Entries by Patrick Heffernan, Practice Manager and Principal Analyst

In Fast-evolving AI Markets, Platform Alignment Determines Who Keeps the Customer

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The speed of technology change and challenges adapting to business model changes drive the importance of platforms. The rapid developments in AI, most recently with agentic solutions, illustrate how being a platform company enables vendors to maintain a solutioning role even as technology evolves, and new participants become critical in the eyes of customers. Agentic solutions have also created myriad ways for companies to sustain their business models, acting as a conduit between end customers and the changing vendor landscape.

Human Capital Management in the Age of (Agentic) AI

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Fundamentally HR management remains a back-office function that IT services companies and consultancies can use to drive managed services engagements. And TBR’s research shows that managed services can lead to additional consulting opportunities, particularly when managed services providers (whether a traditional IT services company or consultancy) partners smartly with technology companies, leveraging the data and insights generated through back-office platforms to uncover issues and opportunities.

PwC Positions AI, Industry Depth and Microsoft Partnership as Catalysts for Asia Pacific Momentum

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Singapore event highlights PwC’s regional momentum, client impact and focus on AI-driven transformation In early August PwC hosted clients, analysts and technology partners in Singapore for an in-person update on the firm’s activities in the Asia Pacific region, with a focus on PwC’s partnership with Microsoft. Among the PwC leaders who spoke were Charles Loh, […]

GenAI Outcomes or Autonomous AI Architecture: Where Should CIOs Focus? 

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What good are AI-enabled solutions if an enterprise’s IT environment and architecture can’t handle the data orchestration demands and IT becomes a roadblock to faster, better, clearer insights from AI, rather than the business accelerator expected of IT departments in the AI era? After more than a decade of consultancies and IT services companies helping IT departments become business drivers, will inadequate architecture slow down AI adoption and AI agents at scale?

Fujitsu Eyes Americas Growth with Alliances and Innovation

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On June 5 and 6, 2025, Fujitsu hosted around 25 analysts and advisers for an Executive Analyst Day event in Santa Clara, Calif. Fujitsu leaders from across the globe spoke on various parts of the company’s business and Fujitsu subject matter experts demonstrated solutions currently in research development or recently piloted with a few Fujitsu clients. This special report includes insights from the event and analysis based on TBR’s ongoing research around Fujitsu and the broader IT services sector.

Geopolitics with Purpose: EY-Parthenon Drives Strategy, Not Just Awareness

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TBR has long maintained that the Big Four firms have an inherent advantage against all competitors when it comes to understanding and advising on geopolitical risk. Perhaps only the U.S. government has the same global spread of talent, with professionals in nearly every country, most intimately aware of local business, economic and even political trends. When EY-Parthenon showed off its Geopolitical Advisory team recently, TBR wanted to know: Is this something special?

Hitachi Digital Services Brings IT + OT + AI to Mission-critical Systems

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Although smaller than the typical IT and professional services firms covered by TBR, Hitachi Digital Services warrants close attention in the coming years. Its distinctive business model, strategic direction and performance — particularly its combination of IT, OT, AI and domain expertise — position Hitachi Digital Services as a potential outlier in the IT services landscape.