The Brookside Group, LLC
  The Telecom Consultant Bulletin
Insights, Viewpoints & Facts
from Telecom's Influencer Community


Produced by The Brookside Group
  November 2010
This Month's Theme:
Our Annual State of the Telecom Consulting Market Study
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Welcome!

We are using this month's Telecom Consultant Bulletin to announce and launch Brookside's annual State of the North American Telecommunications Consulting Market Study.


 

The Brookside Group has been tracking and reporting on the Telecom Consulting Market since 1993. We inaugurated this annual study in 1997 to define, compile and share intelligence, insights and trends on this highly insightful and influential market. We use this intelligence to help promote the value and importance of the consultant community throughout the industry - with vendors, partners/resellers and mutual end-user customers.


All independent, telecom/IT consultants who receive this bulletin are encouraged to participate in this year's study. All vendor consultant program managers who receive this bulletin are encouraged to forward this issue to your consultant members.

Consultants who participate in this study are largely defined/characterized as independent (vendor neutral) technology consultants specializing in voice communications, information technology, network infrastructure, and/or converged networks that integrate voice, data and multimedia applications. These consultants are hired/compensated by end-user clients (enterprise, SMB, public sector) to help them:
  • Assess, plan, design, and/or integrate communications networks, and choose the voice, data and/or video communications solutions best suited to their needs;
  • Negotiate, procure, deploy and manage the solutions.
     

The study is comprehensive and compiles facts, insights and trends on:

  • Market size, client mix and growth, including growth drivers;
  • Consultants' expertise and market influence;
  • What clients want most from consultants;
  • Consultants' use and ratings of vendor Consultant Liaison Programs.
Highlights from our 2009 study are summarized below, representing the input and consulting activities from among 911 U.S. consultants and 140 Canadian consultants.

Brookside does not use the findings from this study to publish or sell any reports. The study's findings are compiled in aggregate for both the U.S. and Canadian markets, and made available in a pdf summary.

Please participate and help make this year's study a success.

  • U.S. consultants: Please click HERE to access the study survey. 
  • Canadian consultants: Please click HERE to access the study survey.
Thank you!

Mick Sawka
The Brookside Group
Highlights From Our 2009 U.S. Telecom Consulting Market Study
Summary of Key U.S. Market Findings
  • On average, telecom consultants in the U.S. have been consulting for 16 years, with only 10% consulting less than 5 years
  • The median size of U.S. telecom consulting practices is 3.6 full-time professionals, with 69% of all practices comprised of 5 or less consultants and 15% comprised of more than 10
  • Annual U.S. telecom consulting revenue growth was 2.3% in 2009
  • Consultants' average end-user client mix is comprised of 46% enterprise and 54% SMB
  • 66% of consultants advise their clients on converged voice/data/video networks
  • The top 3 vertical markets in which consultants most actively consult are Government, Healthcare, and Education
  •  U.S. telecom consultants averaged 7.5 client engagements in 2009 in which they recommended a specific vendor solution
  • U.S. telecom consultants recommended an average of $7.3M worth of network solutions to their end-user clients in 2009, with 18% of consultants recommending more than $20M
  • 82% of consultants' vendor solutions recommendations are implemented by their end-user clients (thereby leading to a sale)
  • U.S. consultants rated Cisco, Avaya and NEC as the three most effective vendor consultant programs in 2009
     
Click HERE to receive a more detailed summary of key findings from our 2009 Telecom Consulting Market Study
Highlights From Our 2009 Canadian Telecom Consulting Market Study
Summary of Key Canadian Market Findings
  • On average, telecom consultants in Canada have been consulting for 14 years, with only 7% consulting less than 5 years
  • The median size of Canadian telecom consulting practices is 2.8 full-time professionals, with 70% of all practices comprised of 5 or less consultants and 18% comprised of more than 10
  • Annual Canadian telecom consulting revenue growth was 4.8% in 2009
  • Consultants' average end-user client mix is comprised of 47% enterprise and 53% SMB
  • 44% of consultants advise their clients on converged voice/data/video networks
  • The top 3 vertical markets in which consultants most actively consult are Financial Services, Technology and Government
  • Canadian telecom consultants averaged 5.5 client engagements in 2009 in which they recommended a specific vendor solution
  • Canadian telecom consultants recommended an average of $6.3M worth of network solutions to their end-user clients in 2009, with 11% of consultants recommending more than $20M
  • 76% of consultants' vendor solutions recommendations are implemented by their end-user clients (thereby leading to a sale)
  • Canadian consultants rated Nortel, Avaya and Cisco as the three most effective vendor consultant programs in 2009
Click HERE to receive a more detailed summary of key findings from our 2009 Telecom Consulting Market Study
Consultants' Market Fact: Did You Know . . . 

The percentage of industry consultants who classify themselves as information technology (IT) consultants has increased from 14% in 2006 to 24% in 2009.
Market News, Resources & Events

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