Analyst Rankings: Taking a Look at IT Consulting and Services

This week, in our focus on the winning analysts in each industry category from our Analyst Rankings -- Equity 2000 survey, we profile the top analysts in the information technology consulting and services industry. (For our last focus, on Internet software and services, click here.) Next week we'll look at the application software sector.

Information technology consulting and services is a highly fragmented sector. Many of its companies are outsourcers that assume responsibility for other companies' IT functions. They range from full-service outsourcers, such as EDS(EDS Quote), to industry-specific and functional outsourcers, such as Bisys Group(BSYS Quote) (which targets financial services organizations) and Convergys(CVG Quote) (which provides outsourced billing and customer management services).

The Winners

By name By category By firm Best stock pickers Best firms

IT consulting and services can also include network integration and management specialists, such as AT&T(T Quote). Many analysts in this field cover systems integration, applications development and Web companies, like Perot Systems(PER Quote) and Razorfish(RAZF Quote).

The industry is undergoing rapid evolution, even revolution, as clients move from employing technology simply as a cost-cutting tool to deploying technology on all levels as the most powerful weapon in their competitive arsenal. The top analysts in our survey agree that the action is moving toward the Web integrators. Companies like Sapient(SAPE Quote) and Viant(VIAN Quote) are attracting business by offering new kinds of e-solutions. Meanwhile, traditional vendors are seeing their market shares erode, the analysts say.

This sector is expected to undergo consolidation in the near term, our winning analysts predict. One common concern, however, is the shortage of top tech talent. In an industry where the essential product is brainpower, the winners will be those companies that become the most powerful talent magnets.

Click here to see a calendar of the categories we will feature in the weeks ahead.

Click here to see the stories in this series that have already appeared on our site.

Click here to see the sector spotlight on Internet software and services.

IT Consulting and Services

	1st Place
	James Kissane Bear Stearns (See Report Card)

	2nd Place
	Mark Wolfenberger Credit Suisse First Boston (See Report Card)

	3rd Place
	David Togut Morgan Stanley Dean Witter (See Report Card)

	4th Place
	Greg Gould Goldman Sachs

Rate Their Stock Picks:

Which stock do you like best? Kissane: First Data Wolfenberger: Sapient Togut: Convergys