Services Weekly Preview: Nov. 11-16, 2018

As we build toward the middle of the quarter, we’re wrapping up our periodic assessments of IT services vendors. Like last week, we also have some semiannual analysis on vendors in the management consulting space.

Monday: 

• KPMG’s risk-averse culture pressured its performance, causing the firm to drop a spot in terms of revenue size among peers in the latest assessment of the management consulting practice. A potential KPMG and Bain marriage, however, could be a way for the firm to catch up with rivals and disrupt the management consulting space.
• Continued expansion of its onshore presence, including the recent build-out of its co-innovation center in London, improves HCLT’s value proposition by enabling it to work alongside its clients to create larger-scale transformation engagements. However, HCLT faces some challenges in recruiting talent to support new centers, spurring the implementation of employee development programs.

Tuesday: Although Atos will grow revenues at a slower rate in 2018, the expansion of the company’s Digital Transformation Factory portfolio and recently announced acquisition of SIX Payment Services, which is expected to close in 4Q18, will enable the company to accelerate revenue growth in 2019. TBR’s 3Q18 Atos report analyzes the implications from Atos’ ongoing activities, such as the Syntel acquisition and investments artificial intelligence (AI) and security solutions and capabilities.

Wednesday:

• Senior Analyst Jen Hamel examines EY’s strategy to provide clients with technological enablement of business transformation in her profile on the firm for our Fall 2018 Management Consulting Benchmark. One key takeaway: Increasing its investment in technology-enabled services, including those involving blockchain and AI, by $1 billion over the next two years will improve EY’s competitiveness with solutions-led peers IBM and Accenture.
• We continue looking for signs Wipro will see improved performance, as its India-centric peers have, to align with its digital transformation strategy and expanded portfolio and capabilities. In this latest assessment, we’re still searching.
• Capgemini has made changes to its portfolio, organizational structure and sales model to address rising demand from clients’ business side, rather than their technology side. In TBR’s 3Q18 Capgemini report, we will dive deeper into topics such as AI, digital marketing, and Capgemini Invent, the new global business line Capgemini launched in September.
• In TBR’s 3Q18 Perspecta Initial Response, we will provide an overview of Perspecta’s second quarter as an independent company. Made up of Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s former U.S. Public Sector business, Vencore and KeyPoint Government Solutions, Perspecta faces some challenging financial and resource-related issues as it works to find its footing as a stand-alone company.  

Thursday:

• TBR’s 3Q18 Raytheon Intelligence, Information & Services (IIS) full report explores how the emerging geopolitical power struggle in space and cyberspace plays to Raytheon’s strengths in cyber hardening, computer network operations, advanced analytics and AI. The report examines how IIS was able to outgrow federal IT services competitors in 3Q18 and how its deep mission knowledge in the U.S. provides a strong foundation as it pursues riskier adjacent market opportunities in volatile markets such as the Middle East.
• TBR’s 3Q18 Leidos full report examines the company’s first quarter of year-to-year organic revenue growth since it acquired Lockheed Martin’s IT services business in 2016. The report explains Leidos’ positioning across defense, health and civilian markets and how the company is adjusting to disruption amid the federal market’s shift from bespoke proprietary technology development to configurable commercial-off-the-shelf IT solutions.
• In our 3Q18 results on Wednesday, TBR expects Cisco Services to continue to accelerate revenue growth during the rest of 2018 and in 2019, positively affected by Cisco’s ongoing portfolio investments in and acquisitions around next-generation and software-driven solutions that generate professional services opportunities. TBR expects Cisco’s recent acquisitions and partnerships in cloud, security and networking to generate increased professional and technical support services for Cisco Services during the coming quarters.

Friday:

• The previous edition of TBR’s Management Consulting Benchmark Profile: PwC described the firm’s efforts to make its Business, Experience, Technology (BXT) framework a companywide endeavor. Six months later, we’ve seen signs the firm’s ambitions around BXT have evolved from aspirational to operational, with global examples of the framework becoming an on-the-ground reality in working with clients.
• Partners enable Fujitsu to enhance its core services with cloud, software and digital capabilities, helping to ease clients’ transition into emerging areas while offsetting declines from traditional services. However, without expanding its client base outside of Japan, Fujitsu could face challenges in maintaining revenue growth.