Running head: Trends in the IT Consulting Industry Trends in the Information Technology Consulting Industry
Raquel Sikyala
June 25, 2017 1 Trends in the IT Consulting Industry 2 The Three Top Trends in IT Consulting
The Information Technology consulting industry has a vast array of trends that have had
an impact on the expansion and growth of the industry. There are currently three trends that have
had a huge amount of publicity in the IT consulting industry. These three trends are companies
collaborating with other companies or groups outside their industry, cloud computing, and cyber
security.
Collaboration
As clients demand more services it is becoming more and more difficult for one company
to compete to fulfill these requirements. Shuman and Twombly (2010, p. 1) state collaboration
happens in a network as organizations open themselves up to a variety of stakeholders and
communities. The network is dynamic and “fit for purpose,” with the agility to change the
components and how they relate to each other legally and operationally as purpose and context
evolves. Harnessing the strength of contributors, the network benefits and connects all parties in
new and innovative ways. In short, the collaborative network is the organization. They explain
the key to collaboration as a matter of following 5 principles. These principles are as follows: Principle #1 Organizations and people only actively engage in collaboration when
the benefit they derive is greater than the time and effort it takes to collaborate. (Shuman & Twombly, p. 4)
Principle #2 Collaborative networks are fit for purpose. The purpose determines how the network is structured. (Shuman & Twombly, p.4)
Principle #3 Every network has a choreographer, the individual or entity that
organizes the network and is responsible for achieving the purpose of the network.
(Shuman & Twombly, p. 6) Trends in the IT Consulting Industry 3 Principle #4 Governance is the system for managing the joint and individual work
of the collaboration. Governance principles have both structural and behavioral components. (Shuman & Twombly, p. 6)
Principle #5 Innovation in organization design requires innovation in
management. (Shuman & Twombly, p. 7) Although Shuman and Twombly support the idea of collaboration as an eventual necessity, its
success is not a guarantee. Shuman and Twombly (2010, p. 4) quote Chris Huxham, Professor of
Management at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow when they state that her view is: Don’t
collaborate unless you must. Shuman and Twombly (2010, p. 4) go on to say that they agree with
Chris Huxham. However, they also believe you must collaborate, as does every CEO searching
for elusive growth. Johnson (2005, para. 2) wrote an article where he stated for the past 30 years,
companies have boosted their labor productivity by reengineering, automating, or outsourcing
production and clerical jobs. Johnson (2005, para. 10) also says that outsourcing, like the boom
in global operations and marketing, has dramatically increased the need to interact with vendors
and partners and communications technologies such as e-mail and instant messaging have made
interaction easier and far less expensive. Although this is a trend that some IT consulting
companies are implementing, it is still in an infancy state.
Cloud Computing
Another trend that is growing in popularity and has generated an enormous job
market is cloud computing. Nowadays, cloud computing mainly provides three types of services
to clients: Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Infrastructure as a
Service (IaaS). At the moment, SaaS is the most popular model (Dragan, Branović, Popović,
Zivković, & Tomasević, 2014, p. 673). Cloud computing represents a set of approaches that
enable organizations to engage quickly and effectively, and free up resources in real-time Trends in the IT Consulting Industry 4 (Dragan et al., 2014, p. 674). Microsoft Office products are an example of one company that
offers SaaS. You no longer need to have their software installed on your computer to use it. It can
be used over the internet from Office 365 on the Microsoft website. Cloud computing has grown
rapidly in the past year. Columbus (2017, para. 1) lists a number of forecasts projecting growth
trends in the various services. One of Columbus entries in his article (as cited in Pettey, 2017),
states that Gartner predicts the worldwide public cloud services market will grow 18% in 2017 to
$246.8B, up from $209.2B in 2016. Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) is projected to grow
36.8% in 2017 and reach $34.6B. Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) is expected to increase 20.1%,
reaching $46.3B in 2017.
Cyber Security
Another trend that is also growing rapidly in the IT consulting industry is cyber security.
Security has always been a trending issue. There are so many threats that exist and continue to
threaten the integrity, availability, and confidentiality of IT systems. No organization can afford
to not invest in securing their IT systems. Cyber security is an international epidemic today, and
getting worse (Affisco, 2017, p. 421). Therefore, it is clear that providing cyber security is a
trend that IT consulting businesses should provide as a service offering to clients. IT consulting
firms are already providing cyber security services. There is even a fairly mature market of
security consultants who can test your business’ system for vulnerabilities and help the company
become more secure. These technical resources are essential for dealing with the ongoing, evermore challenging technical challenge to keeping cyber secure (Affisco, 2017, p. 422). Experts
are predicting cyber security threats that various organizations will encounter in 2017. Worms of
the past, such as Conficker, Nimda, and Code Red, will return to prominence. However, this time
they will carry ransomware payloads capable of infecting hundreds of machines in an incredibly Trends in the IT Consulting Industry 5 short time span. We have already seen this start to come to fruition with the recent attack on the
San Francisco Municipal Transport Agency. Over 2,000 systems were completely locked with
ransomware and likely spread on its own as a self-propagating worm. As cybercriminals become
more adept at carrying out these tactics, there is a good chance that these attacks will become
more common (Patterson, 2016, para. 5). Technology is continuously advancing. As a result,
cyber threats are advancing as well. Patterson (2016, para. 6) gives a perfect example in his
statement that there is always a new technology being developed and existing technology being
upgraded to provide more capabilities. As more devices become internet-enabled and accessible
and the security measures in place continue to lag behind, the associated risks are on the rise.
Conclusion
Collaborating with other companies or organizations have proven to be successful.
However, there is no guarantee of success. Cloud computing is growing in popularity.
However, you would need to have a service offering in order to be able to capitalize on this
market. Security has been an integral part of the information technology industry from the
very beginning. It is clear that cyber security must be a number one priority within
organizations as well as being a huge market for the IT consulting industry. Every consulting
company is already providing security services to their clients. Therefore, entering this
market would be an expansion in an existing service offering. It would not be difficult to
offer this service to clients. There is a lot of training offered at training facilities as well as
universities. IT consulting firms can offer online training to employees interested in a career
change. Cyber security is an industry that will always be a current trend. References Trends in the IT Consulting Industry 6 Affisco, J. F. (2017, 22-25 March). Expanding cyber security learning in the business curriculum.
Paper presented at the Proceedings for the Northeast Region Decision Sciences Institute
(NEDSI). Retrieved June 25, 2017, from 420-435. Springfield, MA Columbus, L. (2017). Roundup of cloud computing forecasts. Retrieved from
https://www.forbes.com/sites/louiscolumbus/2017/04/29/roundup-of-cloud-computingforecasts-2017/#cf00b1031e87 Johnson, B. C. (2005). The next revolution in interactions. Retrieved from
http://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/the-nextrevolution-in-interactions Marković, D., Branović, I., Živković, D., Tomašević, V. (2014). A review of cloud computing in
business. Singidunum Journal of Applied Sciences. doi:10.15308/sinteza-2014-673-677
11(Suppl. 133), 673-677. Patterson, D. (2016). Experts predict 2017's biggest cybersecurity threats. Retrieved from
http://www.techrepublic.com/article/experts-predict-2017s-biggest-cybersecurity-threats/ Pettey, C. (2017). Gartner says worldwide public cloud services market to grow 18 percent in
2017. Retrieved from http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/3616417 Trends in the IT Consulting Industry
Shuman, J., & Twombly, J. (2010). Collaborative networks are the organization: An Innovation
in Organization Design and Management. Vikalpa: The Journal for Decision Makers,
35(1), 1-14. 7

• 1499127475-TrendsFinalRSikyala63017.docx

SuperTutor

(15)

Status NEW Posted 04 Jul 2017 12:07 AM My Price 20.00

-----------

Attachments

file 1499127477-Solutions file.docx preview (51 words )

S-----------olu-----------tio-----------ns -----------fil-----------e -----------Hel-----------lo -----------Sir-----------/Ma-----------dam----------- T-----------han-----------k y-----------ou -----------for----------- yo-----------ur -----------int-----------ere-----------st -----------and----------- bu-----------yin-----------g m-----------y p-----------ost-----------ed -----------sol-----------uti-----------on.----------- Pl-----------eas-----------e p-----------ing----------- me----------- on----------- ch-----------at -----------I a-----------m o-----------nli-----------ne -----------or -----------inb-----------ox -----------me -----------a m-----------ess-----------age----------- I -----------wil-----------l b-----------e q-----------uic-----------kly----------- on-----------lin-----------e a-----------nd -----------giv-----------e y-----------ou -----------exa-----------ct -----------fil-----------e a-----------nd -----------the----------- sa-----------me -----------fil-----------e i-----------s a-----------lso----------- se-----------nt -----------to -----------you-----------r e-----------mai-----------l t-----------hat----------- is----------- re-----------gis-----------ter-----------ed -----------on�-----------�th-----------is -----------web-----------sit-----------e -----------Tha-----------nk -----------you----------- -----------

Not Rated(0)

• Buy Answer