ServiceNow pure-play Thirdera invests for global scale

Rapid capability evolution and enthusiastic delivery of experience-led outcomes across the dynamic ServiceNow ecosystem continue unabated. On the one hand, we see new themes such as industry solutions, cloud operations, and ERP modernization emerging. On the other hand, the leading pure-plays are moving beyond an implementation focus to scale out internationally. As the ServiceNow market pivots from software implementations toward facilitating large-scale transformations, operations leaders should consider these pure-plays for those broader requirements next to global systems integrators (GSIs).

Thirdera puts its money where its mouth is

Operations leaders are desperately scrambling for ServiceNow talent. As the market pivots toward transformation, the focus is no longer just on implementation skills. Certified Master and Technical Architects are a reference point for being able to deliver on a broader transformational scope. Yet, pure-plays thus far have been confined to a regional focus. Now, with pure-plays like Thirdera scaling internationally, leaders get a broader choice. We see multiple shifts in the market conflating where pure-plays can compete for much broader requirements.

Back in 2021, when GSIs used to acquire ServiceNow pure-plays to fill the talent gap, Thirdera founders were bucking a trend. By combining three pure-plays, they aimed to establish a global pure-play ServiceNow partner. Two years into that journey, Thirdera is on course to hit that milestone.

To date, Thirdera has more ServiceNow revenues than most mid-tier providers and even some large GSIs. The 2021 acquisitions of ServiceLine Solutions in Australia and Appoxio, a UX/UI design agency based in Calgary, Canada, provided additional growth momentum. Those acquisitions, plus more than 550 organic hires, put Thirdera in an exclusive club of pure-plays such as Plat4mation and Cask to scale out internationally. What sets Thirdera apart is the many Certified Master and Technical Architects (only Accenture boasts more) that provide the foundation for being considered for complex transformations.

SilverStorm expands Thirdera’s European footprint and a nearshore base

The next piece in the jigsaw is building out a broad European base. SilverStorm, which Thirdera acquired in January 2023, was one of ServiceNow’s first partners in Europe. While no pure-play, it provides Thirdera with scale in Europe, including two new delivery centers in Madrid and Valladolid, Spain. SilverStorm added about 200 FTEs to the existing 100 European FTEs, gaining Thirdera a nearshore backbone and a deep Southern European go-to-market capability for Europe. SilverStorm had a team that it could also leverage for Latin America.

United Nations contract win, references progress and scale

The complexity of requirements Thirdera can address can be seen in winning complex rollouts spanning multiple countries. SilverStorm worked with the United Nations in Spain and expanded that relationship through a contract with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. It created an ecosystem consisting of ServiceNow, British Telecom, and Thirdera to set up a regional contact center for refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine. The service, a cost-free phone calling system, is available in Hungary and Poland and can be scaled up to other countries in the region, depending on needs.

This is a good example of the acquisition’s synergistic value; Thirdera presents opportunities to be more global with the client base, and SilverStorm brings deep capabilities and industry-level skills. This win also references Thirdera’s willingness to engage in an ecosystem and its ability to scale up and down while delivering in countries where it has no operations.

The Bottom Line: Operations leaders should consider Thirdera for global requirements if they can maintain a unique global culture.

Clients tend to work with pure-plays because “they are not GSIs,” reinforcing that clients value flexibility and being outcome driven. However, recent acquisitions pure-plays such as Linium by Cognizant and Acorio by NTT DATA appear to have diminished much of those values. As such, there is an opportunity for scaled pure-plays like Thirdera to be considered for international requirements, provided they maintain a coherent and differentiating global culture. Stay tuned to learn how Thirdera and 20 of its peers are faring in our upcoming ServiceNow Services Horizon 2023!