAP AG|SAP]] and [[Oracle Corporation|Oracle]], employ their own consultants for services related to their own products. Among the corporations listed below, the number of consultants listed is less than their total number of employees.
<!--Please note!! We have clear consensus on the talk page for this article as to what constitutes notability for the purposes of this list, and non-notable additions /will be removed/. Please don't add your consultancy/it services firm here for free advertising. Thanks.-->
===Asia===
{|class="wikitable sortable" style="width:55%"
|-
!Name !!width="20%"|Headquarters !!width="15%"|Consultants !!width="10%"|As of
|-
|[[HCL Technologies]] || [[Noida]], [[India]] || 50,000+ ||
|-
|[[Infosys]] || [[Bangalore]], [[India]] || 75,000 ||
|-
|[[Neusoft Group]] || [[Shenyang]], [[China]] || 12,000+ ||
|-
|[[Larsen & Toubro Infotech]] || [[Mumbai]], [[India]] || 24,000 ||
|-
|[[Patni Computer Systems]] || [[Mumbai]], [[India]] || 13,000 ||
|-
|[[Satyam Computer Services]] || [[Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh|Hyderabad]], [[India]] || 40,000+ ||
|-
|[[Tata Consultancy Services]] || [[Mumbai]], [[India]] || 100,000 ||
|-
|[[Tech Mahindra]] || [[Pune]], [[India]] || 17,000+ ||
|-
|[[Wipro Technologies]] || [[Bangalore]], [[India]] || 68,000 ||
|}
===Europe===
{|class="wikitable sortable" style="width:55%"
|-
!Name !!width="20%"|Location !!width="15%"|Consultants !!width="10%"|As of
|-
|[[Altran]] || [[Paris]], [[France]] || 17,057 ||
|-
|[[Atos Origin]] || [[Paris]], [[France]] || 45,000 ||
|-
|[[Capgemini]] || [[Paris]], [[France]] || 75,020 ||
|-
|[[Getronics]] || [[Amsterdam]], [[Netherlands]] || 28,000 ||
|-
|[[Indra (company)|Indra]] || [[Madrid]], [[Spain]] || 20,000 ||
|-
|[[Logica]] || [[London]], [[United Kingdom|UK]] || 40,000+ ||
|-
|[[Siemens IT Solutions and Services]] || [[Munich]], [[Germany]] || 40,000+ ||
|-
|[[TietoEnator]] || [[Espoo]], [[Finland]] || 15,000 ||
|-
|}
===North America===
{|class="wikitable sortable" style="width:55%"
|-
!Name !!width="20%"|Location !!width="15%"|Consultants !!width="10%"|As of
|-
|[[Accenture]] || [[Hamilton, Bermuda]] || 178,000 ||
|-
|[[Affiliated Computer Services]] || [[Dallas]], [[Texas|TX]] || 62,000 ||
|-
|[[BearingPoint]] || [[McLean, Virginia|McLean]], [[Virginia|VA]] || 17,500 ||
|-
|[[Booz Allen Hamilton]] || [[McLean, Virginia|McLean]], [[Virginia|VA]] || 19,000 ||
|-
|[[CGI Group]] || [[Montreal]], [[Canada]] || 26,500 ||
|-
|[[Cognizant Technology Solutions]] || [[Teaneck, New Jersey|Teaneck]], [[New Jersey|NJ]] || 55,000 ||
|-
|[[Computer Sciences Corporation]] || [[Falls Church, Virginia|Falls Church]], [[Falls Church|VA]] || 91,000 ||
|-
|[[Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu]] || [[New York City|New York]], [[New York|NY]] || 155,000 ||
|-
|[[Electronic Data Systems]] || [[Plano, Texas|Plano]], [[Texas|TX]] || 136,000 ||
|-
|[[HP Technology Solutions]] || [[Palo Alto, California|Palo Alto]], [[California|CA]] || 105,000 ||
|-
|[[IBM Global Business Services]] || [[Armonk, New York|Armonk]], [[New York|NY]] || 320,000 ||
|-
|[[Keane Inc]] || [[Boston]], [[Massachusetts|MA]] || 14,500 ||
|-
|[[Perot Systems]] || [[Plano, Texas|Plano]], [[Texas|TX]] || 21,000 ||
|-
|[[Science Applications International Corporation]] || [[La Jolla]], [[California|CA]] || 44,000 ||
|-
|[[Titan Corporation]] || [[San Diego]], [[California|CA]] || 12,000 ||
|-
|[[Unisys]] || [[Blue Bell, Pennsylvania|Blue Bell]], [[Pennsylvania|PA]] || 31,000 ||
|}
===Defunct but notable===
*[[Arthur Andersen|Arthur Andersen Business Consulting]]
*[[MarchFirst]]
==See also==
*[[:Category:Information technology consulting firms]]
*[[:Category:Management consulting firms]]
*[[Outsourcing]], delegation of internal non-core operations to external entity
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{IT giants}}
[[Category:Information technology|Consulting]]
[[Category:Business and financial operations occupations]]
[[de:IT-Berater]]
[[es:Consultoría tecnológica]]
[[fr:Société de services en ingénierie informatique]]
[[zh:IT咨询]]