Accenture Increases Focus On Tech Consulting

Accenture (ACN) plans to invest $250 million in its technology consulting business. And why not? Companies are still trying to get business and IT aligned.

Accenture’s statement is just begging for a little read between the lines. But the short version seems to be that IT’s inability to work with business has been just wonderful for consultants. By the way, Accenture is looking to double its consultant count.

To wit:

“The investment is designed to address a strong increase in demand from clients for services and advice from technology-platform-independent services providers.”

Translation: Rivals are always trying to sell you something. Accenture won’t mention names, but I will: IBM (IBM).

“Specifically, the investment will focus on helping clients: develop IT strategies that deliver measurable business outcomes; standardize, virtualize and secure their IT infrastructures and applications; improve worker productivity; and implement new consumer-like, Web-based applications that tap into the potential of services-oriented architecture [SOA] and other newer technologies.”

Translation: Accenture looked up every enterprise technology buzzword in 2007 and managed to cram it into a paragraph. That’s a paradigm shift in writing capabilities.

“Aligning IT with business strategy has, once again, become a top issue for companies worldwide,” said William D. Green, Accenture’s chairman & CEO. “To address this, we are enhancing the end-to-end services we offer through Accenture Technology Consulting, an organization within our Systems Integration & Technology growth platform.

Translation: Once again? Two decades and the IT industry still can’t get this ROI thing. IT also can’t talk to the suits. Accenture’s pitch: We talk to the suits so you don’t have to (and we’ll replace you too). What would happen to Accenture if IT ever gets it? That’s a scary–if improbable–thought.