Andre Kindness

Principal Analyst Serving Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

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Andre serves IT Infrastructure & Operations Professionals. He is a leading expert on enterprise network operations and architecture. His research focuses on networking technology and strategy--such as software define networking and network function virtualization--for private cloud, remote locations, and hybrid cloud. In particular, he is a leading visionary in defining the network architecture and technology needed inside retail stores, hospitals, manufacturing sites, and hospitality venues. The focus of each is engaging the people involved, especially customers. He helps Forrester clients develop and improve their strategy to ensure they create a network platform for the digital business since the network connection can be a customer's first touch point to the business.

Previous Work Experience

Andre's career spans 20 years in marketing, business, and technology leadership roles. Andre worked for 10 years with networking professionals inside business and value added resellers at HP's networking division and Cisco Systems, researching and defining which features, products, and solutions were needed to solve complex business challenges. Prior to the network industry, he developed an expertise in systems engineering, designing complex rocket propulsion systems for GenCorp Aerojet, a leader in space missile and propulsion industry. His perspective on the importance of customer orientation, standardized process and procedures, continuous improvement, agile tactics, resiliency, and rapid innovation were honed during his years designing new aircraft features and models at an aircraft company.

Education

Andre graduated from the University of California, Davis, in 1994 and has Bachelor of Science degrees in mechanical engineering, material science and engineering, and aeronautical science and engineering. Additionally, he has a pending CISSP certificate from (ISC)² and has received certificates from UC Davis in network administration and management and also routing and switching technologies.

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Andre Kindness

Principal Analyst Serving Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Read Andre's blog posts

Previous Work Experience

Education

Research Coverage

Andre Kindness's Research

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For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

REPORT: LoWPAN Technologies Redefine Wireless Infrastructure And Operations

How To Pick The Right Low-Power Wireless Personal-Area Networking Technology

July 31, 2018Andre Kindness

While 5G and low-power 4G derivatives are often the focus in internet-of-things (IoT) connectivity discussions, most IoT devices — due to fit, form, and function — will transmit over very short distances using one or more low-power wireless personal-area networking (LoWPAN) technologies. Failing to understand the characteristics of the short-range wireless technologies that share space with Wi-Fi can derail your IoT initiatives — and even collapse your wireless infrastructure. This report guides infrastructure and operations (I&O) professionals through these LoWPAN technologies to help them develop a better wireless environment and highlights the technologies that support the creation of new IoT applications.
For CIO Professionals

REPORT: The Top Emerging Technologies To Watch 2018

July 11, 2018 Brian Hopkins, Christian Austin, Andre Kindness, James Staten, Brandon Purcell, Nate Fleming, Frank E. Gillett, Jeffrey S. Hammond, Martha Bennett, J. P. Gownder

To outpace the competition, CIOs must keep a constant finger on the pulse of technology change. Forrester has identified 12 emerging technologies with massive disruptive potential; their impact will be seen across a range of products, services, and solutions. This report helps CIOs zero in on the technologies most worthy of their focus, strategic planning, and investment.
For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

REPORT: Five Networking Metrics To Discard — And Five To Embrace

Traditional Networking Metrics Are Smothering Your Digital Initiatives

May 18, 2018Andre Kindness

Metrics are key to using technology correctly and enabling smart business decisions. While many networking organizations have adopted new technologies, few have changed their measurements systems; infrastructure and operations (I&O) professionals tell us they haven't made many gains in operational efficiency or the ability to meet the dynamic nature of today's business. In this report, Forrester highlights five networking metrics that you should toss and recommends five new ones to embrace.
For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

REPORT: The Forrester Wave™: Hardware Platforms For Software-Defined Networking, Q1 2018

Tools And Technology: The Infrastructure Transformation Playbook

March 7, 2018Andre Kindness

In our 40-criteria evaluation of data center hardware platforms for software-defined networking (SDN), we identified the nine most significant players — Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, Arista Networks, Extreme Networks (which recently acquired Brocade Communications System's data center networking business), Cisco Systems, Cumulus Networks, Dell, Huawei, Juniper Networks, and Pluribus Networks — and researched, analyzed, and scored them. This report shows how each provider measures up and helps infrastructure and operations professionals (I&O) make the right choice.
For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

REPORT: IoT Use Case Requirements Will Shape Your Need For 5G

How To Gauge The Readiness Of 5G And Its Impact On Your Network Strategy

February 9, 2018 Michele Pelino, Andre Kindness, Dan Bieler

Vendors and the media are spurring interest in the promise of 5G networks to enable enterprises to deploy internet of things (IoT)-enabled use cases requiring high bandwidth, ultra-low latency, and differentiated service characteristics. 5G network standards are still in development, and broad commercial deployments in selected metropolitan cities aren't likely to start until 2019. This report gives infrastructure and operations (I&O) stakeholders insight into where 5G networks can play a role in IoT initiatives and how to prepare for 5G network availability.

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

REPORT: Strategic Benchmarks 2013: IT Infrastructure

IT Complexity And Growing Business Demands Orient Infrastructure Priorities Toward Increasing Hardware And Cost Efficiency

May 8, 2013Sophia I. Vargas, Richard Fichera, Dave Bartoletti, Henry Baltazar, Andre Kindness, Rachel A. Dines

This report provides IT infrastructure and operations (I&O) professionals with strategic benchmarks to compare their IT infrastructure budgets, priorities, motivations, and technology adoption to their peers. The benchmarks in this report focus on key categories of IT infrastructure: servers, server operating systems, storage, data center networking, virtualization, and data center facilities. These benchmarks represent a subset of data collected in Forrester's Forrsights Hardware Survey, Q3 2012, fielded to 2,330 hardware decision-makers. Use these benchmarks as an important input to determine if you will maintain, adjust, or rethink your strategic infrastructure plans in 2013.
For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

REPORT: Predictions 2018: Cloud Computing Accelerates Enterprise Transformation Everywhere

New Private Cloud Options And Even More Public Cloud And SaaS Innovations Will Power Enterprise Transformation In 2018

November 7, 2017 Dave Bartoletti, Lauren E. Nelson, Liz Herbert, Paul Miller, Charlie Dai, Andras Cser, Andre Kindness

After a decade of powering digital transformation in small and medium-size businesses, cloud computing has quickly become a must-have enterprise technology. Cloud's impact has been global, yet fewer than half of all enterprises use a public cloud platform. In 2018, we'll cross the significant 50% adoption milestone, and cloud applications, platforms, and services will continue to radically change the way enterprises compete for customers. This report outlines the 10 key factors that will shape the cloud computing landscape in 2018 and advises infrastructure and operations (I&O) leaders on how to respond.
For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

REPORT: Networking Predictions For 2013

Networking's Renaissance Breaks Down The Technology Silos And Introduces Teamwork

July 17, 2012Andre Kindness

As infrastructure & operations (I&O) leaders move aggressively to execute on their private cloud plans, they've run headlong into growing frictions between networking professionals and the rest of the data center team. Fundamentally, the networking organization can't handle key cloud strategy elements like virtual machine mobility and cloud bursting with today's rigid, manually controlled network. Thus, I&O professionals must accelerate network investment both inside and outside the data center. The business needs a network that interweaves local-area networks, wide-area networks, wireless, application acceleration, and management with application programming interfaces (APIs) and software development kits (SDKs). This report delivers eight key predictions designed to help I&O leaders set their networking strategy for the next five years.
For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

REPORT: Five Tenets Define Virtual Network Infrastructure, A Bold New Business Network

A Digital Business Network Built With NFV, Fabrics, Service Chaining, SDN, Programmability, And Multitenant Tenets

October 20, 2016Andre Kindness

In 2009, Forrester developed a new business technology network framework called virtual network infrastructure (VNI). Technology has advanced enough to support it, but a confusing array of names and acronyms, including software-defined networking (SDN), network functions virtualization (NFV), and service chaining, has emerged. Infrastructure and operations (I&O) professionals must understand why VNI is a core technology strategy to help win, serve, and retain customers. This report explains the vision and key concepts of the model and connects industry buzzwords with five fundamental tenets to fit the VNI vision. This is an update of a previously published report; Forrester reviews and updates it periodically for continued relevance and accuracy.
For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

REPORT: The Forrester Wave™: Data Center Networking Hardware, Q1 2013

Distinct Competencies Separate The Core Vendors

January 23, 2013Andre Kindness

In Forrester's 85-criteria evaluation of vendors that offered data networking solutions, Forrester identified eight significant solution providers in this category — Alcatel-Lucent, Arista Networks, Avaya, Brocade Communications Systems, Cisco Systems, Extreme Networks, HP, and Juniper Networks — and researched, analyzed, and scored them. This report details our findings about how each vendor measures up against our defined strategic criteria categories and plots where they stand in relation to each other to help infrastructure and operations (I&O) professionals select the right partner for their data center network.