Increasing the number of Nvidia chips in the server cluster that a company uses to train its LLMs is only one of the ways to boost prompt response quality. Another is to train the models on production-grade, highly specialized data similar to the files they will be expected to process in production. That’s the approach software maker Kantata has taken with its Services Language Model, a newly announced language model optimized for the consulting sector. Boardroom Insight caught up with Kantata Chief Product Officer Sarah Edwards to get a closer look at the technology. We also heard from Graham Busby, the deputy CEO of Elixirr, about the publicly traded consultancy’s largest acquisition to date. Plus, business updates from Adastra, Centric Consulting and FORTÉ.

LLM-powered consulting automation. Kantata will ship its Services Language Model as part of a new offering, the Kantata Expertise Engine, that it’s currently beta testing with a limited number of users. The software can ingest the data generated by a professional service firm’s business operations and use it to automate manual work. The Kantata Expertise Engine will power a set of task-specific feature bundles called Accelerators that Kantata plans to start rolling out in the first quarter.

The first Accelerator will focus on automating sales-related work. “Within minutes of a discovery call or RFP, it can generate a fully differentiated proposal built on real delivery experience — complete with evidence from past successes, the right-fit team, and the outcomes that prove credibility,” Kantata CPO Sarah Edwards told Boardroom Insight. “That same intelligence then flows directly into an informative, ready-to-use sales-to-services handover, ensuring every project team starts with full context, clear commitments, and a shared understanding of success.”

According to Edwards, the Kantata Expertise Engine’s big picture goal is to ease internal knowledge sharing for professional services teams. “The expertise that truly differentiates consulting firms has lived in the minds of individuals or been buried in archives,” the executive explained. “The Kantata Expertise Engine changes that — it turns every proposal, project, and client outcome into reusable intelligence.”

Elixirr makes its largest acquisition to date. The London-headquartered business and technology consultancy has bought Chicago-based TRC Advisory, which helps companies find ways of boosting revenue growth. It also works on margin improvement initiatives. TRC Advisory can, for example, suggest profitability-boosting changes to a company’s product mix. That might mean dropping low-margin merchandise to free up manufacturing capacity for flagship offerings.

“The acquisition of TRC Advisory represents a significant milestone in Elixirr’s strategy to expand our global capability and strengthen our position as a leading consultancy,” Elixirr co-founder and deputy CEO Graham Busby told Boardroom Insight. “Together, we can offer our clients something truly distinctive: end-to-end transformation that connects strategy with execution, powered by global reach and deep C-suite relationships.”

Several key TRC Advisory staffers, including its founding managing director, are joining Elixirr as partners. “TRC’s team has built a reputation for delivering tangible impact at the C-suite level,” Busby said.

The capabilities that Elixirr is gaining through the deal will extend its existing lineup of business consulting services. The firm advises corporate clients on acquisitions, supply chain modernization initiatives and other projects. It also operates what a spokesperson described as a “dedicated AI and technology practice that helps organisations identify high-impact opportunities and builds and deploys tailored solutions.” During the first half of the year, Elixirr generated £71.4 million in revenue across the markets where it competes. 

Adastra becomes a Databricks Elite Partner. The milestone comes more than six years after the companies first started working together. Adastra is an IT consulting firm with over 2,000 employees, more than 800 of whom are data engineers. Databricks, in turn, provides a platform that enterprises use to store their business data and analyze it. The software vendor also offers a growing lineup of AI features. Those features enable companies to train their AI models on the data they keep in Databricks.

Going forward, the software vendor and Adastra plan to collaborate more closely on client projects. “Closer joint account planning means our teams and Databricks experts will now work hand in hand with clients, aligning business priorities, sharing technical insights, and accelerating the move from concept to production,” said Adastra North America CEO Rahim Hajee. “Our deep understanding of each client’s business context allows us to translate those priorities into targeted data and AI solutions that drive real outcomes.”

Adastra will also participate in a Databricks program through which the software vendor co-develops consulting services and other offerings with partners. “The opportunity to co-develop solutions and accelerators allows us to bring new innovations to market faster — from AI and data governance frameworks to industry-specific use cases,” Hajee said. “With Databricks, we can help organizations realize measurable value from their data investments more quickly and with less risk.”

Centric Consulting bolsters its relationship with Microsoft. The Dayton, Ohio-based IT consultancy was recently named a Microsoft Managed Partner, a designation that the tech giant awards to less than 1% of the companies in its U.S. partner ecosystem. Centric Consulting vice president Jason Pohl gave Boardroom Insight a brief overview of the work that went into the achievement. 

“We’ve invested heavily in building advanced technical expertise, earning six Microsoft solution designations, and delivering real client impact across AI, cloud, and security,” Pohl detailed. “Our teams have worked closely with Microsoft’s field and engineering groups to co-develop solutions, participate in early-access programs for new platforms like Copilot and Fabric, and align our services with where Microsoft’s technology is headed next.”

The Microsoft Managed Partner title comes with go-to-market benefits for consulting firms. “It opens the door to joint marketing opportunities, closer engagement with Microsoft’s sales teams, and faster access to emerging technologies for our clients,” Pohl said.

Centric Consulting is also active beyond the Microsoft ecosystem. One of the firm’s focus areas is helping companies adopt the significant number of AI features Salesforce has added to its cloud platforms over the past three years. Centric also has a NetSuite practice. It can set up the Oracle subsidiary’s software on behalf of clients, as well as manage that software on an ongoing basis. 

FORTÉ acquires Informationsteknik Scandinavia to grow its European presence. Both firms are audiovisual systems integrators, which means they help organizations set up equipment such as videoconferencing displays and projectors. They also assist clients with related tasks such as managing Zoom installations. The acquisition buys Minneapolis-based FORTÉ seven offices in Sweden and Denmark. The 130 professionals at those offices support a clientele that includes corporations, event venue operators and educational institutions.

“FORTÉ will benefit from this acquisition by integrating Informationsteknik’s fixed installation business,” a FORTÉ spokesperson told Boardroom Insight. “In addition, the company’s event group (Informationsteknik in Sweden and Get Visual in Denmark) will make contributions to FORTÉ’s growth effort in Europe.”

“The move expands FORTÉ’s reach in higher education and institutional AV markets, especially across multi-campus deployments, while adding strong Scandinavian domain knowledge in procurement, local regulations, and languages,” the spokesperson added. “The integration also enhances FORTÉ’s event production capabilities – especially for large gatherings, live environments, and hybrid experiences.”

Photo courtesy of Nvidia