R “Ray” Wang has posted a synopsis of his role as an industry analyst. Ray is with Forrester Research. His clients include tech buyers and tech providers. As a result, his straightforward summary describes the main roles that many analysts play in the tech industry. I noticed that Ray doesn’t focus on describing his influence. He doesn’t call out his … Read More
Freeform Dynamics’ management transition
Dale Vile, co-founder and managing director of Freeform Dynamics, announced a change in leadership at his company. Jon Collins is stepping up to take over as Managing Director of Freeform Dynamics, while Dale assumes a role as Research Director. Co-founder Helen Vile continues as operations director. I expect this transition will be seamless, and look forward to seeing what Jon … Read More
Can you export influence?
One of the US-based industry analyst firms, Enterprise Strategy Group, just announced it’s expanding into China. Announcements like this raise at least 2 interesting questions: Can ESG — a small specialty tech market research firm — gain enough traction in China to make the investment pay off? What does it mean to analyst relations and influencer marketing programs? The answers … Read More
Welcome to Sway
I’m one of the tech industry’s most well-known experts on the industry analysts — who they are, what they cover, how they deliver, how they compete. So it makes sense for me to start this blog with a little insight on why I’m joining the broader conversation about influencer marketing, and where I’d like to add to it. I see … Read More
exevo Invests $1 Million in Global Technology Panel
Interesting news for industry analyst and market research companies operating in high tech: exevo, a leading Market Research Outsourcing (MRO) firm, announced has invested USD $1 million in instituting a Global Technology Panel comprising dedicated business and consumer panelists. The research panel totals more than 125,000 members, divided between a Business Panel of more than 75,000 opinion leaders and a … Read More
Battery Recall Tests the Mettle of Analysts, Too
This summer has seen computer battery recalls affecting consumers and professional users alike, and in record-setting numbers. One manufacturer acknowledged investigations were already underway before one of the incidents took place. Yet, I’ve found only one analyst group criticizing these recalls and advocating higher standards at the source: Ontario-based Info-Tech Research Group. Most of the industry analysts cited in the media … Read More
What’s My Line: Analyst, Blogger, or Analyst Blogger?
Richard Stiennon raises an interesting point in his Threat Chaos post, Finding Cool Companies: should analysts who blog at online media networks — in this case, ZDNet — be given media passes to competitor’s events — in this case, Gartner Symposium? I don’t think so, but it does raise an amusing question of ethics. Stiennon, a former Gartner analyst, recently … Read More
Special Report: Alternatives to Gartner
Gartner, Inc.’s acquisition of META Group has sparked industry discussion about top industry analyst alternatives to Gartner. Tekrati asked seven of the top choices in North America to state their case for technology users and vendors. In addition, this report highlights two stand-out firms from among the hundreds offering specialized expertise and services. Top picks include well-known firms — Forrester … Read More
Outsell: Syndicated Research Is Alive and Well
If you’ve adopted the position that industry research models are completely broken and no one wants to access a library of research reports anymore, you might want to read the July 13 post about MarketResearch.com acquiring MindBranch at Outsell Now, the Outsell, Inc. corporate blog. According to the post — and this is written by analysts focused on the information … Read More
Special Report: The Gartner-META Consolidation
The Gartner acquisition of META Group marks the first major change in the line-up of the largest IT industry analysts since Forrester Research acquired Giga Information Group in 2003. The consolidation presents Gartner management and META Group employees, clients and competitors with immediate challenges and opportunities. It also re-opens the debate over the long-term role of the industry research houses. … Read More