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Get the Facts: The E-Business Consulting Race Heats Up

March 2000—You’re jockeying for position in the red-hot E-Business consulting space. Competitors are flooding the market with banner ads, billboards, and commercials. You've got to make your mark NOW!Sound familiar? Well, take a deep breath and check out the facts. The race for E-business consulting and professional services has really just begun. Your competitors all want to own this space, but it’s still wide open, according to ITSMA’s latest Professional Services and E-Business Solutions Brand Awareness Study.Potential customers are just beginning to recognize which companies are even providing E-business services, and half or more are unable to articulate just what those companies are doing. Although IBM has nearly doubled its lead in basic awareness since ITSMA’s spring 1999 study, the E-Business Solutions market remains heavily fragmented, with many companies receiving surprisingly low awareness levels. The opportunity remains enormous for those companies bold enough and focused enough to grab it.How do your customers view the market? What attributes are they looking for in an E-Business Solutions provider? How can you build awareness among the key decision makers that will determine your success?

ITSMA’s latest Professional Services and E-Business Solutions Brand Awareness Study provides vital baseline data on brand awareness and positioning in the E-Business Solutions market, and critical insight into customer requirements for success.During the winter of 1999/2000, ITSMA interviewed 300 key decision-makers from Fortune 1000 companies, government entities, and health care institutions. The interviews focused on awareness of, and favorability toward E-Business Solutions providers, descriptions of what these companies do, and key attributes for meeting customer needs. Detailed findings are presented by respondent type (MIS or business executive), industry sector (financial services, discrete manufacturing, process manufacturing, communications, entertainment, retail, energy, health care, and government), and attitude toward E-Business (actively pursuing or proceeding with caution).

Major Topics of Analysis BACK TO TOP

• Unaided and aided awareness of E-Business Solutions and consulting providers
• Favorability of E-Business Solutions providers
• Ranked importance of firm attributes
• Attributes of specific IT professional services firms
• Sources of information used when evaluating E-Business Solutions providers
• Preference of firms to solve critical business problems
• Market positioning by service provider category
• Gap analysis of importance vs. market perception
• Organization and personal attitudes towards E-Business initiatives

Rankings for 22 Leading Firms BACK TO TOP

• Andersen Consulting
• Arthur Andersen
• AT Kearney
• Cambridge Technology Partners
• Compaq Computer
• CSC
• EDS
• Ernst & Young
• Hewlett-Packard
• IBM Global Services
• KPMG Peat Marwick
• Oracle
• PricewaterhouseCoopers
• Proxicom
• Razorfish
• Sapient
• Scient
• Sun Microsystems
• USWeb/CKS
• Viant

The race for leadership in providing E-Business Solutions is certainly on, but you can’t win without knowing where you and your competitors stand and what your customers are looking for. Get the facts today with the latest edition of ITSMA’s acclaimed Professional Services and E-Business Solutions Brand Awareness Study.

Table of Contents for ITSMA’s Professional Services and E-Business Solutions Brand Awareness Study—Winter 2000 BACK TO TOP

I. Executive Summary
        Unaided Brand Awareness: Web-Based Technology and E-Commerce Solutions Consulting
        Aided Awareness
        Market Positioning
        Company Attributes
        Sources of Information
II. Introduction
        Study Methodology
        Respondent Characteristics
        Study Scope
III. Company Awareness
        Unaided Awareness
        Aided Awareness
        Impact of E-Business Attitude on Awareness
        Favorability
IV. Market Positioning
        Market Positioning by Service Provider Category
V. Company Attributes
        Importance of IT Professional Services Provider Attributes
        Impact of Attitude on the Importance of Firm Attributes
        Attributes of Specific IT Professional Services Firms
        Gap Analysis
VI. Sources of Information

Appendix A: Study Interview Guide

Call for Sponsors BACK TO TOP

ITSMA is currently seeking sponsors for the Spring 2000 Professional Services and E-Business Solutions Brand Awareness study. Contact Paul Gates [+1-781-862-8500 Ext. 15] for details on primary and secondary sponsorships, ranging from $10,000-$25,000.

About ITSMA
ITSMA specializes in helping companies market and sell services and solutions more effectively. As a membership organization, we provide research, consulting, and training to the world's leading technology, communications, and professional services providers to generate increased demand, strengthen customer relationships, and improve brand differentiation. ITSMA is based near Boston, and has offices in London and Tokyo. Learn more at www.itsma.com.