Entries by Patrick Heffernan, Practice Manager and Principal Analyst

IBM and the Raptors: Building an NBA champion and looking for a repeat

While watching the NBA’s defending champion Toronto Raptors begin their season, I thought back to a trip to IBM’s Toronto office in late summer 2018, where we got to play with the technology IBM built for the Raptors’ draft and trade war room. We created teams, selecting college players, current NBA players and even European […]

Blockchain makes more noise in 2H19: Hearing from services vendors and consultancies

Last month, my colleagues Geoff Woollacott and Boz Hristov published a report on the business of blockchain, and next month, Geoff and I will be attending a KPMG event on the same topic. We are looking forward to learning how that Big Four firm approaches both the technology and the business model impacts, on itself […]

Family and friends: PwC makes Analyst Day in India all about the clients and their stories

8 clients with 8 stories and plenty of common themes Setting the tone for the day, India Advisory Leader, Deepankar Sanwalka explained that the event would be about discussion and about clients and the work PwC is doing with them, with four successive breakout sessions in the morning and four more in the afternoon. The […]

KPMG is on the right path as the firm delivers connected, powered, trusted transformation

Connected, powered, delivered with trust: KPMG’s ambitions for its clients   KPMG’s approach to digital transformation revolves around the firm’s concept of the “Connected Enterprise,” an organization fully embracing information technology, networking and data to take every advantage of existing and emerging technologies. In KPMG’s view, fully embracing IT requires an enterprise’s transformation efforts be […]

Understanding an acquisition: Capgemini snaps up Germany’s energy-centric KONEXUS

Capgemini’s acquisition of KONEXUS, a 30-person Germany-based energy strategy and management consultancy, triggered a reaction at TBR, as earlier this year we had looked at consulting for the energy sector and had been surprised at the relatively small number of acquisitions across the firms we track. Thirty management consultants will be a fractional addition to […]

Kick-starting innovation takes smart thinking, not just action

An innovation leader at a fast-growing Europe-centric consultancy shared with me tactics his firm uses to make its innovation engagements creative and pragmatic, with principles centered on adding real business value while capturing as much opportunity as possible for meaningful change. First, pick one area to innovate, based largely on where you can expect value […]

Off the road and on your screen: A webinar featuring our latest look at digital transformation

Seven of the last nine weeks spent traveling has included an incalculable number of meetings and countless great stories, ranging from ground-breaking IoT solutions and stand-out blockchain presentations to a surprising utilities-selection app. All the events confirmed, for me, that we’re on the right track with how TBR has structured its research and analysis around […]

Be bold and get moving: PwC on risk, digital transformation and embracing data

TBR perspective With risk permeating every business conversation and PwC accelerating investments in digital-related offerings, including PwC Connected Solutions, which sits within its Risk and Regulatory Platform business, the firm has prepared for the next wave of opportunities. Trading on trust remains at the core, especially as the politics of data continue to disrupt PwC […]

Reading the tea leaves again: TBR’s Professional Services and IT Services Team looks ahead to 2Q19

Talent remains the catalyst to success, with leadership Every vendor raises the issue of talent when discussing disruptions and strategic priorities, reflecting the continued struggle to recruit, retain, retrain and reward skilled resources in a crowded, competitive market. To track how vendors have been handling these challenges, TBR will continue analyzing every step of the […]