Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has been positioned as a “Leader” in cloud professional services, according to the “IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Cloud Professional Services 2014 Vendor Analysis1.” Receiving this distinction for the second consecutive year, Accenture is recognized for its deep industry knowledge, ecosystem relationships, and experience as a service integrator and outsourcer to create differentiated cloud solutions that address clients' unique needs.

The IDC MarketScape report assessed the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of 15 vendors and evaluated them based on a comprehensive framework and set of parameters expected to be most conducive to success in providing cloud professional services during both the short term and the long term.

“We are proud to be recognized as a ‘Leader’ by IDC in professional cloud services for the second straight year as a testament to our substantial cloud consulting and outsourcing capabilities, strong ecosystem relationships and industry acumen,” said Jack Sepple, senior managing director of Infrastructure and Cloud Services at Accenture. “Cloud is increasingly essential for delivering the capabilities required by a digital business. We remain committed to delivering solutions based on proven technologies that help our clients migrate to the cloud simply and effectively, including the robust governance capabilities and management control plane we provide via the Accenture Cloud Platform, supporting enterprises on their end-to-end journey to the cloud.”

In naming Accenture as a “Leader”, the IDC MarketScape report stated that clients found Accenture to be the most strong in providing functional insights and competence, managing risk and meeting project timelines.

Accenture has committed to invest more than $400 million in cloud technologies, capabilities and training by 2015 to focus on delivering the right cloud services from its network of providers, as well as blending its own industry solutions and innovations with third party offerings. To date, Accenture has worked on more than 8,000 cloud computing projects for clients, including nearly 75 percent of the Fortune Global 100, and has approximately 13,000 professionals trained in cloud computing.

The IDC MarketScape is available here.

1IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Cloud Professional Services 2014 Vendor Analysis, doc #250238, August 2014.

About Accenture

Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with more than 305,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world’s most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. The company generated net revenues of US$30.0 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2014. Its home page is www.accenture.com.

About IDC MarketScape

IDC MarketScape vendor analysis model is designed to provide an overview of the competitive fitness of IT, telecommunications, or industry-specific suppliers in a given market. The research methodology utilizes a rigorous scoring methodology based on both qualitative and quantitative criteria that results in a single graphical illustration of each vendor’s position within a given market. IDC MarketScape provides a clear framework in which the product and service offerings, capabilities and strategies, and current and future market success factors of IT, telecommunications, or industry-specific vendors can be meaningfully compared. The framework also provides technology buyers with a transparent foundation to allow companies to independently compare the strengths and weaknesses of current and prospective vendors.