A majority of society feels threatened by impending concepts akin to ‘digital singularity’, when technology will have integrated itself into every aspect of our realities – how we live, work and play. In reality, the advent of artificial intelligence, automation and the likes does not mean the end of humanity, but rather the beginning of a new era to free human creativity and deliver greater opportunities. Yes! Technology adoption will result in fewer manual and process-oriented jobs, but humanity will adapt accordingly. Corporate America, especially, has an opportunity to utilize digital trends to drive unprecedented levels of innovation within the organization. Standing at the forefront of this digital revolution is Avasant, a leading management consulting firm, which provides strategic advice on how to utilize market-available technologies within their businesses to support their clients and employees alike in the digital age.

Service providers increasingly recognize the need for digital transformation and vertical-specific solutions driven by new technologies, customer demand, and competitive pressures. Simultaneously, new business model innovation is creating new opportunities, including zero cost transformation and pay-for-performance. New digital services today are not only sourced via RFP, but are also jointly conceived by customer and supplier. Customer provider relationships become stickier as strategic suppliers become more operationally intertwined and indispensable. As a result, companies increasingly sole source from trusted providers.“To survive, providers must fundamentally change their approach. Providers need to demonstrate an understanding of the client using vertical and technology expertise. Sales teams need to engage new buyers (CEO, COO & CMO) across an organization. With Intelligent Provider Services, we help providers execute transformation successfully for their clients,” remarks KevinS. Parikh, Founder & Global CEO, Avasant.

Kevin established Avasant in 2006 with the mission to support clients in the space where the latest technologies meet business. Standing true to this mission enabled the company to offer specialized knowledge on the next wave of delivery in the market, which marks it as a genuinely innovative partner for clients. Focused on translating the power of technology into realizable business strategies for the world’s largest corporations, the company specializes in digital and IT transformation, sourcing advisory, global strategy, and governance services.“We take pride in delivering high-value engagements through industry-focused innovation and flexible client-based solutions,” asserts Kevin.

Unsurprisingly, this enriched its clientele basket with Global 2000 firms of the likes of Sony, Novartis, and Toyota, as well as national, state, and local governments the world over, along witha selection of non-profits and NGOs ranging from the Rockefeller Foundation to the World Bank. In fact, its next generation consulting & advisory methods have made it the top-ranked firm in its class, with recognition from numerous organizations including Vault, NOA, IAOP, and Wall Street Journal.

AvaMark- Accurate, Real-time, Intelligent & Unlimited
Designed by Avasant’s team of sourcing experts, AvaMark is a cloud-based on-demand bench marking & analytics platform that provides clients with market price comparison in real time, which enables them to make intelligent and accurate decisions on the best price for their services.This user-friendly technology’s advanced analytics and predictive capabilities endow clients with intelligent suggestions to optimize their resourcing. Since the pricing data gets sourced exclusively from negotiated contractual price points leveraging Avasant’s 10+ years of experience in supporting $100 billion+ worth of deals, its clients benefit from a true reflection of market realities, instead of the unreliable survey data. While AvaMark provides access to over 84 resource units across all major service towers (Data Center, Storage, Cloud Computing, Mainframes, Network Services, End User Computing & Service Desk), its Rate Card analysis includes over 45 job roles across experience bands in 30 geographies, covering all major service provider locations.

Disruptive Solutions

Besides aiding enterprises in charting a strategic roadmap for a successful digital transformation, this L.A. headquartered firm’s digital practice also helps clients across verticals to optimize their investments in digital technology, there by maximizing business outcomes. Avasant’s Global Strategy practice works mainly with governments and other organizations in emerging markets to support economic development objectives related to BPO, ITES and ICT projects. With Managed Governance Services, the company allows clients to manage vendor portfolios through best practice processes, automation & state-of-the-art technology to maximize sourcing value and improve alignment with business strategies.

Besides aiding enterprises in charting a strategic roadmap for a successful digital transformation, this L.A. headquartered firm’s digital practice also helps clients across verticals to optimize their investments in digital technology, thereby maximizing business outcomes

“Our Strategic Sourcing unit works with Global 2000, public sector and non-profit clients to identify ways to reduce costs while improving service and efficiency. We supportour clients across the entire sourcing life cycle including strategy, provider selection, implementation and governance,” explains Kevin. The firm’s IT & Business Transformation division supports government and corporate clients by prioritizing initiatives based on business impact and laying the roadmap for actionable steps towards managing a more efficient technology footprint. Avasant’s Robotic Process Automation practice helps organizations discover the business case and candidate business processes through a holistic approach. By combining the power of leading automation tool vendors and analytical capabilities, the company ensures alignment with business objectives and increased savings.

The Avasant Family
Digitalization has shrunk the world of business, where transactions have become more complex. Not only today’s transactions are border & industry agnostic, but also demand vision, innovation and collaboration. This calls for attorneys with real-world sense of business strategy as well as abundant knowledge across disciplines. Endeavouring to keep its clients ahead of the curve with such attorneys, the company commenced its arm - Avasant Law, a law firm that includes attorneys dedicated to all aspects of technology law, including technology transactions, business process sourcing, patents, trademarks, privacy and information security. Avasant Law has developed an integrated offering with its management consulting firm Avasant LLC to deliver comprehensive client solutions. Though the businesses are separated to ensure the traditional protections of a lawyer-client relationship, the company ensures that its transactional team consists of the best-in-class attorneys, strategists, financial experts and technology experts.

The family of Avasant companies provides clients with a unique matrix of resources to solve next generation challenges. The company’s engagement in the global market has inspired a strong commitment to community and purpose. For instance, Avasant Foundation supports technology and skill development programs to create employment opportunities for youth across Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Latin America.

With offices all over the world, Avasant promotes a company culture predicated on teamwork. This 375 people strong company is comprised of several seasoned professionals with an average of 20 years of industry-honed expertise, and have conducted 1000+ engagements in over 50 countries.An extensive 12-week training program, an annual offsite company retreat and even zero-cost gym memberships are just some of the many perks the company provides to its consultants. This mix has created a unique internal dynamic, resulting in Avasant being recognized as one of the ‘50 Best Companies to Work For’, according to Vault Consulting. Kevin strongly believes that it is through this unique culture that the firm is able to grow 30 percent year-over-year.

Moving forward, Avasant has a number of highly disruptive projects planned which will change the way businesses are run and interact with their consumers. “These projects will implement the most innovative products on the market and change partnership structures with technology partners to promote co-investment and growth,” anticipates Kevin. Avasant will also be launching a number of new solutions for providers as part of its Intelligent Provider Services, similar to AvaMark.Currently looking for small to medium sized acquisitions that support its underlying business strategy, Avasant is resolute in soaring to greater heights.

Panel
Key Management:
Kevin S. Parikh, Founder & Global CEO
Kevin is a noted expert & thought leader on sourcing, digital & business transformation, and has published numerous white papers, articles and books on these topics. Prior to starting Avasant, he led the Gartner Consulting Global Sourcing practice. Kevin is currently working on a book on the topic of Digital Singularity, which delves deeply into the issues associated with the impact AI & automation technologies will have on the global human workforce, and makes a case for humanity.

Offerings: DigitalGlobal Strategy, Managed Governance, Strategic Sourcing, Transformation, Intelligent Automation, Avasant Law and IT Price Bench marking

Verticals: BFSI, Healthcare & Life Sciences, High Tech & Telecommunications, Media & Entertainment, Private Equity, Public Sector, Retail & Manufacturing, Travel & Transportation and Utilities & Resources

Awards & Recognitions:
• IAOP World’s Best Outsourcing Advisors 2009-2017 (5-star ranked)
• Vault Consulting ‘Best Companies to Work For’2014-2016
• European Outsourcing Association 2015 award for Corporate Social Responsibility
• CV Magazine CEO of the Year 2017 (Kevin Parikh)
• CIO Review 20 Most Promising Utilities Technology Solution Providers 2017
• Consulting Magazine ‘Fastest Growing Firms’ 2017