Digitalisation, the rapid development of technology and the migration of services online have increased the demand for IT expertise in recent years. This demand is met by an IT consultant who provides strategic guidance and advice to clients on the development and deployment of technology and IT infrastructures. At Nextcon, the role of the IT consultant is most often to act as a technical expert, testing and quality assurance expert/developer and project manager for various customer projects or service deliveries.

In recent years, the focus in IT consulting has shifted from nuggets of information and complete control of a technology to managing the big picture and gaining a broader understanding of the industry and the customer. Process management, alignment and business-oriented thinking are at the heart of the work.

What is an IT consultant?

The role of an IT consultant is to work closely with the client and design solutions to support the client’s business development. At Nextcon, IT consultants work on business development and IT projects with interesting customers, independent of technology and industry.

The consultants working on Nextcon’s project management services are mostly project managers, system architects and developers. Testing and quality assurance consultants work as test managers, test designers and test automation specialists, as required by the client. Our expert consultants are involved in designing and implementing the future of our clients, automation, agile development using the latest technologies.

Job description of an IT consultant

An IT consultant can act, for example, as a project manager, testing expert, technical consultant or management consultant. An IT consultant can work around a specific technology or work independently of a technology. The key is to understand what the client needs and match the technologies that best fit that need. The job description is varied and most projects require expertise in a number of different areas. IT consulting combines specialised skills, different technologies, process understanding and industry knowledge.

An IT consultant solves customers’ problems and helps them plan for a more efficient future. The IT consultant does not work alone; projects are carried out in close cooperation with the client. Close cooperation means constant communication, testing on both sides, planning and open communication about problems. The user experience is optimised and the final product is easier to deploy when the customer has the opportunity to test and familiarise himself with the product during the development phase.

A solution-oriented attitude and a business-oriented mindset are more important qualities in the work of an IT consultant than detailed knowledge of a technology. An interest in technology, the digital world and the client’s business drives the consultant’s work.

Project management services

Nextcon’s project management consultants get involved in interesting and challenging tendering and development projects (waterfall models and agile methodologies), as well as audits and agile coaching for clients. In addition to these, we also carry out demanding IT service transit and transformation projects.

We have expertise in different industries and we operate in a technology-neutral way. Our project management consultants have been involved in the development of Caruna’s e-services and e-commerce and have supported the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority in tendering for online services. Visma Financial Solutions Ltd has also relied on our expertise by selecting Nextcon as project manager for a system development project. Nitro selected Nextcon as a consultant for a technical solutions portfolio project to create a new way to manage Nitro’s technical solutions portfolio.

Nextcon’s experienced project management consultants audited Devolon Oy’s sales team, especially the sales and bidding process from different perspectives. The aim was to find new ways of working and improve the sales process and customer relationship management.

“The end result was clear suggestions for improvement and alternative ways of doing things. The suggestions were concrete and easy to take forward and implement.”

Taneli Saari, Business Director, Devolon Oy.

Testing and quality assurance services

The functionality and quality of software is often directly related to how well the whole development lifecycle and its associated components work together. Today, you don’t have to have a very special product or service that doesn’t soon require tens or hundreds of hours of development. And the easier and more reliable it is to use, the more testing effort has gone into it. It may not occur to many people that the ease of use and reliability of a well-performing service or device is often based on methods and solutions that have already been extensively tested. By making use of pre-developed quality assurance solutions that are as advanced as possible, only those features that have changed or are new can be tested.

Using test automation, we can “encapsulate” existing functionality into modules (json, script, etc.) that can be tested. By using test modules that are as reliable and verified as possible, we can focus resources and resources on testing changes and new features. In large software projects and multi-vendor environments, software is often distributed across numerous different systems and integrations between systems, and testing them to meet today’s schedule and quality requirements is already virtually impossible without test automation.

Nextcon’s testing and quality assurance experts understand the importance of testing and quality. Our QA experts meet the needs and quality requirements of new technologies through training and many years of long-term work and experience. At Nextcon, we also want to put a special focus on the quality requirements of high technology, such as test automation, machine learning and artificial intelligence solutions. We value our experts’ ability to innovate, their high motivation and their willingness to train in new technologies and to become top experts in their field.

Our customers are found in a wide range of industries where professionals are needed to ensure the reliability and high quality of services and systems, such as mobile and telecommunications, financial and banking services, lift and crane services, healthcare, energy sector. Our consultants working on testing and quality assurance services have had the opportunity to develop, implement and deploy DigiFinland’s testing services.

Training background of an IT consultant

The educational backgrounds and career paths of IT consultants vary widely. There is therefore no single correct training or route to becoming a consultant.

These studies are particularly useful for working as an IT consultant:

• Business economics

• Information and communication technologies

• Software development

• Information Technology

An IT consultant can also be self-taught. Interest and motivation play a very important role, even if there is no suitable training in the field.

IT consultant salary models

The salary of an IT consultant is influenced by many things, such as the job, job description, skills, job title and salary model. Some jobs offer a base salary and commission, while others offer project bonuses in addition to a monthly salary.

At Nextcon, in addition to a competitive salary, we offer the opportunity for continuous development through a personal training budget, which the consultant can use very independently.

When should you make use of IT consulting?

IT consulting is particularly useful when the goal is to improve the profitability of your business. An IT consultant provides professional insight into development project management and quality assurance. An IT consultant looks outside the box and can point out the things that will make your business easier.

Frequently asked questions about IT consulting

What does an IT consultant do?

The IT consultant guides and advises clients in the development and implementation of technology and IT infrastructures. The role of an IT consultant is usually to act as a technical expert and project manager in various projects.

As an IT consultant at Nextcon, you will be involved in interesting and challenging projects in different industries. Our core services include project management services, test automation and quality assurance. We offer a relaxed working environment, a great team, a motivating salary model and much more. Above all, we want to give you the opportunity to develop your expertise.

When is it worth buying IT consultancy?

IT consulting is a great option when the required skills are only needed on a temporary or part-time basis or when hiring skills on a fast schedule is not possible. By using IT consulting, you can ensure a successful outcome for your project.

Our consultants work agilely on a variety of projects, bringing industry- and technology-independent expertise and know-how. Nextcon’s experts have industry expertise from projects in the insurance business and the public sector, among others.

How do you recognise a good IT consultant?

´A good consultant can identify the client’s problems and find solutions to them. They are team players who keep all parties involved in the project informed and work transparently. A professional IT consultant can adapt to different situations and environments.

Nextcon consultants have access to an annual training budget, which they can use to develop their professional skills. This ensures that we can always provide our clients with a professional and high quality service in IT consulting, business, management and project management.

Nextcon’s corporate culture

At Nextcon, consultants are encouraged to innovate, propose and try new things. We are definitely in favour of a culture of experimentation. Our culture is very much built on autonomous teams. The teams and their coaches have a very wide scope to decide on issues related to the working environment and well-being of team members, such as training, equipment and work ergonomics.

Especially in this era of teleworking, it is important that consultants have a good ergonomic framework for working from home. We maintain a sense of community through regular meetings, theme nights, internal training and, during the covid period, we have continued to meet online.