The Myth of “Safe” IT Partners and Why Big Doesn’t Mean Better

“Go with the big guys,” said every cautious executive ever, right before their digital transformation went off the rails.

We get it. Choosing a recognisable vendor feels like a risk-free move. You imagine enterprise-grade processes, impeccable project management, and a herd of experts ready to deliver. Reality check: the bigger the name, the messier the middle.

We’ve seen it too many times. A manufacturing client once spent 9 months and a big budget on an ERP rollout that never left pilot mode. The global integrator they hired had the right logo, but the wrong team: junior developers stacked under layers of account managers. When deadlines approached, the senior talent had already been reassigned to “strategic accounts.” The project limped along until the client finally called us. Two months later, the system was live, built by a five-person team that actually read the brief.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth:
Big vendors aren’t designed for your project. They’re designed for their own internal machine, utilisation rates, cross-sells, and quarterly targets. Unless your name starts with a Fortune 500, your project is a training ground.

So what’s the alternative?

A smaller, senior-led partner. They:

• Think before they code. They ask “why” three times before opening Jira.
• Care about the end, not just the sprint. They stick around until users stop swearing at the system.
• See the whole picture. Not just the tech stack, but how it fits your actual business.

At Hightech Kaunas Cluster, that’s the baseline. Our members, from ERP builders to AI engineers, don’t scale by adding bodies. They scale by getting it right the first time.

Three takeaways for your next IT buy:

1. Size ≠ safety. Ask who’s actually working on your project, not whose logo is on the slide.
2. Look for proof, not promises. Ask for delivered projects, not presentations.
3. Speed comes from clarity, not headcount.

Because in IT, the only thing worse than paying too much is paying twice.

Stop relying on big names. Start solving real problems.