Tech consulting is usually a nightmare of buzzwords and billable hours that lead nowhere. Honestly, if you've ever hired a firm to "digitally transform" your business, you probably ended up with a massive bill and a software stack that nobody actually knows how to use. That's the baseline.
But lately, there’s been a lot of chatter around Pedro Vaz Paulo IT consulting and his specific approach to the SME market in Southeast Asia. It’s a weirdly specific niche, but it’s where most of the global growth is happening right now. People often mistake him for just another "IT guy" or a general business coach. He isn't.
The reality is that "IT consulting" in 2026 isn't just about fixing servers or coding apps. It’s about not letting your tech debt kill your cash flow before you can scale.
The Southeast Asia Expansion Trap
Most Western firms try to copy-paste their tech infrastructure into markets like Vietnam, Thailand, or Indonesia. It fails. Every time.
Pedro Vaz Paulo’s work focuses heavily on the fact that localized operational excellence is different from theoretical efficiency. You can’t just install a high-end ERP system and expect a warehouse team in a developing market to adopt it overnight without a massive cultural bridge.
The strategy usually involves a 3-to-6-month market entry phase. It sounds long. It is long. But rushing the tech side of market expansion is how companies lose millions in "unforeseen" integration costs.
Why the "Strategy First" Label is Kinda Misleading
If you look at the PedroVazPaulo model, they talk a lot about strategic clarity.
Sounds like corporate fluff, right?
Actually, it’s about tech pruning.
Most SMEs are bloated with SaaS subscriptions they don't use. I've seen startups paying for Salesforce, HubSpot, and a custom CRM simultaneously because different departments won't talk to each other.
Vaz Paulo’s approach—at least based on his recent work with midmarket firms—is to gut the redundancies.
He treats IT as a cost-reduction center before he treats it as a growth engine. You have to stop the bleeding before you can run.
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AI Development: Beyond the Hype
The "SelectedFirms" data shows that about 50% of the focus in the PedroVazPaulo orbit is now on AI development. But we need to be careful with that term. We aren't talking about building the next ChatGPT.
In this context, AI development means:
- Automating specific bottlenecks in the supply chain.
- Building predictive models for inventory in volatile markets.
- Using LLMs to handle multilingual customer support across Southeast Asian dialects.
It’s "blue-collar" AI. It’s not flashy, but it moves the needle on the P&L statement. Honestly, if an IT consultant isn't telling you that 90% of AI tools are useless for your specific business, they’re probably trying to sell you something you don't need.
The 6-to-12 Month Scale-Up Reality
Scaling a business from $5M to $50M is the "valley of death" for IT.
Your old systems break.
Your spreadsheets become a liability.
Your security becomes a joke.
Pedro Vaz Paulo IT consulting generally slots into this window. The goal is "operational scale-up." This involves moving away from "founder-led" chaos and toward "system-led" stability.
One thing most people get wrong is thinking they can just "buy" this transition. You can't. It requires leadership alignment, which is a fancy way of saying the CEO needs to stop bypassing the new systems because they’re "too slow."
Practical Realities of the PedroVazPaulo Method
- Metric Embedding: You don’t just look at revenue. You look at decision speed. If your IT system doesn't make you decide 20% faster, it’s a failure.
- Bespoke vs. Off-the-Shelf: There is a heavy bias here against "off-the-shelf" templates. Every business has a unique mess; you can't clean it with a generic broom.
- Regional Nuance: Managing a tech team in Syracuse (where the firm has a registered presence) while deploying in Southeast Asia requires a very specific type of bridge-building that most US-centric firms lack.
What Actually Happens During an Engagement?
It usually starts with a "Clarify & Align" phase. This is the part where everyone sits in a room and admits that the current tech stack is a disaster.
Then comes the "Execute & Optimize." This is where the actual IT consulting happens—streamlining processes, killing off zombie apps, and building the "growth roadmap."
Finally, "Sustain & Scale." This is the hardest part. It’s about building a culture where the tech is maintained. Most consultants leave after the "Execute" phase. That’s why projects fail six months later. The Vaz Paulo model emphasizes 12+ month engagements for a reason: habit formation.
Actionable Steps for Your Own IT Strategy
Whether you’re looking at Pedro Vaz Paulo specifically or just trying to fix your own IT mess, there are a few things you should do right now:
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Audit your "Zombie" Spend.
Go through your credit card statements. Find every SaaS subscription that hasn't been logged into by more than three people in the last 30 days. Cancel them. You’ll likely save 10-15% of your IT budget instantly.
Map Your Bottlenecks.
Ask your operations manager: "What is the one task that takes three times longer than it should because the software is clunky?" That is your first AI or automation project. Don't start with "strategy." Start with the pain.
Vet for Regional Experience.
If you are expanding into Asia, do not hire a consultant who hasn't lived there. The regulatory landscape and the way people interact with mobile tech (Super Apps like Grab or Zalo) are completely different from the Western "desktop-first" mentality.
Prioritize Decision Speed.
When evaluating a new piece of tech, ask: "Will this help me make a decision faster?" If it just gives you "more data" without a clear path to action, it’s just noise.
The IT consulting world is full of people who want to build you a cathedral when you just need a functional shed. The key to the Pedro Vaz Paulo approach—and what you should emulate—is the focus on measurable outcomes over technical sophistication. High-tech is useless if it delivers low-ROI.