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IT executives are looked upon as the technology experts within their organizations, but where can they go for trusted advice when they don’t have all the answers? Technology consulting offers an excellent platform to fill the trusted adviser role for IT departments.

With a variety of managed services as part of their portfolio of offerings, the depth and breadth of experience technology consultants can bring to the table is hard to beat. Often, consulting firms have experienced the pitfalls and trials that come with IT planning and execution. Benefiting from their insights and experience can help organizations avoid costly mistakes and realize the advantages of a concise IT strategy.

Pros and cons of utilizing consulting firms

Serving the client should be the first goal, and for most firms this is the case. The benefit of good advice is securing a client for the future, and creating a true partner in business. There is also the “reputation boost” that will come from providing honest good advice to the client.

A word of caution — consulting firms can sometimes put their needs and desires above the clients, serving themselves first and using the client as a vehicle to reach their goals. An unwillingness to put skin in the game for the client and back up what planning or advice they are providing should be a red flag warning that the advice is self-serving at best, or simply bad, at worst.

IT leaders should beware of asking the wrong vendor for advice, trusting in a firm that does not have the skill or experience they are seeking, and using the “in-house consulting resources” since the IT leader has easy access to them. It’s important for IT leadership to research what is being sought out and to not be afraid of asking more than one firm for advice, so they can compare answers. 

I am fond of a saying that consultants are in the “hero making business.” It is their job to stand alongside their clients and lift them up, by delivering a service that meets their needs, exceeds their expectations, and predicting what they will need in the future.

All of this is to make them look like heroes in their organizations. Technology consultants are the invisible hand that helps lift them up.

Photo: Freedomz / Shutterstock


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Peter Phillip

Posted by Peter Phillip

Peter Phillip is General Manager, Houston at Sparkhound, where he is responsible for business development, clients, and culture. Peter brings 20+ years of experience leading organizations through digital transformation solutioning. During his career, he has served nearly one hundred and fifty clients of all sizes, from startups to Fortune 10 companies, across energy, healthcare, manufacturing, finance, and consumer industries.

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