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Forbes
30-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Why Companies Are Replacing In-House Roles With Curious Consultants
Hiring a full-time employee used to be the go-to solution when companies needed help with strategy, systems, or data. That thinking is changing. As businesses face growing complexity in their tech stacks, more leaders are turning to outside consultants who offer broader experience and faster results. According to The Business Research Company, the system integration services market is projected to grow from $494.7 billion in 2024 to $532.48 billion in 2025. One of the main drivers is the increasing demand for consultants who can connect disconnected systems and help businesses make the most of their tools. Companies are realizing they need strategic partners who understand how to bring everything together. Consultants who lead with curiosity stand out in this environment. They bring a fresh perspective, challenge assumptions, and identify hidden inefficiencies. They ask better questions and solve problems that internal teams may not even know exist. Internal employees bring deep company knowledge, but that knowledge can become narrow over time. When someone is immersed in one company's way of working, it becomes difficult to spot inefficiencies. Familiarity creates blind spots. People stop asking why things are done a certain way and start accepting outdated processes as normal. Consultants who work across industries avoid this trap. They compare what works in one space with what fails in another. They bring fresh context to old problems. And because they are not part of the internal structure, they can ask questions others avoid. When I spoke with Chris Andres, Co-Founder of GTX Solutions, he emphasized something many companies overlook: solving technical problems often starts with understanding human ones. As the former Global VP of Customer Success at Tealium, and now through his leadership at GTX, he has worked with clients across retail, automotive, gaming, travel/hospitality, health care, financial services, and media. These roles have given him a clear view into what executive leaders face when trying to align systems, data, and strategy at scale. As he explained, 'Most companies do not suffer from a lack of data or software. What they lack is a coherent way to make decisions across systems. When no one owns the connections, inefficiencies multiply. My goal is not to implement more platforms. It is to help teams finally hear what the data has been trying to say. At GTX, we don't just uncover the problem. We work directly with client teams to resolve it, embedding alongside their staff or taking full ownership of the execution. That blend of strategy and hands-on delivery is what moves the needle.' That ability to connect dots across platforms, departments, and industries makes consultants like Andres an essential resource for companies that need more than just technical execution. They need someone who can step back, see the whole picture, and make it work. How Curious Consultants Uncover What Teams Miss getty Most employees are managing tight deadlines, meetings, and shifting priorities. Even when they notice a problem, they may not have the bandwidth or authority to take action. Over time, workarounds become permanent. Inefficiencies are accepted as part of the job. Consultants are not bound by those constraints. They are brought in specifically to identify what is not working and recommend a path forward. Their value comes from objectivity and perspective. Because they have worked with different types of companies and systems, they can spot problems faster and offer more creative solutions. What solves a data flow issue for a retailer might work for a healthcare provider. What streamlines onboarding in a gaming company might improve the experience for a financial services firm. These connections are difficult to make from within, but consultants are trained to see across boundaries. Many organizations are not suffering from a lack of tools. They are suffering from too many tools that do not communicate. In earlier research I contributed to for Forbes, we saw how disconnected systems caused inefficiency, confusion, and duplication across departments. These same issues show up today across industries and functions. Consultants often serve as the translators between platforms, teams, and priorities. They help companies get more value from the systems they already have by improving how those systems connect. Instead of recommending entirely new software, the focus is on integration, clarity, and usability. Why Curiosity Sets Great Consultants Apart getty The best consultants do not assume they know the answer before asking the right questions. They take time to understand the organization, investigate root causes, and learn how each team works. This level of curiosity often reveals opportunities that internal teams miss. Curiosity is a mindset and a business asset. It enables consultants to explore, adapt, and test ideas that improve performance across departments. It also helps them stay relevant in a fast-changing environment, where the best solution often comes from a combination of experience and exploration. Why Curious Consultants Are A Smart Investment getty Hiring a consultant may appear to be a temporary fix, but the long-term benefits often outweigh the cost. These professionals bring energy, speed, and clarity to situations that have stalled. They identify gaps, focus priorities, and bring momentum to projects that need a push. They also bring strategic value. Because they have worked across industries, consultants know what is essential and what can be streamlined. They help companies avoid common pitfalls, reduce redundancy, and improve collaboration between teams and tools. Organizations that bring in the right consultants are not outsourcing leadership. They are enhancing it. They are choosing to move faster and smarter by leveraging insights that internal teams alone may not have access to. What Curious Consultants Mean For HR Strategy getty The growing reliance on outside consultants is changing how HR teams plan, hire, and measure success. Instead of defaulting to full-time hires, HR leaders are being asked to evaluate when external expertise makes more sense. This shift impacts everything from workforce planning to onboarding. HR must now support hybrid teams where consultants contribute alongside employees, often driving key outcomes without being on the payroll. It also requires a different lens on performance. The focus is moving toward results, not just roles. For HR, this is a chance to lead with strategy, matching the right talent to the right need, even when that talent comes from outside the organization.
Korea Herald
27-05-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
Pedal Through Asia: Agoda Highlights 5 Cycling Destinations for World Bicycle Day
SINGAPORE, May 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- In celebration of World Bicycle Day on 3 June, digital travel platform Agoda is spotlighting five cycling destinations across Asia that offer unique experiences for travelers. From the tranquil trails of Hokkaido, Japan, to the historic charm of Sukhothai, Thailand, these destinations promise unforgettable adventures for cycling enthusiasts. With cycling tourism gaining global momentum, the Asia-Pacific region has emerged as the fastest-growing market for this trend, according to recent insights from The Business Research Company. Cycling is more than just a mode of transport; it's a way to connect with nature, explore local cultures, and enjoy the freedom of the open road. Agoda has curated a list of five must-visit cycling spots across Asia, perfect for riders of all levels. Krishna Rathi, Senior Country Director at Agoda shared, "World Bicycle Day is the perfect occasion to celebrate the joy of cycling and the incredible destinations Asia has to offer. With interest in cycling tourism on the rise, particularly across Asia-Pacific where demand is growing rapidly, more travelers are turning to two wheels to explore the region's diverse landscapes and cultures. By offering great value deals on accommodation, transport and experiences, Agoda is here to make it easier for travelers to plan their cycling adventures, whether they're seeking scenic routes, cultural immersion, or a mix of both." Five cycling destinations to explore in Asia: Agoda's extensive offerings make it easy for travelers to plan their cycling adventures. With over 5 million holiday properties, more than 130,000 flight routes, and over 300,000 activities, Agoda provides everything needed for a seamless trip. For the best deals, visit Agoda's mobile app and start planning your next cycling getaway.
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Reddit's Ranking Of The Best Fast Food Fried Chicken Is A Battle Of The Top Chains
No matter how you fry it, restaurant fried chicken just tastes better. It's no wonder that the global fried chicken market is such a booming business, poised to reach $9.48 billion by 2029, per The Business Research Company. Clearly, folks love their fried chicken -- which restaurant serves up the best poultry, however, is a matter of some debate. When it comes to ranking fried chicken chains from best to worst, people have very definite opinions. Users on Reddit have narrowed the field to a handful of fast-food chains they consider to be the best cluck for your buck. To suss out the winners, Food Republic dug into the comment threads to see which chicken had folks salivating. The clear standout among Reddit users was Popeyes, that Louisiana-born chicken chain offering crunchy, battered poultry with a kick of Cajun and Creole-inspired spices. This fried food spot received the most callouts for being top dog among chicken chains. The online discourse also pointed out certain runner up chains, as well as one famous chicken joint that apparently no longer has a great reputation. The Colonel's chicken, KFC, has fallen pretty far since its glory days and didn't make the top rankings -- or even come close. The fried chicken champion of former times drew some criticism from commenters who claimed it is not as good as it once was, citing a drop in quality at the once-dominating chain in the decades since it became corporate owned, and subsequently changed hands multiple times. Read more: Ranking Fast Food Burgers From Worst To Best, According To Reddit From the spice to the texture, Popeyes chicken is the hands-down (wings-down ... ) favorite among users in the r/fastfood subreddit thread, who engaged in major discussion over the ultimate fast food fried chicken. But the high-ranked spot is not without its flaws: the food itself is beloved, but the problem seems to be getting Popeyes restaurants to properly serve the famous fried poultry. Commenters pretty unanimously cited consistently bad service at Popeyes restaurants. In the same sentences praising the deliciousness of the food, issues like wrong orders, completely forgotten orders, or not being able to order at all were brought up in tandem. "Popeyes is undisputed [number one] for taste and texture in my book, but service is abysmal," one Reddit user stated. Another wrote, "I used to live across the street from one and was hooked. But [it's] almost impossible to order from. They always get it wrong. They're always packed and slow. The ratings for the one near me are abysmal." One Popeye's lover shared that they've experienced bad service at the fast food restaurant in the past, but now live near a franchise where the service is good. A fellow Reddit user quipped in response, "Never move. Hold on for dear life." The bottom line seems to be that Popeyes has the best-tasting fried chicken. The catch, however, is identifying a restaurant location where you can enjoy it without a major hassle. It wasn't just Popeye's that received love in the online discourse via Reddit thread -- California-founded Bojangles was the second-ranked favorite among commentators for it's crispy fried chicken and fan-favorite iced sweet tea. One user stated that Bojangles is "almost as good" as Popeyes, but the service is much better, so they take their business to the competing chain. Another Reddit user shared that they prefer Bojangles to Popeyes simply because the former is generous with their sauces (both sauce cup portions, as well as servers who are happy to dole out extras on request). The user compared this saucy experience to Popeye's, where getting an extra dip is like "pulling teeth." Popeyes is now putting its sauces on grocery store shelves, though, so those craving more have the option of purchasing it by the bottle. Ranking third, per Reddit, was Church's Texas Chicken, serving up fried chicken, biscuits, and sides along with other items like fried shrimp and fish sandwiches. The chain touts its large food portions and bold taste as being quintessentially Texan. Reddit users specifically like the drumsticks and sides. Once again, though, this restaurant can't seem to get out from beneath the Popeyes shadow. One Reddit user called it, "A pretty great substitute for Popeyes," with another commenter claimed it is "a close [number two,]" with better service and a larger menu variety. Clearly, the best fast food fried chicken is still anyone's game -- and the quality of the food isn't the only thing customers are taking into consideration. Want more food knowledge? Sign up to our free newsletter where we're helping thousands of foodies, like you, become culinary masters, one email at a time. Read the original article on Food Republic.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Is Arista Networks Inc (ANET) The Best Hardware Stock To Buy Now?
We recently published a list of . In this article, we are going to take a look at where Arista Networks Inc (NYSE:ANET) stands against other best hardware stocks to buy now. The computer hardware industry comprises personal computers, PC peripherals, storage devices, and servers for the high-growth data center industry. According to a report by The Business Research Company, the computer hardware industry was valued at $714.8 billion in 2024 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 6.5% to reach $761 billion by 2025. The market is expected to expand further at a CAGR of 6.3% to reach $972 billion by 2029 eventually. The historic growth factors including the globalization of the supply chain, the rise of the internet, and the revolution in personal computing are still valid. It has been further boosted by the latest trends such as edge and quantum computing, the rise of AI and data centers, and hybrid and multi-cloud environments. The global PC market is one of the largest components of the hardware industry. According to a January 9 report by IDC, the PC shipments grew 1.8% during Q4 of 2024, with global volumes reaching 68.9 million. Jitesh Ubrani, a research manager at IDC Worldwide Mobile Device Trackers noted that overall the market is experiencing slower growth, however, the fourth quarter was aided by the Chinese government subsidies. The report also pointed out increased concern regarding the increased threats of new tariffs back in January 2025, noting that many brands experienced pull-ins during December as a preventive measure to get ahead of the tariffs. However, a more recent report published by IDC on April 8, revealed that the PC shipment market remained unaffected by the tariffs as the shipments grew by 4.9% during the first quarter of 2025. Jean Philippe Bouchard, research vice-president with IDC's Worldwide Mobile Device Trackers noted that these increased shipments were largely a result of the entire ecosystem trying to accelerate the deliveries to avoid the first round of tariffs. He noted that although the market remained largely unaffected by the first round, however, the second round announced on April 2 could lead to an inflationary impact, thereby negatively impacting the shipments in the following quarters. To curate the list of the 10 best hardware stocks to buy now, we used the Finviz stock screener and Insider Monkey's Q4 2024 hedge funds database. Firstly, we aggregated a list of computer hardware stocks using the screener and sorted the list by market capitalization. Next, we ranked these stocks in ascending order of the number of hedge fund holders. Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter's strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (). A technician in a server room managing a large-scale network of Networks Inc (NYSE:ANET) is a leading data-driven cloud networking company that provides technologies for large-scale data centers, campus environments, and routing systems. It operates through Core Networking Systems, Cognitive Adjacencies, and Network Software and Solutions. Its products range from high-speed ethernet switching platforms to Campus wired/wireless products. In fiscal 2024, Arista Networks Inc (NYSE:ANET) generated $7.03 billion in revenue, reflecting a 19.5% increase year-over-year. The company's cloud segment contributed around 48% to the annual revenue, whereas the core AI and data center products grew the annual revenue by around 65%. Notably, management shared that Meta has deployed its Arista 7700R4 Distributed Etherlink Switch for its latest Ethernet-based AI cluster. In addition, the company also introduced Switch Aggregation Group capability to its Arista EOS, which is used as an industry-standard Ethernet to group and manage switches. Moreover, on April 8, Morgan Stanley analyst Meta Marshall maintained a Buy rating on the stock with a price target of $73. It is one of the best hardware stocks to buy now. Artisan Global Opportunities Fund stated the following regarding Arista Networks Inc (NYSE:ANET) in its Q4 2024 investor letter: 'Along with NovoNordisk, a notable trim in the quarter included Arista Networks Inc (NYSE:ANET). Arista Networks is the market leader in cloud networking equipment used in data centers. Shares have strongly outperformed since the beginning of 2023 as its ethernet options capture market share in AI cloud environments. Many of the largest buyers in this space are focused on utilizing Arista's networking technology, given meaningful increases in GPU utilization rates versus InfiniBand, the out-of-the-box solution from NVIDIA. We believe Arista remains exceptionally well positioned. However, we have been trimming the position due to our valuation discipline.' Overall, ANET ranks 2nd on our list of best hardware stocks to buy now. While we acknowledge the potential of ANET to grow, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. There is an AI stock that went up since the beginning of 2025, while popular AI stocks lost around 25%. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than ANET but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the . READ NEXT: and . Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at .
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Is Super Micro Computer, Inc. (SMCI) The Best Hardware Stock To Buy Now?
We recently published a list of . In this article, we are going to take a look at where Super Micro Computer, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMCI) stands against other best hardware stocks to buy now. The computer hardware industry comprises personal computers, PC peripherals, storage devices, and servers for the high-growth data center industry. According to a report by The Business Research Company, the computer hardware industry was valued at $714.8 billion in 2024 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 6.5% to reach $761 billion by 2025. The market is expected to expand further at a CAGR of 6.3% to reach $972 billion by 2029 eventually. The historic growth factors including the globalization of the supply chain, the rise of the internet, and the revolution in personal computing are still valid. It has been further boosted by the latest trends such as edge and quantum computing, the rise of AI and data centers, and hybrid and multi-cloud environments. The global PC market is one of the largest components of the hardware industry. According to a January 9 report by IDC, the PC shipments grew 1.8% during Q4 of 2024, with global volumes reaching 68.9 million. Jitesh Ubrani, a research manager at IDC Worldwide Mobile Device Trackers noted that overall the market is experiencing slower growth, however, the fourth quarter was aided by the Chinese government subsidies. The report also pointed out increased concern regarding the increased threats of new tariffs back in January 2025, noting that many brands experienced pull-ins during December as a preventive measure to get ahead of the tariffs. However, a more recent report published by IDC on April 8, revealed that the PC shipment market remained unaffected by the tariffs as the shipments grew by 4.9% during the first quarter of 2025. Jean Philippe Bouchard, research vice-president with IDC's Worldwide Mobile Device Trackers noted that these increased shipments were largely a result of the entire ecosystem trying to accelerate the deliveries to avoid the first round of tariffs. He noted that although the market remained largely unaffected by the first round, however, the second round announced on April 2 could lead to an inflationary impact, thereby negatively impacting the shipments in the following quarters. To curate the list of the 10 best hardware stocks to buy now, we used the Finviz stock screener and Insider Monkey's Q4 2024 hedge funds database. Firstly, we aggregated a list of computer hardware stocks using the screener and sorted the list by market capitalization. Next, we ranked these stocks in ascending order of the number of hedge fund holders. Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter's strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (). A team of technicians in a server room, testing and managing the newest server Micro Computer, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMCI) is a technology company that provides high-performance computing, storage, networking solutions, and green computing technology. Its key offerings include hardware solutions, rack-scale solutions, software, and green technologies. The company is known for its SuperBlade, MicroBlade, and SuperStorage technologies. On April 3, Super Micro Computer, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMCI) announced the industry's first NVIDIA HGX B200 systems, which demonstrated robust AI performance as per the MLPerf Inference v5.0 benchmarks. The systems delivered more than 3 times the token generation per second in comparison to the previous systems. Moreover, the company released its preliminary second-quarter results for fiscal 2025. Super Micro Computer, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMCI) expects net sales within the range of $5.6 billion to $5.7 billion, indicating a 54% increase year-over-year. Management anticipates maintaining its leadership in direct-liquid-cooling technology with over 30% of data centers expected to adopt the technology over the next 12 months. It is one of the best hardware stocks to buy now. Overall, SMCI ranks 6th on our list of best hardware stocks to buy now. While we acknowledge the potential of SMCI to grow, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. There is an AI stock that went up since the beginning of 2025, while popular AI stocks lost around 25%. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than SMCI but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the . READ NEXT: and . Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at . Sign in to access your portfolio
