Pros
Overall, IMS employees are very smart and hard-working. They are given opportunities to help their pharmaceutical clients solve challenging problems. I believe the company is also very committed to the professional development of employees; managers are very supportive of employees who schedule time to attend the many and varied internal training classes or those who want to attend industry conferences. Until recently, turnover at the company has been very low so you work with a lot of people with significant experience. Most are happy to share their insights with new comers. Finally, the overall benefits package at IMS is generous. Employees won't necessarily become wealthy based on their salaries, but the retirement program and health benefits are outstanding.
Cons
There is a dearth of general management talent in the company, especially at the more senior levels. Their focus on financial issues comes at the expense of developing products and services, recruiting and retaining talent, and ultimately creating real value for clients. Because of the focus on revenue and operating income, I think the company under-invests in its infrastructure, especially (and ironically) its financial systems. As the company has evolved from an information and analytics organization to a services organization, it hasn't made the requisite changes in its systems to support that business model. As a result, managers and executives spend far too much time collecting and reconciling the information they need to manage business.