Last updated December 15, 2025.
How do you find the right IT consulting company for your business?
How do you distinguish a great consultancy from a mediocre one?
It all comes down to asking the right questions. From technical capabilities to company culture, you want to build a clear picture of the company so you can make an informed decision.
Here’s everything you need to know.
Key takeaways:
- You should evaluate IT consulting companies on technical expertise, industry knowledge, project management methodologies, collaboration style, culture, and cost.
- Ask probing questions to uncover the true capabilities and experience of an IT consultancy.
- Make sure to ask how an IT consultancy will measure success in your scenario.
What should I consider when choosing an IT consultant?
Companies typically start with an understanding of their own needs, which they can use to assess an IT consultancy’s capabilities. They evaluate IT consulting companies using a mix of technical, strategic, and cultural criteria. Here’s a breakdown of the most common factors.
Technical expertise
- Certifications & Skills: Relevant certifications (e.g., AWS, Azure, PMP) and proven experience in the required technologies.
- Past Project Success: Case studies or references showing successful delivery of similar projects.
- Problem-Solving Ability: Ability to handle complex technical challenges and propose innovative solutions.
Industry and domain knowledge
- Business Understanding: Familiarity with the company’s industry (finance, healthcare, manufacturing, etc.).
- Compliance & Security: Knowledge of regulatory requirements (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA) and cybersecurity best practices.
Project management and delivery
- Methodology: Experience with Agile, DevOps, or other frameworks.
- Risk Management: Ability to identify and mitigate risks early.
- Scalability & Future-Proofing: Solutions that support long-term growth.
Communication and collaboration
- Stakeholder Engagement: Clear communication with technical and non-technical teams.
- Reporting & Transparency: Regular updates, dashboards, and documentation.
Cultural fit and reliability
- Adaptability: Ability to work within the company’s culture and processes.
- Responsiveness: Quick turnaround on issues and proactive support.
Cost and value
- Pricing Model: Transparent and aligned with project scope.
- Overall Cost: Use our FREE IT Consulting Cost Calculator to estimate costs for numerous types of projects at different levels of complexity.
- ROI: Demonstrated ability to deliver measurable business value.
What questions should I ask to evaluate an IT consulting company?
Asking the right questions is the key to evaluating an IT consulting company. You should ask questions about the company’s experience, expertise, methodologies, and much more.
It’s also a good idea to ask about pricing. You can use our FREE IT Consulting Cost Calculator to see some typical cost ranges for various types of projects and complexity levels.
Here are the questions that our prospective customers frequently ask about Corsica Technologies.
1. What is your experience with companies of our size and within our industry?
It’s important to choose an IT consultancy that has experience with your unique challenges. A company in your industry—and one that’s roughly your size—is likely to have similar challenges. Asking this question can help flush out whether the IT consultancy is truly aligned with your organization in terms of experience and specialized knowledge.
2. What industry certifications or accreditations do your staff hold?
Unfortunately, not all IT consulting companies are created equal. Asking about certifications and accreditations is a powerful way to cut through the hype and get a clear picture of the IT consultancy’s expertise. Here at Corsica Technologies, our team maintains over 300 certifications and accreditations.
3. Can you provide references or case studies from similar projects?
It’s one thing for a consultancy to claim that they’ve executed similar projects. What do their customers say? Have any similar customers gone on the record in providing public case studies, testimonials, or reviews? Are any similar customers willing to serve as references? These questions can quickly uncover whether a consultancy has deep experience in a similar scenario—and whether their customers were willing to talk about their experience.
4. How do you stay up-to-date on new technology trends?
The world of business technology never stays stagnant. It’s constantly evolving, with new opportunities and new risks arising all the time. The best IT consultancies stay on top of these trends—both by keeping up with industry influencers and by tracking the experiences of their clients.
5. What does your typical project engagement and onboarding process look like?
It’s important to understand how an IT consultancy handles project management and customer onboarding. A consultancy should have a well-defined process, but they should also be flexible, ready to adapt to your specific needs and challenges. Ask this question to flush out great alignment between your teams—or things that might cause friction in the relationship.
6. How do you assess the needs of a business before recommending a solution?
The thoroughness of your needs assessment will drive the success of your IT consulting engagement. Ask this question to get a feel for how detailed (or not detailed) the consultancy is in their needs assessment process.
7. How will you measure the success of a project?
It’s critical to define the KPIs (key performance indicators) of your IT consulting engagement. What does success look like? Is it measurable? A good IT consulting company should come with ideas on how to measure success. But they should also be flexible, ready to collaborate, adapt, and agree on KPIs that work for your organization.
8. What happens if a project does not go as planned or a deadline is not met?
IT consulting engagements can get incredibly complex. It’s important to understand how roles and responsibilities are distributed—and what happens if something goes wrong, or if there’s a delay. Asking this question can help alert you to problematic contract language and help you advocate for your organization as you negotiate.
9. What is your approach to software development and integration?
Does the IT consulting company also handle implementation, integration, and support? If so, it’s important to understand how they approach these phases of the journey. Ask the question now and review the contract thoroughly so everyone is on the same page. Be sure to push back if anything doesn’t sound right or isn’t a good fit for your organization.
10. How will you help scale our infrastructure for future growth?
The best IT consulting companies don’t take a “one and done” approach to technology. Rather, they understand that your organization’s challenges will continue to evolve, and so their approach must evolve as well. If you have growth plans, this is a critical question to ask your IT consultancy. How will they handle your growth? Can they help you scale seamlessly, or will they hold you back?
11. How can you boost the performance of our network and diagnose common issues like slow file uploads?
If your IT consultancy is offering to manage your network, this question can help pinpoint their expertise (or lack thereof). A company with deep knowledge of network management will have solid answers here. Use this question to determine if the IT consulting company is a true fit.
12. Will you work with our current third-party vendors and software?
Some IT consulting companies want to rip and replace your entire tech stack (or a big part of it). Perhaps they only work with certain platforms—or perhaps they have financial incentives from partners to implement certain platforms. While it’s common for consulting companies to partner with major software providers, it’s not good practice to suggest replacement software when the customer doesn’t actually need it.
Ask your IT consulting company how they handle any software within scope that you plan to keep. Their answer will tell you a lot about them.
13. Where does AI move the needle for a company like ours, and how do you measure the ROI on an AI project?
AI is a hot topic—and for good reason. But how can you be sure an IT consultancy is equipped to make AI work for your company? Ask them for specifics related to your industry, your use cases, and your operational challenges. Ask them how they’ve measured ROI with other clients. The answer will help you understand whether this consultancy has the expertise you need to win with AI.
The takeaway: Ask the right questions as you evaluate IT consultancies
Not all IT consulting companies are created equal. You can learn a lot by researching a company, but you can learn even more by asking the right questions. A good consultancy will have thoughtful answers—and they’ll acknowledge when they don’t know or aren’t a good fit. Here at Corsica Technologies, we’ve helped 1,000+ clients achieve their goals through technology. Contact us today, and let’s get started on the next step in your journey.
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