IT Consulting

Information technology consulting is a field of activity which focuses on advising organizations on how best to use information technology in achieving their business objectives.

IT consulting groups are usually structured as one of the following:

• Professional services firms which maintain large professional workforces and command high bill rates.

• Staffing firms, which place technologists with businesses on a temporary basis, typically in response to employee absences, temporary skill shortages, and technical projects.

• Independent consultants, who are self-employed or who function as employees of staffing firms (for US tax purposes, employed on Form W-2), or as independent contractors in their own right (for US tax purposes, on "1099").

• Information Technology security consultants

Some of the most common reasons for a company to pay for an IT consulting company include:

• To gain external, objective advice and recommendations

• To gain access to the consultants' specialized expertise

• Temporary help during a one-time project where the hiring of a permanent employee(s) is not required or necessary

• To outsource all or part of the IT services from a specific company.