Consultants, vendors tighten knots
Since the beginning of the year, major consulting organisations and IT vendors have been sharing a lot more than knowledge. They've been sharing cash, jointly investing in new ventures. Here are three examples:
| Consulting firm | Vendor | What they did |
| Andersen | Microsoft | In March, announced $1 billion joint venture to Consulting create Avanade, a company to help customers integrate Windows 2000. Microsoft is contributing $385 million of the $1 billion. |
| Cap Gemini | Cisco Systems | Announced in March the formation of a Ernst & Young company to provide services to telecom carriers and enterprises. Cap Gemini will own 95.1 percent, while Cisco will own 4.9 percent. |
| KPMG | Cisco | KPMG in January announced it was using a $1 Consulting billion Cisco investment to spin off its consulting business, leaving Cisco with a 19.9 percent stake. |
