The IT giant offers UK firms another option for services

IT and electronics giant Hitachi beefed up its presence in the UK today by launching a new business consulting division that will initially target the public sector, financial institutions and existing Hitachi customers.

Hitachi Consulting, which already boasts significant operations in Japan and North America, will provide business consulting services and systems integration skills, particularly in the areas of corporate management, client-facing systems and business intelligence (BI) systems, said Charles Reekie, newly-appointed managing vice-president at the company.

Reekie added that the division would co-operate closely with the rest of Hitachi, providing consultancy services to support systems developed in other divisions, such as biometric technology and intelligent screens.

"Our advanced display solutions, for example, offer interesting technologies for video conferencing and we could help firms [use the technology to] change their business model to reduce travel and enable more flexible working," Reekie said.

BI will be a key part of the portfolio, following Hitachi Consulting's acquisition last month of US-based BI and performance management specialist Navigator Systems, Reekie said.