How did Collabera get into the high-end consulting space?
We wanted to get to the next level where we could really integrate,
transform, and create a space for primarily trying to transform the company to
the next growth phase but at the same time offer much more high value. We
realized that mid sized service providers were very few. Traditionally, Indian
players have been primarily providing IT services. Broadly, all tier-2 players
have minimal focus on consulting and are primarily focused on their offshore
advantage. The big players in India aspired to get into consulting space but
they have not managed to make much impact. Historically, Collabera started as a
professional services company but it was in 2008 that we started creating a big
consulting practice.
What kind of opportunities you see for Collabera in tier-2 consulting?
In the tier-2 space, there is no player with strong onshore as well as
strong consulting presence such as Collabera. There are outsourcers who are
actively looking at tier-2 players, like Collabera, who can add value to their
business by providing high-end consulting and advisory services. That is the
space we want to create and dominate. We feel that there is a market need for
this as there are several clients who want to work with smaller players but who
can give them solid consulting solution also other than onshore-offshore
services. Clients in the market have onshore needs and they want certain
projects and IT spend within their geographical locations.
What are the key trends you see in the consulting and advisory space?
It has been observed that the global consulting and advisory services
industry is undergoing significant transfor mation. The key success factors and
market landscape are evolving because of changes in enterprise demand and buying
behavior, the number and nature of providers, and shared services market
development, offshore labor arbitrage, etc.
What are your key consulting offers which are attracting customers?
Collabera's proprietary methodologies-momentum asset based services (ABS)-and
collaborative engagement models are some of the key offerings which are our USP.
We have strong consulting offerings in the M&A space and that is one of the key
go-to-the-market strategy of Collabera going forward. We work with large banks
and telecom companies but at the same time we also have clients in the mid tier
space, primarily banks and online retail segments.
Sudesh Prasad
(Source: DQ)