April 05, 2017

Accenture Extends Winning Position in HfS Research’s Blueprint Report: Salesforce Services 2017 as the “Clear Leader” in Innovation, Scale and Client Commitment

NEW YORK; Apr. 5, 2016 – Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has been positioned as the overall leader in the “as-a-Service Winners’ Circle” in the HfS Blueprint Report: Salesforce Services 2017 for its excellence in both innovation and execution. The report assessed 12 service providers of Salesforce services related to planning, implementation, management, operations and optimization, and named Accenture as “clear leader in scale” with “the largest Salesforce services practice” in the Salesforce ecosystem.

The report recognized Accenture as the clear leader in Execution based on the scale of design, implementation and management capabilities; flexibility to deliver end-to-end or point solutions; the excellent quality of its account management team and Accenture’s experience delivering comprehensive industry-specific Salesforce solutions. On Innovation, Accenture was singled out for depth of its partnership strategy; vision for Salesforce effectiveness; and the ongoing investment in proprietary tools, accelerators and solutions in the ecosystem.

“Our positioning in the Winner’s Circle by HfS is a testament to Accenture’s investment and strategy aimed at helping clients unlock business value of Salesforce capabilities and serving as a guide for real transformation they seek in today’s cloud-first world.” – Saideep Raj, Senior Managing Director, Global Cloud First Applications, Accenture

Accenture was one of the first global companies to establish a strategic alliance partnership with Salesforce, and continues to grow and strengthen its position as a leading ecosystem partner. Whether working with Salesforce on the launch of Salesforce Einstein, introducing more than 15 new industry Fullforce solutions to date or training one of the largest ecosystem workforces, with more than 9,500 Salesforce skilled professionals, Accenture’s ongoing investment in building deep specialist skills and leading capabilities is unique in the Salesforce ecosystem.

“Accenture has maintained its leader status in the ecosystem, and is now the clear leader in scale of Salesforce services as well as key capabilities,” said Khalda De Souza, Principal Analyst, HfS Research. “With the largest Salesforce services practice, which more than doubles the number of Salesforce certified consultants than any other partner, Accenture is able to focus on large-scale digital transformation projects it has become synonymous with, while also expanding their market-leading Salesforce capabilities to new technologies, including Einstein, Wave Analytics and IoT.”

Accenture strengths highlighted in the report include:

• Clear Leader in Scale: “Accenture has the largest Salesforce services practice and more than double the number of Salesforce certified consultants than any other partner in the ecosystem. This impressive bench strength is supported by a global onshore and offshore global delivery capability. Clients highlight that Accenture is able to provide the right resources whenever and wherever they require them.”
• Depth and Breadth of Services: “Accenture has deep capabilities and vision in all Salesforce services areas, including consulting, implementation, ongoing support services, and BPO. It has particular experience and strength in large-scale digital transformation projects. Accenture also works closely with Salesforce to develop services to support the new technologies, including Einstein, Wave Analytics, and IoT.”
• Investment in Differentiating Capabilities: “Accenture has 18 certified technical architects, which is at least three times more than any other Salesforce services partner. It has also achieved the largest number of Fullforce Master and Fullforce industry certifications, at 11 and 15, respectively. Moreover, Accenture continues to invest in developing and strengthening its tools that align to client business needs. This is underpinned by a strong partnership and acquisition strategy in the past two years, including its equity investment with Salesforce in the industry solution provider Vlocity and its acquisition of cloud specialist Cloud Sherpas in 2015.”
• Commitment to Assisting Clients to be Self-Sufficient: “As well as delivering cloud roadmaps to help clients understand their Salesforce journey, Accenture provides support and assistance to clients that want to be self-sufficient post-deployment. This includes recommending new roles within the business and IT functions at client enterprises.”

“Enterprises are seeking to innovate in new and more impactful ways using Salesforce, which is precisely why we focus on capabilities that enable the delivery of the scale needed to achieve the results that will catapult their businesses forward,” said Saideep Raj, Senior Managing Director, Global Cloud First Applications, Accenture. “Our positioning in the Winner’s Circle by HfS is a testament to Accenture’s investment and strategy aimed at helping clients unlock business value of Salesforce capabilities and serving as a guide for real transformation they seek in today’s cloud-first world.”

Following the acquisition of Cloud Sherpas, the Accenture Cloud First Applications team—which delivers cloud services for Salesforce and other “pure play” cloud technologies—has continued investing in its Cloud First agenda. Accenture has made major moves to expand its position as the leading enterprise cloud services provider, by increasing Salesforce capabilities in particular. Among them were the acquisitions of Salesforce solution providers CRMWaypoint and New Energy Group, both completed in 2016.

“Accenture is a top strategic partner in our ecosystem, helping deliver key Salesforce solutions and extending the power of Einstein AI to our mutual customers," said Tyler Prince, EVP, WW Alliances & Go-to-Market Innovation, Salesforce. "With industry solutions, thousands of skilled Salesforce consultants and rapidly expanding capabilities, Accenture continues to drive success for our joint customers as they digitally transform their businesses with Salesforce.”

The findings of the HfS Blueprint report were determined by data collected in Q2/3 2016, covering services buyers, service providers, and advisors/influencers of Salesforce services. A mix of global systems integrators and specialist providers were evaluated in this study. Research consisted of interviews with buyers, structured discussions with service providers and publicly available information.

The HfS Research Blueprint Report: Salesforce Services 2017 can be found here: https://www.accenture.com/us-en/insight-hfs-blueprint-report-salesforce-services

About Accenture
Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries and all business functions – underpinned by the world’s largest delivery network – Accenture works at the intersection of business and technology to help clients improve their performance and create sustainable value for their stakeholders. With more than 401,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us at www.accenture.com.

Accenture is a leader in helping organizations move to the cloud to take advantage of a new era of service delivery and flexibility, where applications, infrastructure and business processes are brought together and delivered As-a-Service. Accenture’s Cloud First agenda offers comprehensive, industry-focused cloud services including strategy, implementation, migration and managed services, and assets including the Accenture Cloud Platform that can drive broader transformational programs for clients. Accenture has worked on over 20,000 cloud computing projects for clients, including three-quarters of the Fortune Global 100, and has more than 40,000 professionals trained in cloud computing.

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Contact:

Alexander Aizenberg
Accenture
+ 1 917 452 9878
alexander.aizenberg@accenture.com