Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Applications
    • Applications

    Look Whos on the Catwalk

    By
    John Moore
    -
    January 22, 2001
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Dont tell e-business product vendors that the Big Five consulting firms are hopelessly out-of-date.

      A number of vendors are increasingly boosting their business with old-line consultancies, which became less than fashionable during the rise of the Web integrators. Vignette Corp., a maker of e-business apps, is among them. “Our strategy moving forward in 2001 is to get laser-focused on the larger, more strategic global systems integrators,” says Mike Gerentine,VP of partner marketing at Vignette. Companies with Big Five backgrounds take two of the three slots in Vignettes top partnering tier: Accenture and PricewaterhouseCoopers. The third is an established integration stalwart: IBM Global Services.

      The story is much the same at e-commerce platform vendor Art Technology Group. Jeet Singh, CEO of ATG, says he has seen his companys business with traditional integrators soar in recent months. “The Big Five really dominate the amount of revenue we see,” says Singh.

      In addition to the Big Five, ATG also does business with the likes of Computer Sciences Corp., Electronic Data Systems Corp. and IBM Global Services.

      Why are the Big Five suddenly back in vogue? For one, they are entrenched in the Fortune 2000 accounts that product vendors want to reach. Enterprise customers have maintained “long-standing relationships with the Big Five,” says Gerentine. He cites the Big Fives vertical market emphasis as another plus and one that dovetails with Vignettes evolving business strategy. As Vignette moves toward a vertical sales model, the company will pursue deeper ties to the Big Five practices in such markets as financial services, high tech, publishing and retail.

      Head count is another plus when it comes to doing business with the Big Five. Singh says that since late 1999, when IT resources became especially scarce, customers started handing more work to the better-staffed integrators. Hence, ATG has sold more of its products through traditional integrators. “The sheer amount of bodies translates into the number of projects they can do and the amount of product ATG can sell,” Singh says.

      Deloitte Consulting, for example, plans to train as many as 300 consultants on ATGs products. Accenture plans to train 500 staffers on its wares, while PricewaterhouseCoopers may train 200 to 300 employees.

      Yet vendors have not dismissed Web integrators from the partnering mix. “Our research indicates the majority of firms rely on multiple consultants to drive their e-business development and implementation,” says Anne Smith, VP of consulting and systems integrators at IBM. “Smart firms are leveraging the benefits of the big consulting firms business experience and vertical industry expertise along with the creative agility of born on the Net Web integrators.

      Looks like “Big” is beautiful again.

      John Moore
      John writes the Contract Watch column and his own column for the Channel Insider.John has covered the information-technology industry for 15 years, focusing on government issues, systems integrators, resellers and channel activities. Prior to working with Channel Insider, he was an editor at Smart Partner, and a department editor at Federal Computer Week, a newspaper covering federal information technology. At Federal Computer Week, John covered federal contractors and compiled the publication's annual ranking of the market's top 25 integrators. John also was a senior editor in the Washington, D.C., bureau of Computer Systems News.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×