Definition of IT Consultant

A technological task, be it the development and implementation of a complete installation, or the creation of a program, They require not only the assistance of the programmer, the analyst or the technician, but also and in a more primordial state of draft, of the figure of the consultant.

The IT consultant is a consultant specialized in technology. As the name "consultant" indicates, it is a character who is asked for advice on the project, from the idea to its materialization, accompanying the entire process.

In fact, the consultant is much more than a mere advisor, but we could say that the one given is the "encyclopedic" definition of the term. And even more today, since currently the consultant performs tasks that previously fell exclusively on other profiles, such as programming (or at least a part of it).

The profile of the consultant must be that of an expert who knows not only the technologies he deals with, but also the business model or models of his clients, so that he can adapt his proposals to the way of working of this or, ultimately term and if you see it necessary, adapt your client's ways of working to the correct ways proposed by the systems that he employs.

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The first step in a consultant's job is to understand the need for the client and your goal, that is, empathize, understand and assume. This requires more patience and empathy than proper technical knowledge.

Subsequently, and once in the client's shoes and understanding the problem, what the consultant does is use one of the many existing methodologies to create a solution tailored to the client, although he may also recommend changes in some of the processes and procedures, which the client did not foresee, if he sees that, in this way, he will work better.

The consultant is supposed to be independent and truthful, who is "on the client's side" not to simply sell him the most expensive solution, but the one that best suits his needs.

In this sense, many large companies, corporations and multinationals, commission the task of consulting (the phase of diagnosis Y planning of the new system) to a company specialized in this aspect, while the materialization of the project is carried out by one or more third parties, that is, companies specialized in the implementation of solutions.

However, most technology services companies have their own consultants who naturally work with their products.

A good example of this is the German company SAP AG, creator and marketer of the ERP of the same name. Being a SAP consultant is a professional career in itself, which has numerous opportunities for professional opportunities, although they work little outside of what is the ecosystem of SAP applications.

Photos: Fotolia - Viacheslav Iakobchuk / Kjekol