Consulting partners, or system integrators (SIs), have been around since almost the beginning of IT itself. The concept is that companies don't have the time, resources, or desire to skill up on new technology or scale out their workforce to handle the demands of their business requirements. Therefore, these SI partners are used to fill gaps and help the company move faster with people who can quickly make an impact and deliver projects and business results. These types of partners come in many shapes and sizes, and the relationship they have with the company can be very transactional, or strategic and long term, depending on how the individual company decides to handle their business. Typically, SI partners can be viewed as either niche players, regionally focused, or global/large scale, each having a key place in a company's journey.