Asturex / Practices

Eleven practices, honestly ranked

Not every technology is the same business. Here's what we staff, what the market pays, and where each one genuinely sits.

The portfolio

Where each practice sits

Demand depth, competitive intensity and margin potential vary enormously across these eleven. We think being straight about that is more useful than claiming uniform excellence.

PracticeDemandCompetitionMarginRole for us
SAPVery highVery highMediumAnchor — and the practice we also train in
AI & Data EngineeringVery high, fastest-growingHigh, risingHighAnchor — strongest demand line
ServiceNowHighModerateHighAnchor — scarcity premium
SalesforceHighHighMedium–HighCore — large market
OracleSteadyModerateMediumCore — mature and stable
NetSuiteMid-market steadyModerateMediumCore — faster cycles
Unit4NicheVery lowHighScarcity play — partner supply
Full StackVery high volumeCommoditizedLowCapacity — completes requirements
CybersecurityVery high, most acute shortageHigh, but thin at senior levelHighNew anchor — the widest gap we see in the market
Microsoft Dynamics 365Rising, forced-migration waveModerateMedium–HighCore — the natural next ERP alongside SAP, Oracle and NetSuite
Cloud & DevSecOpsVery highHighMedium–HighExtension of our AI & Data Engineering bench
Market signal

What the numbers actually say

Scarcity pays

+20–40%

The premium niche stacks like Salesforce and ServiceNow command over general engineering rates in Indian contract staffing — driven by a thin talent pool and real poach risk, not by harder work.

ServiceNow is climbing

2.31% → 3.71%

ServiceNow's share of all UK contract IT vacancies over two years, with median daily rates holding around £500 — a platform gaining ground while the wider contract market softened.

Specialist rates

$150–300/hr

Planning-benchmark range for ServiceNow specialists in Western markets, where initial deployments commonly run from $30,000 to well past $150,000.

The cybersecurity gap

+87%

How much the global cybersecurity workforce needs to grow to meet demand — and in the Gulf specifically, SOC analysts and cloud security engineers are named among the hardest roles to fill, with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 and the UAE's digital programmes both pouring investment into the practice.

Sources: ITJobsWatch UK contract data; TMS India contract staffing rate card 2026; third-party ServiceNow deployment estimates; ISC2/industry cybersecurity workforce studies 2026. Ranges are indicative planning benchmarks, not quotes.

The scarcity play

Why Unit4 is on this list

Unit4 is the least obvious name in our portfolio, and the most deliberate. Its ERPx platform serves public sector bodies, universities and project-driven services firms — typically in the 200–5,000 employee range — with deep fund accounting, grant management and project accounting.

It also has a noticeably smaller partner ecosystem than SAP, Oracle or Microsoft, with its strength concentrated in the UK, Nordics, Benelux and DACH.

That thinness is the opportunity. A small partner network means scarce certified talent, few competing suppliers, and pricing power — the exact conditions a specialist staffing firm is built for. We supply into the Unit4 partner ecosystem rather than competing with it.

ECOSYSTEM SIZE → PREMIUM Unit4 Oracle SAP

Need capability in one of these?

Tell us the practice and the timeline. We'll tell you honestly what's findable.

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