http://www.forrester.com/ Forrester is an independent technology research company that provides pragmatic and forward-thinking advice about technology's impact on business. en-us 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 120 http://www.forrester.com/imagesV2/affiliates/logos/forrester.gif http://www.forrester.com/ http://www.forrester.com/go?docid=55737&src=RSS_2&cm_mmc=Forrester-_-RSS-_-Document-_-55737 At the same time that online quantitative research has taken off, dubiousness abounds about the representation of the online panel sample. Buyers ask: Are panels representative of the markets researchers use them for? What can we do about the moral hazard (greatly increased for B2B tech) that leads bad actors to take surveys inappropriately? A wide variety of approaches have been percolating in the market ranging from "it's not really a problem" to various comprehensive solutions. Buyers are finally pushing back. Major buyers — such as Microsoft and Proctor & Gamble — are making very specific panel quality demands for their research vendors, and many of the major full-service research vendors and panel providers are taking note. The end result? Three years of equally competing solutions with no clear direction for buyers. This means market research professionals must be very specific about demanding high quality panel for all of your research needs, or risk having your findings undercut when your internal customers ask: "Is this analysis really representative of our market?" B2B Sales & Marketing eBusiness/eCommerce Sourcing & Procurement High-Tech Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT "Brad Bortner" <resourcecenter@forrester.com> http://www.forrester.com/go?docid=55737&src=RSS_2&cm_mmc=Forrester-_-RSS-_-Document-_-55737 http://www.forrester.com/go?docid=55724&src=RSS_2&cm_mmc=Forrester-_-RSS-_-Document-_-55724 For years, Forrester has written about the evolution of information technology (IT) into business technology (BT) — an idea that is rooted in Forrester's view that technology is becoming more relevant and strategic to business processes. This trend, which has accelerated over the past decade, has only increased in importance in 2009's difficult economic environment, as more companies rein in their IT spending and only projects with immediate business value are approved. Marketing and strategy professionals at IT service providers must prepare for 2010 with a deep understanding of a diverse range of IT and business stakeholders in the services purchasing process. In this document, we highlight the role of nine stakeholders across IT, business, and procurement/legal roles, with data from our recent Business Data Services survey of IT buyers. B2B Sales & Marketing IT Management Sourcing & Procurement High-Tech Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT "Chris Andrews" <resourcecenter@forrester.com> http://www.forrester.com/go?docid=55724&src=RSS_2&cm_mmc=Forrester-_-RSS-_-Document-_-55724 http://www.forrester.com/go?docid=55716&src=RSS_2&cm_mmc=Forrester-_-RSS-_-Document-_-55716 Many companies, besieged by audit findings and application vulnerabilities, recognize the benefits of eliminating security vulnerabilities early in the software life cycle. For this reason, static analysis technologies for analyzing code-level security issues are gaining momentum in the industry. As a security and risk management executive, you must: 1) carefully prepare your organization before buying static analysis tools; 2) apply six selection criteria to the buying decision; and 3) consider the current landscape of vendors as well as emerging open source tools that provide an inexpensive alternative. Packaged Applications Security & Risk Sourcing & Procurement Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT "Chenxi Wang, Ph.D., Andrew Jaquith" <resourcecenter@forrester.com> http://www.forrester.com/go?docid=55716&src=RSS_2&cm_mmc=Forrester-_-RSS-_-Document-_-55716 http://www.forrester.com/go?docid=55697&src=RSS_2&cm_mmc=Forrester-_-RSS-_-Document-_-55697 The proliferation of high-resolution screens that well surpass 1024 x 768 adds a new layer of complexity to site design. Not only is there no standard resolution to design for, but higher-resolution screens pose usability challenges for sites that were designed for lower-resolution displays. Designers can combat usability challenges for high-resolution users by ensuring legibility with text resizing tools, controlling the use of white space, and creating a clear visual hierarchy that prioritizes essential content and function. Customer Experience IT Infrastructure & Operations Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT "Ron Rogowski" <resourcecenter@forrester.com> http://www.forrester.com/go?docid=55697&src=RSS_2&cm_mmc=Forrester-_-RSS-_-Document-_-55697 http://www.forrester.com/go?docid=55566&src=RSS_2&cm_mmc=Forrester-_-RSS-_-Document-_-55566 In 2008, the majority of US online adults who researched a financial product did so online, and the majority of those online researchers applied in a channel other than the Web. These cross-channel shoppers illustrate the importance of online-influenced sales in financial services. To effectively capture and manage these cross-channel shoppers, eBusiness executives should dedicate a portion of their Web strategies to tactics that include lead capture, interactive help, and cross-channel application completion. eBusiness/eCommerce Consumer Technology Financial Services Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT "Brad Strothkamp" <resourcecenter@forrester.com> http://www.forrester.com/go?docid=55566&src=RSS_2&cm_mmc=Forrester-_-RSS-_-Document-_-55566 http://www.forrester.com/go?docid=55508&src=RSS_2&cm_mmc=Forrester-_-RSS-_-Document-_-55508 The Internet's role as a distribution channel for financial products is growing fast in the Netherlands. Nearly half of Dutch Net users researched at least one financial product online in the past year, compared with 40% in 2007, and one in five bought a financial product online, compared with 12% in 2007. Eleven percent of Dutch Net users also research mortgages online. Simple and familiar products are best-suited for online distribution, and self-directed, confident, and experienced customers are the most likely to research and buy online. Dutch eBusiness professionals should apply proven tactics to increase researching and buying on their sites, like designing sites with customers' goals in mind, offering interactive help, and following up with customers who abandon online applications. eBusiness/eCommerce Consumer Technology Financial Services Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT "Alexander Hesse" <resourcecenter@forrester.com> http://www.forrester.com/go?docid=55508&src=RSS_2&cm_mmc=Forrester-_-RSS-_-Document-_-55508 http://www.forrester.com/go?docid=55490&src=RSS_2&cm_mmc=Forrester-_-RSS-_-Document-_-55490 This data chart examines the usage and trends of server virtualization in enterprises today as well as the motivations that drive adoption. IT Infrastructure & Operations IT Spending & Budgeting High-Tech Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT "Christopher Voce" <resourcecenter@forrester.com> http://www.forrester.com/go?docid=55490&src=RSS_2&cm_mmc=Forrester-_-RSS-_-Document-_-55490 http://www.forrester.com/go?docid=55056&src=RSS_2&cm_mmc=Forrester-_-RSS-_-Document-_-55056 Dashboards allow Customer Intelligence (CI) professionals to better influence marketing strategy and drive corporate activities beyond marketing. But many firms don't use them. Absent a culture of sharing, sufficient resources, and clean data, dashboard projects stall or falter. By setting simple goals for dashboard projects and using readily available resources, CI professionals can begin to share insights across organizational silos and gain entrance to the executive boardroom. Marketing & Advertising Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT "Julie M. Katz" <resourcecenter@forrester.com> http://www.forrester.com/go?docid=55056&src=RSS_2&cm_mmc=Forrester-_-RSS-_-Document-_-55056 http://www.forrester.com/go?docid=55055&src=RSS_2&cm_mmc=Forrester-_-RSS-_-Document-_-55055 Despite Forrester's four-part engagement definition, many Customer Intelligence professionals struggle to find the best way to measure engagement. When Channel 4 (C4), a media outlet in the UK, shifted its teen programming from TV to online, it needed a concrete way to demonstrate the impact of its new approach. Traditional measures, such as reach, didn't tell a complete story, so C4 turned to iCrossing, an interactive agency, which created a framework that merged traditional and novel measurement tactics. The advantage of measuring engagement? C4 can now easily modify marketing and product development and continually learn about its audience. Additionally, its approach to measuring engagement is adaptable, which allows C4 to incorporate engagement measurement into a variety of projects. Marketing & Advertising Media & Entertainment Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT "Julie M. Katz" <resourcecenter@forrester.com> http://www.forrester.com/go?docid=55055&src=RSS_2&cm_mmc=Forrester-_-RSS-_-Document-_-55055 http://www.forrester.com/go?docid=54168&src=RSS_2&cm_mmc=Forrester-_-RSS-_-Document-_-54168 The Web is becoming a bigger part of health plans' member service and member communication strategies, but health plans struggle to drive adoption. Forrester recently interviewed customer experience professionals responsible for member service Web sites at 17 health plans and learned that registration levels and measurement approaches vary widely — even as security practices converge. To improve the value of their online efforts, health plan customer experience professionals should analyze administrative and medical savings from online members and capture email addresses during the enrollment process. Customer Experience Healthcare & Life Sciences Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT "Elizabeth Boehm" <resourcecenter@forrester.com> http://www.forrester.com/go?docid=54168&src=RSS_2&cm_mmc=Forrester-_-RSS-_-Document-_-54168 http://www.forrester.com/go?docid=53402&src=RSS_2&cm_mmc=Forrester-_-RSS-_-Document-_-53402 Understanding how information workers use smartphones and applications enables marketing executives across the mobile value chain to successfully develop products and services to address the needs of these workers. Currently, 13% of information workers use smartphones for work at least weekly, and we expect this segment to grow significantly as more employees work away from their desk or telecommute. Many information workers purchase and use smartphones that are not approved or supported by the IT department, creating security concerns for IT professionals. Information workers are going beyond vanilla email, calendar, and personal information management (PIM) applications, tapping into mobile application stores or operator portals to try out instant messaging, productivity apps, and location-based services. To take advantage of the fast-growing number of information workers relying on smartphones, business application categories must be clearly identified on mobile app store sites. Device manufacturers and mobile operators must ensure smartphone features and functionality address both personal and professional user needs. Enterprise Mobility Information & Knowledge Management Telecommunications Services High-Tech Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT "Michele Pelino" <resourcecenter@forrester.com> http://www.forrester.com/go?docid=53402&src=RSS_2&cm_mmc=Forrester-_-RSS-_-Document-_-53402 http://www.forrester.com/go?docid=55711&src=RSS_2&cm_mmc=Forrester-_-RSS-_-Document-_-55711 Mobile is rapidly expanding as a medium for interacting with consumers, and it will only continue to do so. Many of Forrester's nontelecommunications clients — from the travel industry to consumer product goods to automotive companies to financial firms — ask us about the mobile landscape. Over time, these conversations range from high-level strategy questions to choosing specific vendors. The most important step for companies in this space is to learn how to ask the right questions. With those questions, consumer product strategists can readily tackle the challenges they face when interacting with their own consumers on one of the world's most adopted technologies — cell phones. eBusiness/eCommerce Consumer Industries Consumer Technology Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT "Julie A. Ask, Seth Fowler" <resourcecenter@forrester.com> http://www.forrester.com/go?docid=55711&src=RSS_2&cm_mmc=Forrester-_-RSS-_-Document-_-55711 http://www.forrester.com/go?docid=55702&src=RSS_2&cm_mmc=Forrester-_-RSS-_-Document-_-55702 Gen Y is four times more likely to visit a social networking site at home than they are to use one for work purposes. But if they are unable to bring their Social Computing habits and sensibility to work, Gen Yers can at least use their personal mobile phones to text to stay in touch with friends and communicate with colleagues. In fact, mobility is the defining difference of Gen Y at work: They are much more likely than their older colleagues to use smartphones for work purposes. Customer Experience Enterprise Mobility Information & Knowledge Management Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT "Ted Schadler" <resourcecenter@forrester.com> http://www.forrester.com/go?docid=55702&src=RSS_2&cm_mmc=Forrester-_-RSS-_-Document-_-55702 http://www.forrester.com/go?docid=55492&src=RSS_2&cm_mmc=Forrester-_-RSS-_-Document-_-55492 Successfully engaging with consumers on Twitter requires both the right overarching strategy and a series of small best practices. Interactive marketers must ensure that consumers can find their brands' accounts, confirm that they are legitimate, and easily identify who is tweeting. Marketers must also provide a mixture of promotional and non-promotional content and decide how often — and in what ways — they will directly engage with consumers. To extract the greatest value possible from Twitter, balance department-level control of different accounts with a broad view of how your various accounts work together to reach users. Customer Experience Marketing & Advertising Automotive Financial Services Media & Entertainment Retail Travel Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT "Nate Elliott" <resourcecenter@forrester.com> http://www.forrester.com/go?docid=55492&src=RSS_2&cm_mmc=Forrester-_-RSS-_-Document-_-55492 http://www.forrester.com/go?docid=55410&src=RSS_2&cm_mmc=Forrester-_-RSS-_-Document-_-55410 Retail line-of-business executives know that technology plays a central role in helping to deliver improved customer service with increased margin. They look to CIOs to push what were once purely tactical point-of-sale (POS) systems to become solutions that link consumers, sales associates, back-office applications, and eCommerce platforms and deliver a competitively differentiated shopping experience. We analyzed more than 40 POS inquiries from Forrester clients and found that they fall into three broad categories: 1) POS vendor landscape; 2) trends in POS systems; and 3) POS service providers. Given the new strategic significance of POS in driving Experience-Based Differentiation in retail, CIOs need to recruit line-of-business allies to develop a comprehensive business case for strategic integration of store and headquarter applications. Packaged Applications Sourcing & Procurement Retail Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT "George Lawrie" <resourcecenter@forrester.com> http://www.forrester.com/go?docid=55410&src=RSS_2&cm_mmc=Forrester-_-RSS-_-Document-_-55410 http://www.forrester.com/go?docid=55158&src=RSS_2&cm_mmc=Forrester-_-RSS-_-Document-_-55158 Market research online communities (MROCS) are the next wave in qualitative research, due to their combination of new qualitative research capabilities and ability to provide cheaper faster results. There is, however, buyer confusion about what type of MROC provider to use. Too many companies see the price for a full-service MROC and stop there. They don't realize that there are all sorts of variations of cost-effective, scalable, self-service MROCs (or full-service market research vendors) providing services on an à la carte basis. Larger firms (often with a B2B component to their business), with the resources to decide whether to outsource or insource market research labor, have multiple options in this space. Over the next few years, the ubiquitous emergence of self-service MROC solutions will drive prices down and make the decision to use them far more straightforward. Until then, understanding your service-level needs, cost constraints, and the volume of your research needs can help you make an effective MROC provider decision today. B2B Sales & Marketing Customer Experience Marketing & Advertising Packaged Applications Sourcing & Procurement High-Tech Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT "Brad Bortner" <resourcecenter@forrester.com> http://www.forrester.com/go?docid=55158&src=RSS_2&cm_mmc=Forrester-_-RSS-_-Document-_-55158 http://www.forrester.com/go?docid=55143&src=RSS_2&cm_mmc=Forrester-_-RSS-_-Document-_-55143 When one of the world's largest defense contractors says, "We need to move from a culture of 'need to know' to a culture of 'need to share,'" you stop and listen. Competing in an industry driven by the mantra "loose lips sink ships," BAE Systems has identified a greater threat: failing to tap the collective wisdom and actions of its people. Smart organizations are looking to tap into the full power of the enterprise and beyond to drive better and faster decisions and to foster innovation that will keep them at the forefront of the changing economy. One approach that's top of mind for business technology leaders is the use of social networks to drive communities that span traditional organizational structures, or a Facebook for the enterprise. The types of organizations that are leading the trend may well surprise you. Customer Experience Information & Knowledge Management Aerospace & Defense Healthcare & Life Sciences Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT "Rob Koplowitz" <resourcecenter@forrester.com> http://www.forrester.com/go?docid=55143&src=RSS_2&cm_mmc=Forrester-_-RSS-_-Document-_-55143 http://www.forrester.com/rb/teleconference/business_optimization_drives_lean_bts_adoption/q/id/6102/t/1 Business analysts addressing business optimization initiatives through Lean methodologies must recognize what is important to the business, select the right set of business technology (BT) tools, and synchronize the implementation of these tools along five managerial elements to ensure the sustainability of the implementation at all levels &mdash strategy, process, structure, performance measures, and culture. IT Management Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT "Alexander Peters, Ph.D." <resourcecenter@forrester.com> http://www.forrester.com/rb/teleconference/business_optimization_drives_lean_bts_adoption/q/id/6102/t/1 http://www.forrester.com/go?docid=55781&src=RSS_2&cm_mmc=Forrester-_-RSS-_-Document-_-55781 The blab-o-sphere is full of warnings, proclamations, and sales pitches about cloud services and this is only making it tougher for IT decision-makers to sort the reality from the hype in the face of pressing technology challenges. Decision-makers are wrestling to balance economic pressures, new technologies like cloud services, and increasing demands from business owners and users — so Forrester interviewed nine major sourcing deal advisory firms to get their perspectives on what aspects, if any, of cloud computing service delivery are included in enterprise outsourcing deals, and what savvy decision-makers can do now to help plan for future cloud service value. IT Infrastructure & Operations IT Services IT Spending & Budgeting Sourcing & Procurement Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT "Paul Roehrig, Ph.D." <resourcecenter@forrester.com> http://www.forrester.com/go?docid=55781&src=RSS_2&cm_mmc=Forrester-_-RSS-_-Document-_-55781 http://www.forrester.com/go?docid=55701&src=RSS_2&cm_mmc=Forrester-_-RSS-_-Document-_-55701 For the past four years, Forrester has been tracking consumers' online and offline behavior in Asia Pacific. This is a dedicated report about Asia Pacific consumers' online behavior aimed at understanding the changes in this emerging medium. This year's data shows a vast diversity among Asia Pacific markets when it comes to the amount of time consumers spend with online media, adoption of social activities, and the increasing uptake of mobile Internet. Customer Experience eBusiness/eCommerce Consumer Technology Media & Entertainment Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT "Olesia Klevchuk" <resourcecenter@forrester.com> http://www.forrester.com/go?docid=55701&src=RSS_2&cm_mmc=Forrester-_-RSS-_-Document-_-55701