Why small analysts are important

If you don't get why smaller analyst firms are important, then you should read the latest post from Dale Vile of Freeform Dynamics.

It contains a clear, well argued and powerful explanation on the value that these 'boutique' analyst companies can bring.

Do go and read the whole piece. There's a lot more to it than I'm able to share here:

On Commercial Impact
"The earlier in the decision making cycle you can engage, the more chance you stand of closing a deal...This kind of ‘upstream’ shaping of mindsets, thinking and objectives...is influenced by a whole range of inputs...Many boutiques play predominantly in the upstream space, with hard hitting blogs, far reaching media relationships, and deep community ties into various buyer communities and constituencies."

On Market Insight
"The other reason quite a few boutiques tend to be entertained and promoted by in-house AR people is the value their executives and other spokespeople get from a different kind of dialogue. The average level of ‘been there, done that’ experience and general level of talent within smaller firms tends to be higher than in larger ones, and analysts are far less constrained in the way they interact."

Gartner and the Institute of Industry Analyst Relations

I know. Two posts in a day.

Still, I wanted to blog about the great IIAR (Institute of Industry Analyst Relations) meeting yesterday (hosted by CA, thanks very much Geoff Dorrington).

Aaron Yaverski (GVP High Tech Provider Product Management) and Andrew Rosenblatt (Product Development) from Gartner came in to discuss some of its plans for the "Gartner for AR" product.

It was a very interesting conversation - and "it was very encouraging to see Aaron and Andrew proactively soliciting views and opinions from the European AR community on what we would like to see in the future."

I stole that line from a post written by Ludovic Leforestier at the new IIAR blog. You should pop over there and read it in full.

I'd echo his closing comments: "I’d encourage you to share your views and thoughts with Gartner - either by commenting on this blog or talking to Gartner directly. It looks like there are going to be some good and interesting developments happening later in the year. Now is our chance to make sure our voices are being heard."

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FYI, I am a board member of the IIAR

Analyst asks "Is it just me, or is webcasting completely useless?"

Dean Bubley of Disruptive Analysis explains his problem here.

So, think about Dean's advice when you're planning a briefing with him: "The old way works better - either email a PDF/PPT, or a link to download it. Then use a normal phone call or audio webcast."

Some AR blogs I have been reading recently

A few new AR blogs have appeared in recent months. I've added them to my blog roll (over there, on the right) but wanted to highlight some that I find interesting.

The first is by Dale Vile, MD of Freeform Dynamics. Open Reasoning is "a vehicle to provide insight and commentary on the workings of the industry analyst community, particularly the community of smaller players in the market that live alongside the large global firms such as Gartner, Forrester, IDC, etc."

Another comes from SageCircle (recently relaunched by Carter Lusher and Dave Eckert). Their views are well worth a read and can be found on the SageCircle blog.

Until recently, Carter was head of AR for HP. Its corporate AR blog (which he set up) has some gems.

Bradshaw leaves Ovum for IDC

I hear that Ovum's David Bradshaw is leaving to join IDC. He starts on Monday 18 February.

Bradshaw has been with Ovum for over a decade. He is best known for his work in the CRM space.

Bloor on Analyst Relations

Robin Bloor has begun a series of blog posts called 'Analyst Relations: Dealing with Analysts'.

The series is pitched as providing "advice to technology vendors on how to become more effective in their relationships with analysts." Alternatively, Robin describes it as "a campaign to make my job easier."

I always find it interesting to see what analysts have to say on the subject of AR and Robin speaks a lot of sense. Any experienced AR professional worth their salary will find little new in what Robin says but he articulates the fundamentals in a very clear and easy to read way.

For beginners to AR (and for the many, many PR folk who really don't get the industry analysts or understand how to work with them), Robin's series should be required reading.

There are two posts so far (links below). I am looking forward to seeing more.

The Pre-Briefing

AR or PR

PS - I also found The IT Analyst Gallery on Robin's site. Very entertaining.

RedMonk - the world's first "make-side" analyst firm?

I was reading James Governor's blog earlier today (essential reading I'd suggest) and was struck by how he describes RedMonk:

"Other analyst firms primarily target sell-side or buy-side (the buyers or sellers of technology). We really don’t see the world that way. RedMonk’s core constituency is “make-side“: the makers and doers, hackers and players. They might work at vendors, at dotcoms, at service providers, or traditional enterprises. Open source and web oriented technologies are the bridges between them. Industry analysts they really need to be advocates to be effective. We are not user advocates. We’re not vendor advocates. We’re maker advocates."

James, I like it. And you have inspired me to make my first blog post of 2008.

CCS Insight attracts another top mobile analyst

Leading mobile analyst Paolo Pescatore starts today at CCS Insight as director - operator strategy, content and applications.

Paolo joins the CCS Insight team from IDC where he was research manager for the EMEA consumer wireless and mobile communications service.

Following the recruitment of Geoff Blaber earlier in the year (who has just been promoted from senior analyst to director of devices), it's another great hire for directors Mick Walker, Shaun Collins and Ben Wood.

In the past 18 months, CCS Insight has transformed itself and is now rapidly creating a brand that challenges the bigger, better-known players in the analyst space.

We've been talking to Ben recently about the reasons behind CCS Insight's success and his views on the analyst market. Sometime later this week, I'll post again on this.

Yankee hires new enterprise mobility analyst

Yankee Group's enterprise team is in hiring mode.

It's appointed Nick Spencer of Canalys; he's going to focus on enterprise mobile application environments.

There's a second hire in the works for Camille Mendler's team too. More on that soon I am told.

Another small analyst firm is expanding

UK boutique firm Macehiter Ward-Dutton (MWD) is expanding.

It has hired Angela Ashenden as a principal analyst. She was previously a senior analyst with Ovum, working in the general area of information, knowledge and content management.

At MWD, Angela will be covering collaboration, a new research area for the firm. In her first blog post, she explains:

"I will be coming at collaboration from a different perspective from most other analyst companies...taking the enterprise need as my primary consideration, rather than the technology...I will be looking at the technology in as far as how it addresses the organisation's broader business need...I aim to keep the focus on how the technology fits within and complements that structure...I'll (also) be looking at what makes collaboration work within an enterprise, and what techniques and methods you can use to implement collaborative working patterns within your organisation."

Sounds pretty much in line with the two Neil's focus on IT-Business alignment then.

It is great to see MWD expanding again - and it's part of a developing trend. In recent months, we've seen new appointments by Quocirca, Freeform Dynamics and CCS Insight (to name but a few).

There's an ever increasing recognition in the market that these smaller firms have a lot to offer.

They bring experienced analysts, sensible service offerings and a more flexible way of working (which contrasts sharply with the aggressive sales-led approach it seems some of the larger global firms are now adopting).

They have might not have the direct commercial impact on technology buyers that Gartner and Forrester can offer - but when it comes to media impact, influence within the ICT community and a willingness to engage in debate and provide insight and feedback during briefings...

Oh, and watch out for more departures from Ovum. Everytime we pick up the phone, there's another rumour of an analyst deciding that now is a good time to seek alternative employment.