Accenture Retains Top Position Worldwide for Systems Integration Services

NEW YORK.– For the second year in a row, market research firm IDC has named Accenture (NYSE: ACN) the worldwide leader in systems integration (SI) services.

The IDC report*, titled “Worldwide and U.S. Systems Integration Services 2006 Vendor Shares,” is based on SI services revenue for 2006 and reveals that Accenture out-performed competitors worldwide, with $6.69 billion in SI revenues.

IDC defines SI as planning, designing, implementing, and project-managing solutions that address customers’ specific technical or business needs. SI involves systems and custom application development as well as implementation and integration of enterprise packaged software. For the report, IDC counted only revenue from SI services, not from discrete information technology (IT) consulting, business consulting, computer-aided design, or network consulting and integration services.

Accenture’s continued revenue leadership correlates with the strong relationships Accenture develops with clients, the report states. According to the report, Accenture has become a trusted advisor to companies at a time when they seek strong guidance in navigating the changing IT terrain and as they boost spending on service-oriented architecture (SOA), infrastructure improvements, and application services.

As noted in last year’s IDC report, which also named Accenture the worldwide SI services leader, Accenture’s success also springs from its extensive investment in SOA, a technology that helps IT support business processes more dynamically. In 2006 Accenture announced it was investing $450 million over three years in SOA, including a new technology lab for SOA innovation.

“Our clear articulation of the SOA vision, our focus on business processes, and our strong partnerships with leading software vendors have strengthened our systems integration market position in direct proportion to the benefits we deliver to clients,” said Kevin Carnahan, managing director, Systems Integration, Accenture.

Acting as a trusted advisor to clients is one of IDC’s key recommendations for firms competing in SI services. According to the report, “Deep client relationships and mind share, particularly at the C-level, continue to drive Accenture’s healthy performance.” The report also cites the following as fueling demand for Accenture’s SI capabilities:

An ‘attractive’ mix of global capabilities, robust methodologies, and a ‘critical mass’ of consultants;

* SAP and Oracle implementation skills;
* Information-management services; and
* Offerings from Accenture Technology Consulting.

The report adds that Accenture jumped to the No. 2 spot in SI services in the United States, with $2.74 billion in SI services revenue, and notes that U.S. clients frequently turn to Accenture for help with two key challenges: mapping their future strategies for applications; and developing strategies for sustainable systems that add business value.