What does a customer in a consultant seek”
It was a turbulente summer in consultancyland. Yet for the consultancyafdeling of PricewaterhouseCoopers independent as a Monday through the life could, was incorporated the business already by IBM Global Services. Piglet Blue maintains is happened that the take-over purchase actual on question of the customer. But what want that customer then precisely” And means this that also the other members of the Piglet 5 only better their business can take”
He who this summer was not on holiday, could there not about: the take-over purchase of PwC Consulting, the almost verzelfstandigde consultancyafdeling of audit- and public prosecutor advice desk PricewaterhouseCoopers, through IBM Global Services. IBM had want to let appeared already before its interest in the consultancyafdeling of this, did with name then HP openly a take-over purchase attempt. Only as source for HP as for IBM appeared the question price, 18 billion dollar, when too high. HP set strengthen afterwards its senses on Compaq, that especially thanks to the taken about Digital also about a developed services and consultancytak seen to. IBM on the other hand remained patient wait for, and that strategy appeared to throw fruits off.
Under pressure of purse watchdog SEC, all members of the Piglet Five - KPMG, Otherwise, Deloitte & Touche were forced discharge, Seriousness & Young and PricewaterhouseCoopers - almost round their consultancyactiviteiten to make by their audit- and accountancyactiviteiten. PwC will to underline in August its consultancytak verzelfstandigen with an IPO, that a billion dollar yield must, and a names change - in Monday - the independence. But the uncertainty the future from now as independent unity must PwC Consulting undoubtedly parts played. Because of this remained, prevent came limits when IBM at the negotiations table exam periods, the question price this time till a many bescheidener 3.5 billion dollar. Certain as you consider that the business last year yet a volume of trade posted of 4.6 billion dollar.
A milestone on a long away
IBM has since the coming of Lou Gerstner all a long way afgelegd on the area of services. When Gerstner shorten after its appointment announced that IBM especially a services supplier would become, became there more sneer laughed then approvingly nodded. Nobody believed that Piglet Blue, for 50 year long known as d hardware manufacturer pre-eminently, such ommezwaai would be able to make. “Only now hear we that Carly Fiorina, the CEO of HP/Compaq, in her services strategy the IBM-model would want to apply”, establishes Philip Borremans, spokesman for IBM Belgi.
IBM Global Services (IGS), the services division of Piglet Blue, is in the meantime all good for 150,000 employees and 44% of the total business volume of trade. More thus then the hardware division that vouches only for 34 per cent. And really felt IBM that it yet what was missing in their services offer. “Forget not that Global Services arise is from a division that only busy was with the maintenance of machines”, reminds Borremans us. Gradually on is this division uitgegroeid till an authoritative systemintegrator, but on the area of consultancy stood IGS yet always not far. “We had business consultants necessarily, fast and in many industries. If you this must reach through individual men at to recruit and to outsourcen, then do you very long about that route. With the take-over purchase of PwC, we reach aim this infinity much faster”, light Borremans to.