For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Addressing Diverse Stakeholders In The IT And Business Services Buying Process

Planning For 2010 Requires A Clear Understanding Of Roles

by Chris Andrews, November 20, 2009

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 . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Market Overview: The Advent Of Enterprise Carbon And Energy Management Systems

Sketching The New Opportunities For IT Vendor Strategists

by Christopher Mines, November 17, 2009

A new liability is coming onto the collective balance sheet of companies around the world: carbon. In the context of increasing awareness of the business and societal risks of climate change, corporate carbon emissions (and the energy consumption that . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

IT Buyers Prioritize Virtualization Over Cloud

Strategists Should Plan Practical Offerings And Messaging For Buyers

by Frank E. Gillett, October 30, 2009

In the Forrester Enterprise And SMB Hardware Survey, North America And Europe, Q3 2009, we used carefully worded questions to test buyer priorities on initiatives for virtualization, consolidation, automation, internal cloud, and infrastructure-as-a-service . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

The IT Management Software Challengers

SWOT Analysis For ASG, Compuware, EMC, Quest Software, And Microsoft, Q3 2009

by Jean-Pierre Garbani, October 26, 2009

The 2009 IT management software (ITMS) market seems to favor smaller vendors to the detriment of larger ones. Preliminary results for the first three quarters of 2009 show that the megavendors' share of the ITMS market has again declined from 2008. This . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Aligning With Business Customers Requires Strategy, Stakeholder Focus, And Metrics

by Chris Andrews, October 20, 2009

Creating greater alignment with business customers is an incredibly hot objective for technology strategists and one that is supported by powerful long-term market trends. Our recent survey of strategy professionals found that 91% of respondents say that . . .

For Technology Sales Enablement Professionals

A Systematic Approach To Strategic Account Programs Improves Tech Sales Performance

Account Value Mapping Expands Wallet Share In Key Accounts

by Scott Santucci, October 19, 2009

In response to the continued tough economic climate and feedback from customers, vendors with large portfolios are placing bigger bets on their strategic account programs and shifting their focus from gaining market share of key products to expanding . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

Rewrite The Netbook Story For Business Technology Buyers

Position Netbooks For Business Use — Especially In Emerging Markets

by Jennifer Belissent, Ph.D., October 9, 2009

For a device that originated in the concept of the $100-laptop, the netbook certainly hasn't been fully marketed to emerging markets. Nor have firms really marketed netbooks for serious business use. Netbooks have become known as companion devices for . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Market Momentum: IT Security Market, H1 2009

by Jonathan Penn, September 16, 2009

Forrester's market momentum overview assists vendor strategy professionals in tracking the evolution of the IT security market and in gathering intelligence about the major activities in that industry. In H1 2009, we tracked 178 different activities across . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

Get B2B Messages Right: Balance Global Consistency And Local Relevancy

by Jennifer Belissent, Ph.D., September 15, 2009

With marketing budgets under close scrutiny, global tech marketers need to ensure that marketing messages are spot on. Yet, "spot on" is not the same for all audiences across markets. While corporate marketing wants to maintain consistent brand messages . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

The IT Management Software Megavendors

SWOT Analysis For BMC Software, CA, HP Software, And IBM Tivoli, Q3 2009

by Jean-Pierre Garbani, Peter O'Neill, August 12, 2009

The current recession and credit crunch deeply affected IT spending in the last quarter of 2008 and into 2009. Despite this bleak overall picture, Forrester forecasts 4% growth in nonapplication software products (e.g., storage management, middleware), . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Analysis Of IT Management Software Sales Deals

The Megavendors Are Missing Out On Smaller Deals

by Peter O'Neill, Thomas Mendel, Ph.D., August 3, 2009

IT management software (ITMS) is one of the most dynamic and complex IT markets, with more than 300 vendors competing for market share. Vendor strategists are increasingly looking for greater insights into the dynamics behind pure revenue by category, . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Yet Another Cloud

Forrester's First Proposal Of A Cloud Taxonomy

by Stefan Ried, Ph.D., July 30, 2009

Despite the current crisis, the demand for cloud computing is growing at enterprises and small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Some customers consider virtual infrastructure in the Internet as cloud, while others deem their business applications delivered . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

How To Message "Cloud" Offerings And Not Get Lost In The Fog

Speak Clearly To The Right Prospects Without Boosting Competitors

by Frank E. Gillett, July 24, 2009

The cloud computing phenomenon is extraordinarily hot, leading tech marketers to make messy messaging mistakes in their rush to respond. Positioning IT products and services vis-à-vis cloud concepts is challenging because marketers are using the term . . .

For Technology Sales Enablement Professionals

Target The Right Role In IT For Different Software Conversations  (426 KB PPT)

by Emily Van Metre, Ellen Carney, July 10, 2009

CIOs, executives in IT, and managers of IT are responsible for different types of initiatives and have different priorities. To have the most effective sales conversation, tailor your conversation to the priorities of the role you are speaking with.

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

UC Deployments Miss The Mark

Give Buyers Hard Financial Results

by Henry Dewing, July 8, 2009

Forrester's recent network and telecom survey of buyers identified a troubling trend: Some early adopters of unified communications (UC) solutions are not deriving the benefits they expected for key stakeholders within the business. Unified communications . . .

For Technology Sales Enablement Professionals

Forrester's Value-Equation Sales Messaging Framework

Enabling Sales Teams To Tailor The Right Messages To A Given Account

by Scott Santucci, June 16, 2009

As technology vendors broaden their product portfolios and ask their account teams to sell across all levels within their client roster, traditional approaches to hard-coded value propositions are becoming antiquated. Sales enablement professionals should . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Market Momentum: IT Security Market, H2 2008

by Jonathan Penn, June 11, 2009

Forrester's market momentum overview assists vendor strategy professionals in tracking the evolution of the IT security market and in gathering intelligence about the major activities. In the second half of 2008, we tracked 169 different activities across . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

How To Participate In ICT Spending Plans Of Economic Stimulus Packages

Tech Vendors Need To Offer A Holistic Vision To Policymakers

by Pascal Matzke, May 20, 2009

Investment in information and communication technologies (ICT) is an important element of many economic stimulus packages around the globe. In particular, the new US administration strives to leverage the crucial role of ICT for a smart economic recovery. . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

The Enterprise IT Security Buyer Profile: 2009

Identifying High Spenders And Understanding Their Tech Adoption Trends And Buying Behavior

by Jonathan Penn, May 13, 2009

Security is one of the more resilient areas of IT spending in this global recession. IT security spending has been steadily increasing when measured as a percentage of the overall IT operating budget — representing a greater slice of the IT budget pie. . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Market Overview: IT Security In 2009

by Jonathan Penn, April 22, 2009

The big news for the IT security market in 2009 is that it will fare relatively well. Cost and justification pressures are exerting themselves, but through increasing business-level visibility led by data-breach headlines, security spend continues to . . .

For Technology Sales Enablement Professionals

Role Profile: The Chief Information Security Officer

Understanding And Marketing To Security And Risk Professionals

by Emily Van Metre, Eric G. Brown, April 15, 2009

The chief information security officer (CISO) drives technology and services decisions that ensure compliance and protect the company's IT assets and brand. Knowing these stakeholders will help your sales force start the right conversation with a prospect, . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

Expand Globally, Market Locally

Adapting The Four Ps Of Marketing To New B2B Markets

by Jennifer Belissent, Ph.D., March 31, 2009

Taking the show on the road — expanding into new markets — is a daunting proposition for tech marketers. New markets mean new requirements, including not only product features, but also price, promotion, and placement attributes — the Four Ps. New geographic . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Market Momentum: Tech-Enabled Business Services Market Activity, H2 2008

by Chris Andrews, March 17, 2009

Many IT service providers are seeking to embed themselves deeper in the core business processes of their customers. In the process, they are uncovering new market opportunities that are increasingly differentiated from traditional IT services work. Service . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Is Open Source Software Confusing To CIOs?

Identifying The Most Urgent Communication Challenges For Vendors

by Stefan Ried, Ph.D., March 16, 2009

The budget situation in many IT organizations today means that CIOs are paying more attention to the open source discussion than ever before. We created a fictitious discussion between two CIOs to identify the major concerns and even confusion about the . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

Inquiry Insight: Globalization And Emerging Markets 2008

Forrester Clients Understand That To Think Globally, They Must Act Locally

by Jennifer Belissent, Ph.D., March 16, 2009

Forrester clients are immersed in the challenges of globalization and expanding into emerging markets. Client inquiries on how to best meet these challenges range from broad questions about operating in a global or multinational environment to more specific . . .