Vault Unveils Tech Consulting 25 Rankings for 2012

The Tech Consulting industry is a rapidly growing field that advises companies on the best ways to use information technology to meet their business objectives. With technology growing at leaps and bounds over the years, more and more job seekers are looking into the field. But which companies are worth sending those resumes to? 

Vault has gone beyond the idea of prestige in attempting to answer this question. Knowing that job seekers today are more interested in such issues as firm culture, compensation, work-life balance, and other quality-of-life concerns, Vault created the Tech Consulting 25 Ranking – combining both prestige and quality of life to calculate which firms are the best to work for.

Now in its second year, the Vault Tech Consulting 25 Rankings are based on the responses of over 1,100 consultants.  The survey had two components: respondents  were asked to assess their peer consulting firms on a scale of 1 to 10 based on prestige; they were unable to rate their own firms’ prestige and were asked to rate only firms with which they were familiar. Respondents were also asked to rank their own firms’ quality of life. A weighted formula was applied to the data to determine the Vault Tech Consulting 25 Rankings for 2011.

This year’s Vault Tech Consulting 25 Rankings brings a new No. 1 firm: Deloitte has overtaken Booz Allen Hamilton to take the top spot. Last year’s No. 1 Booz Allen Hamilton still held on strong to the No. 2 spot.  While it didn’t make the cut last year, Clarkston Consulting made an impressive debut to the rankings, snagging the No. 3 spot.  Also, Smartronix—which had a very impressive showing last year at No. 2—was the most affected by Deloitte’s ascension and Clarkston’s strong debut, dropping to No. 4 in this year’s rankings. Here is how the rest of the Top 10 shapes up:

1.   Deloitte Consulting

2.   Booz Allen Hamilton       

3.   Clarkston Consulting

4.   Smartronix, Inc

5.   Accenture                                     

6.   Cognizant                         

7.   Capgemini

8.   Infosys Consulting                       

9.   Wipro Consulting Services

10. Perficient 

How did these firms end up where they landed? Deloitte took first place based on a strong showing in both prestige and quality of life, meaning those inside and outside the firm were supportive of the firm. A “powerhouse” in the industry, one firm respondent noted that Deloitte is “just damn good,” while a Deloitte employee shared that “Deloitte is a great firm that takes care of its employees and ensures that it strives to do its best.”

Despite falling to the No. 2 spot, Booz Allen Hamilton maintains a strong reputation in the industry as a “great place to work,” that is “very good to their employees.”  And that all leads to better results for its clients, as noted by one employee who stated, “Booz Allen engages its employees in meaningful and innovative work that makes the best use of their strengths; challenges them with opportunities for growth; and provides a clear path for success; all while providing a positive impact for its clients.”

Clarkston was the biggest surprise. While it did not rank highly in prestige, those inside the company had much to say about their employer’s quality of life standards. The fact that Clarkston ranked No. 1 in a variety of Quality of Life Rankings, to be released later this week, is the reason why it debuted so highly at No. 3.

“I joined Clarkston Consulting for the opportunity to work with an intelligent group of top notch professionals dedicated to solving complex business challenges,” said one employee at the firm. “I have not been disappointed. I am surrounded by hard-working, thought-leading colleagues whose commitment to client service is astounding. I thoroughly enjoy coming to work every day and look forward to the new opportunities I know that I will be presented with.”

With Deloitte jumping up two spots to No. 1 and Clarkston’s surprise showing, Smartronix, fell two spots to No. 4. It’s hard to feel bad for a company that respondents outside the firm called “the latest and greatest cyber consultancy for the public sector.” This top five tech consulting firm is also keeping up with tech growth and demands; according to one employee: “Smartronix has focused on contract retention and is doing an outstanding job with that; but also in the development of three centralized core competencies that are sorely needed throughout federal and defense. Cyber Security, Health IT, and Cloud Computing,” said the Smartronix consultant. “These are the three hottest growth areas in our market today and Smartronix is quickly taking a lead in each.”

To view the various other ups and downs in this year’s rankings, check out the full Tech Consulting 25 here. And keep coming back for more as Vault unveils its Tech Consulting Prestige Rankings tomorrow, followed by its Tech Consulting Practice Area Rankings. It all ends on Friday with the release of Vault’s Tech Consulting Quality of Life Rankings. Share your thoughts on the top firms by leaving a comment below.

--Jon Minners, Vault.com