The demand side is steady - growth and expansion of the overall IT service sector is here to stay. Recent surveys, analyst reports and leadership meets have confirmed this trend. The clients are more mature and are looking at increased capabilities and breadth of service from their vendor partners.

Global vendors and tier one pure plays are restructuring themselves to be even more competitive. Acquisitions, leadership rejigs and investment into future have been flavor of the season.

In this evolving competitive scenario how do Tier 2 vendors stay relevant
* Are they serious contenders or relegated to "Niche Provider" / alternate vendor tags
* Do they have strong differentiators
* Is this backed by strong strategy and leadership
* Can they give big boys sleepless nights by delivering outrageous value

Or are they consider themselves just another acquisition target?

I would really love to hear your thoughts and insights on this discussion