Accenture: Clients Take The Reins, But Solution Providers Still Key

What does a solution provider do when the future might take technology decisions completely out of his hands?

That's exactly what might happen in three to five years, Accenture said in its Technology Vision 2015 report, as clients change the way they think about digital technology and embrace what the company called a "We Economy."

In the "We Economy," the lines are blurred between companies and industries as companies look to redefine themselves in a digital world, said Michael Biltz, managing director of Accenture Technology Vision. Instead of operating alone, businesses will build technology ecosystems through which they will use technology, communicate and sell new products and services, Biltz said.

"I think right now most of the market understands that the change is coming, but I think there's a [standstill] in the market as to what their new role is and how they are going to take advantage of it," Biltz said. "We're rapidly starting to move toward it and I think there's going to be a huge first mover advantage to be in that position." 

The company, No. 3 on the CRN SP500, surveyed more than 2,000 IT and business executives, and 4 out of 5 said they believed that industries of the future would be "reshaped" into digital ecosystems. That change, the report said, will put a bigger emphasis on digital technologies and put clients in the driver seat when it comes to technology decisions.

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