Constellation Research - Blogs

Marketing to Marketers – Just Add ICE

Gavin Heaton — 04/28/2013 - 17:38

By Gavin Heaton

The five forces of the Consumerization of Information Technology (CoIT) do not just affect the chief information officer (CIO). The impact of social media, Big Data, analytics, mobility, cloud computing and unified communications will be felt across every business unit and across every enterprise.

However, it is the office of the CMO – the organizational executive responsible for the “front of house” – which will be increasingly exposed to the challenges presented by consumerization. As a result, marketing leaders will face significant new strategic and technology decisions in the next two years.

Outdated theories and metrics, however, frame the practice of business marketing and continue to inhibit the ability of marketers to respond to the rapidly changing consumerized landscape. CMOs need to plan and execute against a new vision of the connected consumer.

Cisco Identifies Major Opportunities with Customer Collaboration Solutions

Elizabeth Herrell — 04/26/2013 - 13:01

By Elizabeth Herrell

At the recent Cisco Customer Collaboration Analyst Event, Cisco identified its key initiatives for the coming year and its plans to continue to capture market share with its customer collaboration strategy. It also demonstrated how its continuous improvement in its collaboration product line earned increased market share against contact center competitors. Cisco credits its recent success is in providing its customers with robust end-to-end solutions and its sound financial position, which especially appeals to larger enterprise customers. During the last year It has made significant gains with competitive wins against Avaya and other established contact center solution providers.

Cisco is prioritizing the following four areas for its customer collaboration solution:

Polls and Surveys: Who's Missing In Our 2013 #BigData landscape?

R "Ray" Wang — 04/25/2013 - 16:59

By R "Ray" Wang

Big Data Vendors Seek To Move From Data To Decisions

The move from Data to Decisions examines the enablement of data-driven decisions across the entire organization. Holistic, data-informed decisions require a multi-diciplinary approach that incorporates performance monitoring with traditional business intelligence technologies. Gather key insights from your data, transform insights into actionable information, and then make the right decisions (see Figure 1).

Figure 1. The Shift From Data To Decisions

Comprehensive Guide to WebRTC Published by Constellation Research

Courtney Sato — 04/25/2013 - 12:59

By Courtney Sato

SALT LAKE CITY – April 25, 2013 Constellation Research, Inc. the research and advisory firm focused on disruptive technologies today announced the publication of “Ten Things CIOs Should Know about WebRTC: Anticipating and Preparing for Massive Disruption to Your Communications Environment and Engagement Strategies” by Constellation Vice President and Principal Analyst, Dr. E. Brent Kelly. This research report analyzes the strengths, weaknesses, and potential impact of WebRTC. This report is designed to arm CIOs with the research necessary to help them understand the potential positive and negative impacts of WebRTC on their organizations.

Download the report snapshot

Constellation Research to Provide Opening Remarks at IT Trend 2013

Courtney Sato — 04/25/2013 - 01:23

By Courtney Sato

SILICON VALLEY, California., and TOKYO, Japan –April 25, 2013 – Constellation Research, Inc. and ITR Corporation today announced that Constellation COO Dennis Kanemitsu will provide opening remarks at IT Trend 2013, ITR's annual executive forum.

Kanemitsu will introduce Constellation to ITR’s audience and highlight how the established partnership between Constellation Research and ITR will bring innovation-focused thought leadership to the Japanese market.

Executive Profiles: Kirill Tatarinov, President Microsoft Business Solutions

R "Ray" Wang — 04/22/2013 - 01:05

By R "Ray" Wang

Welcome to our series of market maker 1:1 interviews with business leaders in the world of enterprise software The interviews provide insightful points of view from a customer, industry, and vendor perspective.

Kirill Tatarinov, President of Microsoft Business Solutions (@KirillTatarinov)

Pentaho Acquires Webdetails for Great UX

Joseph A. di Paolantonio — 04/22/2013 - 00:19

By Joseph A. di Paolantonio

After many years of depending on the Community Dashboard Framework as the core of the dashboard capabilities, Pentaho has acquired Webdetails to bring that UX expertise into all their products. In addition, Webdetails will continue to provided Pentaho professional services. And as the best piece of this news, Pedro Alves, while continuing in his role heading up Webdetails, will be the new SVP of Community.

Socialcast Adds Integrated Social Task Management

Alan Lepofsky — 04/18/2013 - 09:30

By Alan Lepofsky

Today SocialCast by VMware announced the new version of their enterprise social networking platform. The main new feature of this release is the integration of Social Task Management, which they are calling Socialcast Projects. As you know, I've been preaching about the benefits of Social Task Management for quite some time, so clearly I am happy to see Socialcast provide this new element to their product. With this new enhancement people using Socialcast will be able to more easily to organise, manage, share and complete the work they are doing.

Research Summary: Constellation Cosmos Cloud Bill of Rights for SaaS Apps, Actian and Netsuite Achieve Epic Status

R "Ray" Wang — 04/17/2013 - 07:50

By R "Ray" Wang

Constellation Certifies Vendors On How Well They Perform To The Cloud Bill Of Rights

Constellation Announces First Cloud Based Vendors Certified For Constellation Cosmos

Courtney Sato — 04/17/2013 - 00:35

By Courtney Sato

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – April 17, 2013 Constellation Research, Inc. the research and advisory firm focused on disruptive technologies, today announced the publication of two Constellation Cosmos^TM Certifications for the Cloud Buyer’s Bill of Rights: SaaS Apps by Constellation Principal Analyst and CEO R “Ray” Wang.

Constellation’s first two certified vendors include NetSuite Inc. (NYSE: N) and Actian Corporation.

NetSuite achieved Epic Status for Cloud Apps Suites
Actian Corp achieved Epic Status for Cloud Integration

Consuming Big Data–The Internet in 2015

Gavin Heaton — 04/15/2013 - 16:29

By Gavin Heaton

Everything that we do on an internet connected device leaves a digital trail. Whether it is an internet enabled refrigerator, a PC, smartphone or tablet – somewhere there is a log file recording of what your device did, what it connected to and when. And if that involves sending files, or creating or consuming content – then that data grows – for those files would be copied, replicated or cached in each location.

Google’s Eric Schmidt famously suggested that from the dawn of civilisation through to 2003, the human race had created roughly 5 exabytes of data. But in 2010 (and beyond), the equivalent is being created every 2 days.

Clearly the proliferation of data since 2010, the growth in devices and digital data consumption has skyrocketed. Not just in Australia. Not just in the US or Europe. But across the globe.

Startups – How Do You Like Them Apples?

Gavin Heaton — 04/14/2013 - 22:46

By Gavin Heaton

Starting a business is like flying by the seat of your pants. Even experienced entrepreneurs experience the simultaneous challenges of validating and launching a product, marketing, resourcing, managing staff, engaging stakeholders and securing funding. Often – in the whirlwind – a strategic approach to marketing is lost. Or worse – ignored. My view (as it would be), is that it is never too early to market.

But wouldn’t it be great if there was a way that you could accelerate your marketing? What if you could draw upon the experience and know-how of not just your best-friend-who-does-some-marketing, but one of the world’s most respected agencies?

You are thinking big dollars, right?

And yes, it could easily cost $100k.

A Little Help from Leo Burnett

Do You Hire Well? A Lesson From HubSpot

Gavin Heaton — 04/14/2013 - 13:33

By Gavin Heaton

I have been a fan of HubSpot for some time. I love the way that they relentlessly connect the dots between marketing and action, between marketers and their customers, and the web and the business of marketing.

Over the years, the HubSpot team have developed and driven the concept of inbound marketing – releasing free tools to help educate and empower marketers, sharing webinars, whitepapers and a constant stream of email messages. I’m not saying that, at times, the stream of content is not overwhelming … it can be. But the underlying message is what fascinates me – you are left with the unmistakeable impression that if the web is a new way of doing business, then HubSpot is leading the way.

Avaya Expands Its Customer Experience Management Vision

Elizabeth Herrell — 04/12/2013 - 11:03

By Elizabeth Herrell

Avaya recently hosted industry analysts at its Customer Experience Management event to describe and expand on its direction for contact center customers. Faced with a large installed base of legacy products, Avaya is setting a clear direction to help its customers gain value by leveraging their existing investments and moving forward with new applications for customer support. Avaya’s direction is to simplify its offerings with more bundled solutions and give its customers new options for implementation. Its vision for going forward includes investments in improved speech analytics and predictive analytics, mobile support and cloud solutions. Avaya recognizes the need to offer its existing Avaya and legacy Nortel customers with a well-defined strategy and path for upgrading existing contact center applications with expanded next generation customer support options.

IMRSV, Inc Provides Facial Analytics

Joseph A. di Paolantonio — 04/11/2013 - 15:56

By Joseph A. di Paolantonio

I had a briefing with Jason Sosa, founder of IMRSV, Inc, and then invited him to lunch. Privacy by Design and building a sensor analytic ecosystem are building the future of informed decisions.

Getting a Handle on Bitcoin

Gavin Heaton — 04/11/2013 - 06:10

By Gavin Heaton

I must admit to being more than a little intrigued by Bitcoin, the open source, peer-to-peer digital currency. In fact, anything with the words “open source, peer-to-peer and digital” in its description is likely to pique my interest. But as a currency, Bitcoin operates independently of central banks or a central organisation – which in times of sovereign debt crises adds to its attractiveness.

Dynamic Market Changes Necessitate New Customer Service Strategy

Elizabeth Herrell — 04/09/2013 - 11:05

By Elizabeth Herrell

Customer support organizations are scrambling to accommodate their changing customer behaviors and preferences. The move to social media, mobile applications and online communities triggers customer service organizations to search for applications that deliver the same level of support on emerging channels as their traditional channels. Without an actionable plan for accommodating customers equally across all channels, support organizations find their customers’ experience suffers. This fragmented approach also causes integration issues, which often require extensive fees for professional services to bridge the legacy applications with the newer ones.

Constellation Research Publishes Customer Service Strategy for a Disruptive World

Courtney Sato — 04/09/2013 - 10:50

By Courtney Sato

SAN FRANCISCO, CA April 9, 2013 – Constellation Research, Inc. the research and advisory firm focused on disruptive technologies today announced the publication of “Customer Service Strategy for a Disruptive World” a market overview by Constellation Vice President and Principal Analyst, Elizabeth Herrell.

Video Interview On Purposeful Collaboration

Alan Lepofsky — 04/06/2013 - 06:45

By Alan Lepofsky

The following five minute video was recorded following my keynote on Purposeful Collaboration at Oracle CloudWorld Mumbai on April 2nd, 2013.

Note: the caption for the first question is incorrect, they asked "How has collaboration changed..." not "How has Constellation (where I work) changed..."

Why Your Future Depends on Engaging with Customers and Employees

Courtney Sato — 03/31/2013 - 22:52

By Courtney Sato

In the age of social media, effective customer and employee engagement is becoming an increasingly important business initiative. Companies that effectively engage their customers experience greater customer loyalty and repeated patronage. Companies that effectively engage their employees can expect greater employee satisfaction and productivity. However, as the number of social channels continues to grow, engagement becomes increasingly difficult as constant bombardment of these channels often leads to alienation and fatigue.

Enter the 9 C's of Engagement. Employ the 9 C's of Engagement to connect with your customers and employees in an increasingly saturated social environment.

In this interview at SXSW 2013, R "Ray" Wang explains how companies should be using the 9 C's of Engagement.

Event Report: Customers Very Happy At Ultimate Connections 2013 (#ulticonnect)

R "Ray" Wang — 03/29/2013 - 23:20

By R "Ray" Wang

Partnership Announcements Enhance Ultimate Software’s Offerings

Are Microsoft and Nokia Tightly Aligned Over VP8 Intellectual Properly Infringement?

E. Brent Kelly — 03/29/2013 - 16:49

By E. Brent Kelly

On March 21, Nokia came out swinging directly at Google and indirectly at the emerging WebRTC standard when it claimed that VP8, the video codec within WebRTC, contains Nokia intellectual property. Nokia's action complicates the issue of the default video codec within WebRTC because Nokia has stated that it will not license any of its patented technology to the IETF.

Microsoft Dynamics Move Up-Market: What’s Missing?

Frank Scavo — 03/27/2013 - 13:46

By Frank Scavo

Microsoft has many of the necessary elements in place to continue its move into large enterprises, but it still needs to fill several major functional gaps in its product offerings.

In Google We (Don’t) Trust

Alan Lepofsky — 03/22/2013 - 12:02

By Alan Lepofsky

This week Google made two product announcements that generated a lot of press. The first is that it would be shutting down Google Reader on July 1, 2013. The second was the introduction of Google Keep, which people are referring to as the evolution of Google Notebook and a competitor for Evernote. (more on that below)

BT To Launch Audio Conferencing Services Based On Dolby Voice Technology... But The Stereo Headset Requirement Could Introduce Launch Distortion

E. Brent Kelly — 03/21/2013 - 16:15

By E. Brent Kelly

BT is the first conferencing service provider poised to roll out audio conferencing services based on Dolby voice technology. Slated to appear in Q3 2013, this service promises to offer a super audio conferencing experience by providing spatial audio capabilities that allow conference attendees to hear and interact with one another in much the same way as if they were present in the same conference room.

Traditional audio bridges “mix” the audio of the participants together and then send it out to everyone. The problem this creates is that the verbal cues we use to break into a conversation and regulate its flow are mixed out causing people to talk over one another.

Dolby’s spatial audio keeps the individual voices separated so that people can hear these cues just as they would if they were in the same conference room – individual voices can be heard, even if people happen to begin speaking at the same time. In addition, Dolby signal processing provides noise suppression and echo cancellation that can significantly improve the quality of an audio conference.

Mobile Customer Service Leaps forward with [24]7 Visual Speech

Elizabeth Herrell — 03/21/2013 - 15:16

By Elizabeth Herrell

Smartphones have become pervasive and more than half of all customers use their mobile device when contacting a company for service. Currently, the majority of smartphone customers encounter rigid IVR menus, as their initial step prior to accessing information or conducting transactions. This situation totally ignores the enormous capabilities found in today’s smartphones and does little to enhance a company’s image. Fortunately, there is good news for customer engagements, as [24]7introduced a major breakthrough in customer service with Visual Speech that links the call to an HTML5 mobile experience.

Event Report: Microsoft Dynamics Convegence 2013 (#conv13)

R "Ray" Wang — 03/19/2013 - 13:04

By R "Ray" Wang

Customer Success, Acquisition, And New Features Drive Day 1 Headlines

Event Report: NewsGator Collective 2013 and Survival of the Social

Yvette Cameron — 03/18/2013 - 17:10

By Yvette Cameron

In a time when technology vendors are starting to shun the “social” moniker, it was refreshing to hear the messaging at the NewsGator Collective 2013 Annual User Conference that NewsGator is all about “making social real” in the enterprise. In fact NewsGator CEO Daniel Kraft went so far as to say that "Survival of the Social" is a "do or die" business imperative: if you don't buy into it, someone else will.

Do Cloud Communications Services Save Companies Money?

E. Brent Kelly — 03/18/2013 - 02:59

By E. Brent Kelly

I've just completed reviewing the 7 RFP responses for my session at Enterprise Connect 2013 on cloud-based communications services. The RFP is a 60 page document describing the communications and collaboration requirements for a 2,000 person enterprise with three locations.

Event Report: Informatica Analyst Day Reveals A Growth Strategy

R "Ray" Wang — 03/18/2013 - 00:01

By R "Ray" Wang

Informatica Sets The Stage For A New Chapter In Its History

Informatica held its annual industry analyst day February 26th to 27th, 2013 at the Rosewood Sandhill in Menlo Park. The event showcased Informatica’s go-forward strategy and road map for growth over the next three years. Key highlights include:

New Hope from Big Data

Joseph A. di Paolantonio — 03/15/2013 - 14:44

By Joseph A. di Paolantonio

Big Data is a catchy phrase. Unfortunately, it is often misused and misunderstood. This post brings hope out of the hype surrounding big data and data science by examining 11 innovative trends and the four keys to better decisions.

Ignore the Samsung S4: there is a mobile metric that vendors and carriers fear to discuss

Charles Brett — 03/15/2013 - 02:41

By Charles Brett

Yesterday saw the launch of the much awaited Samsung Galaxy S4 (and a worthy update it seems, if hardly earth shattering -- much like occurred with the iPhone 5). There has also been much talk about Android weaknesses, hardware or software market specialization as well as Google's rising share price (and Apple's currently falling one). But what almost nobody discusses is: what will be the smartdevice replacement rate? This metric is beginning to matter more and more to a whole raft of audiences -- from device manufacturers to mobile carriers to enterprises and to consumers.

When Apple launched the original iPhone it was correctly hailed as something special -- because it was. The second iPhone was a significant improvement, both in quality (already high) but also in both form and function. But, by the time of the iPhone 4S and then the iPhone 5 the improvements had become demonstrably incremental rather than revolutionary.

Brand Storytelling: Teradata’s Case of the Tainted Lasagna

Gavin Heaton — 03/15/2013 - 02:29

By Gavin Heaton

Brand storytelling can be hard work. Not only are there all the internal hurdles to overcome, sign-offs and legal checks and so on – there is also the challenge of subject matter. What do you do if you have a complex product or solution that you are trying to explain? Which channels do you choose [...]

The Biggest Immediate Opportunity for WebRTC in the Enterprise

E. Brent Kelly — 03/14/2013 - 15:32

By E. Brent Kelly

WebRTC Bodies In Motion Tend To Stay In Motion

E. Brent Kelly — 03/14/2013 - 15:21

By E. Brent Kelly

WebRTC Conference at Enterprise Connect 2013

E. Brent Kelly — 03/14/2013 - 15:10

By E. Brent Kelly

I have the opportunity to co-chair the WebRTC conference-within-a-conference that will be held in conjunction with Enterprise Connect 2013. This is a top notch mini-conference with four goals in mind:

Collaboration Vendor News For March 12, 2013

Alan Lepofsky — 03/12/2013 - 19:00

By Alan Lepofsky

Here are just a few of the product stories that I noticed today. I don't have time to write full posts about all of them, but I will try and cover a few of them in more detail in the next day or two. For now, I'll offer up a quick point of view on each.

MWC2013: Is Mobile App Development at a Crossroads? Dilemmas for 2013

Charles Brett — 03/11/2013 - 01:44

By Charles Brett

The number of app development ‘solutions’ on show at Mobile World Congress 2013 amounted to over 20, and might have been over 40 once you counted in development tools provided by major offerings that were not explicitly on show (for example, Eclipse or the .NET Framework). Yet such a plethora only served to emphasize just [...]

Hands-on Guide to Social Media Channel Selection

Gavin Heaton — 03/10/2013 - 00:10

By Gavin Heaton

I have always been a fan of the CMO.com guide to channel selection. Each year for the last few years, the CMO.com folks have put together a handy guide that explains exactly how each of the main social media channels can be best used. This year, rather than producing an infographic (as in previous years), [...]

Saba Summit 2013: Getting Back To Their Strengths In Learning and Development

Alan Lepofsky — 03/09/2013 - 05:00

By Alan Lepofsky

This past week in San Francisco Saba held their annual customer conference, Saba People Summit. After several hours of meetings with their executive team, my primary take away is that Saba is returning their focus (in both product development and in marketing) to their core strengths in Learning (formal and informal) and Development (ex: career planning, improving skills, etc.) This is a shift from the 2012 summit, where they launched Saba People Cloud (SPC), which they referred to as: "The first, people-centric Social Enterprise Platform that connects all the people in the value chain and enables strategic people processes". That (fluffy) message clearly did not resonate well, and Saba has responded appropriately by now talking less about "being social" and more about how their platform can help people learn, become better employees and advanced their careers.

DataGrok

Joseph A. di Paolantonio — 03/06/2013 - 20:41

By Joseph A. di Paolantonio

For all the silliness surrounding Big Data and Data Science, all the hype and all the controversy, there are actually very innovative and disruptive technologies coming from this area, this new approach to data management and analytics [DMA]. How do we categorize the vendors or the technologies that have never existed before?

Trends: Seven Priorities In The Shift From CMO to Chief Digital Officer

R "Ray" Wang — 03/06/2013 - 02:30

By R "Ray" Wang

Shift From CMO to CDO Is In Progress

Today’s marketing strategies increasingly depend more on digital and on data than in the past. With more data, marketers can measure against a new set of metrics that matter including:

MWC2013: Mobile carriers and others self-delude – chasing the ever seductive OS siren call

Charles Brett — 03/06/2013 - 02:21

By Charles Brett

MWC 2013 saw many OS announcements and commitments, but not from the usual culprits -- Microsoft (Windows 8, various forms), Apple (iOS, various forms) or Google (Android, with all its multiple bifurcations). Instead a motley collection of desperate telephone carriers took the principle biscuit (committing to the Firefox OS); then there were Samsung (with Tizen), Canonical (with Ubuntu/Linux) and Jolla (with Sailfish, ex MeeGo). The only clear indicator amongst so muchOS enthusiasm was that these companies seem lured by the ever present siren call of owning your own OS, and to have forgotten the past.

Tuesday's Tip: It's Time To Consolidate Social Business Platforms

R "Ray" Wang — 03/05/2013 - 15:16

By R "Ray" Wang

Greater Adoption In Social Business Signifies A Move To Consolidate Platforms

Constellation’s buy-side clients tend to fit in the market leader or fast follower categories when it comes to organizational personas of disruptive technology adoption. Since 2010, respondents have progressed through the DEEPR framework and the latest results from 2012 indicate that most survey respondents have moved to Level 3 (see Figure 1). Changes between 2010 and 2012 show the following top three priority shifts as users move from Level 2 (Experimentation) to Level 3 (Evangelization):

MWC2013: Sensors need not drain your mobile’s battery and yet can give you greater accuracy as well as real-life context

Charles Brett — 03/05/2013 - 02:34

By Charles Brett

Steve Jobs did a wonderful thing when he put sensors (GPS, accelerometers, gyroscopes, compasses, etc.) into the iPhone and the the iPad family. Others have followed, adding barometers, light sensors and more besides. But there is a downside — battery usage — as well as an upside — the potential to save that battery usage by making more intelligent use of these sensors, and not only to maximize power utilization.

These points were brought home at MWC by Kevin Shaw, the CTO at Sensor Platforms (of San Jose, CA). Sensor Platforms specializes in producing platform-agnostic software to enable SOC manufacturers and device manufacturers to make best use of the sensors on mobile devices. One objective is not to disable sensors and even the main power-hog, the CPU, when they are not needed.

News Analysis: Infor Adds SaaS LMS with Acquisition of CERTPOINT

Yvette Cameron — 03/04/2013 - 11:47

By Yvette Cameron

Proving it has not lost its appetite for acquisitions, on March 4th, 2013, Infor announced its planned acquisition of New York based CERTPOINT Systems, Inc., a SaaS provider of global learning management software (LMS) and learning content management software (LCMS).

Supply Chain Management Delivers Positive ROI Despite Challenges

Frank Scavo — 03/02/2013 - 09:48

By Frank Scavo

I've just published a new report in our technology adoption series. The report, titled Supply Chain Management Adoption Trends and Customer Experience, finds that the total cost of ownership for SCM systems often exceeds budget. Nevertheless, the payback on SCM systems is so good that most companies achieve a return on their investment within two years, despite the challenges in managing costs.

Cloud Confusion on The Motley Fool

Frank Scavo — 03/02/2013 - 08:02

By Frank Scavo

Some financial media reporters so poorly understand the tech industry that neither investors nor prospective buyers should listen to them. This blog post takes apart a recent article on The Motley Fool, entitled, "Is Oracle's Cloud Really Fake?" itemizing numerous errors in the author's understanding of Oracle, cloud computing, and the tech industry generally.

Scale Your Digital Marketing with Marketing Automation

Gavin Heaton — 02/28/2013 - 18:52

By Gavin Heaton

In these challenging times, we are all asked to do more with less. For marketers, this means coping with an explosion of channels, transformation in the expectations of our customers and an abundance of data that can, in equal parts, obscure or facilitate insight. So where can you turn to scale your marketing efforts?

To Boldly Train and Certify - Announcing Constellation Academy Workshops

Alan Lepofsky — 02/28/2013 - 07:30

By Alan Lepofsky

I'm excited to announce the launch of our new Constellation Academy Workshops.

In these two hour, half-day or full day courses our analysts work with your organization to train and certify your employees on a variety of topics such as:

Marketing Automation Market and Vendor Overview Published by Constellation Research

Courtney Sato — 02/28/2013 - 00:56

By Courtney Sato

Marketers Demand a Next Generation of Marketing Automation Software

Vendor Landscape Hints at New Winners and Losers

Report Snapshot Available for Download

Genesys Acquires Angel to Expand its Voice Portal Presence

Elizabeth Herrell — 02/27/2013 - 12:36

By Elizabeth Herrell

Genesys, @genesyslab, has announced it is acquiring Angel, @angelcorporate, to improve its ability to deliver voice self-service applications more quickly and cost effectively. Genesys currently offers a market-leading voice platform, GVP, and has a strong presence in the large enterprise market. Angel, a SaaS voice portal provider, has earned a solid reputation in mid-size vertical markets. Angel’s experience in delivering high reliable cloud solutions will support Genesys’ ability to offer rapid deployment speech applications to a broader customer base on its Cloud Connect platform. This acquisition signals the second significant purchase by Genesys in the last month. Genesys also acquired UTOPY-a speech analytic firm- to add to its product portfolio. Both purchases highlight the importance of natural language speech applications, as a key enabler for delivering successful self-service solutions.

Press Release: Constellation Research Announces Constellation Academy

Courtney Sato — 02/27/2013 - 09:32

By Courtney Sato

A Comprehensive Approach Applying Disruptive Technologies To New And Existing Business Models" />

Tuesday's Tip: Focus On The Business Outcomes, Not Technology With Big Data

R "Ray" Wang — 02/26/2013 - 13:01

By R "Ray" Wang

The Why Behind Big Data Starts By Asking What’s The Business Outcome

So organizations have lots of data. New techniques have emerged to correlate big data. Enamored by the potential of big data, leaders are now reinvesting in technologies to find hidden nuggets of insights with the business goals of:

Content Marketing in Australia Needs a Wakeup Call

Gavin Heaton — 02/25/2013 - 17:57

By Gavin Heaton

The Content Marketing Institute’s new report on Content Marketing in Australia is timed nicely for the upcoming Content Marketing Conference (4-6 March 2013). The report contrasts the content marketing approaches taken by marketers in Australia vs the USA and reinforces much that we already know: Over 60% of marketers expect to increase or significantly increase [...]

You Thought Siri Was Cool Until You Got Google Glass

Gavin Heaton — 02/22/2013 - 03:54

By Gavin Heaton

I can remember my first bulky personal digital assistant (PDA). It was cumbersome, hard to use and ugly. Very ugly. But I loved it. It felt like a ripple in the fabric of the future. While at university, I took notes on this PDA, scrambling to jot bullet points into the slim LED screen and [...]

A Pre-MWC analysis: mobile carriers must introduce user-selectable pricing to overcome customer frustration, data bandwidth constraints and lack of profits

Charles Brett — 02/21/2013 - 01:01

By Charles Brett

During one day of this week, the week before Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2013, a triple coincidence occurred: Telefonica signed with NICE to introduce Mobile Reach (to address customer issues), the ‘TSAV 8 to Barcelona’ event was held in Tel Aviv and I (by coincidence) had arranged to vist NICE in order to understand Mobile [...]

Press Release: ROI of Supply Chain Management Systems Encouraging Increased Adoption - Constellation Research

Courtney Sato — 02/19/2013 - 08:04

By Courtney Sato

IRVINE, Calif. – February 19, 2013. Constellation Research, Inc. the research and advisory firm focused on disruptive technologies today announced the publication of “Current Trends in Supply Chain Management: Adoption and Customer Experience” by Constellation Vice President and Principal Analyst, Frank Scavo.

New Chip Offers Protection from Cellphone Radiation

Elizabeth Herrell — 02/19/2013 - 07:54

By Elizabeth Herrell

A new chip called Bodywell was recently announced to reduce the potential risk of mobile device radiation by lowering its absorption rate in the body. Currently, there are minimal industry precautions on the potential risks from mobile device radiation. Mobile devices emit a non-ionizing electronic radio frequency, which can be absorbed by tissues closest to where the phone is held. Short-term studies have not shown a “consistent link” between the specific absorption rate (SAR) and cancers of the brain and other tissues in the neck and head. However, many of these studies were financed by the mobile device manufacturer. Other credible scientific studies have identified a range of health problems associated with mobile device long term use.

Group Buying Code of Practice Tightens

Gavin Heaton — 02/18/2013 - 13:41

By Gavin Heaton

Group buying has proven popular in Australia. In 2012, the market generated $504 million, and according to a December 2012 study by Telsyte, the top five sites showed year-on-year growth of over 9%. However, it is not all roses. Competition is fierce and the size of the market is not expected to grow as strongly [...]

Oracle Fusion Runs into Oracle Apps Unlimited

Frank Scavo — 02/18/2013 - 08:37

By Frank Scavo

Oracle is not taking well to a recent Forrester Research report, entitled, "Oracle Dilemma: Applications Unlimited Versus Oracle Fusion Applications." But it is is hard to argue against the main point: that Fusion adoption has been slow, in part, because of the success of Oracle's Applications Unlimited program. To better understand why, it is helpful to review some history.

Event Report: 2013 Capgemini India Analyst & Advisor Day #CGAR2013

R "Ray" Wang — 02/17/2013 - 21:42

By R "Ray" Wang

Capgemini India Plays A Key Role In The Global Delivery Model

Analyst and advisors gathered on February 12th, 2013 at Capgemini’s India headquarters located near the trendy and upmarket Powai suburbs of Mumbai. Capgemini India’s CEO, Aruna Jayanthi welcomed guests with a perspective on Capgemini India’s progress. With more than 40,000 people, the team plans to grow to 70,000 people in 3 years at almost a 20% CAGR year-over-year. Aruna sees the potential for up to 70% of Capgemini's infrastructure services delivery to come from India.

As part of the non-linear growth plan, Capgemini intends to rely on a shared services model and platform between multiple delivery centres critical for scale and growth. The good news – Capgemini India expects a reduction in the double digit wage inflation of the past 24 months. Forecasts call for 5 to 9% for 2013. Her three focus areas include growth, continued investments, and building end-to-end capability in India.

Event Report: #InforSummit Reveals More Than A Redesigned Infor

R "Ray" Wang — 02/17/2013 - 16:04

By R "Ray" Wang

Changes at Infor More Than Cosmetic

Analysts and tech watchers gathered on Valentine’s Day, February 14th, 2013, for Infor Summit, a progress check on Infor, the third largest independent applications vendor in the market. While many customers may not have heard of Infor, most have heard of the brands it has acquired over the last 20 years. These venerable brands include Baan, BPCS, Epiphany, Hansen, Intentia, Lawson, MAPICS, NXTrend, SoftBrands, and Syteline. Since industry veteran Charles ‘Chuck’ Phillips took over Infor, the software vendor has grown revenue from $2.2B to $2.8B. More impressive, for the past 5 quarters, Infor demonstrated double digit license revenue growth. Infor is now the third largest private firm in Business Insider’s Digital List witha $16B valuation. The management team emphasized three key tenets of the Infor strategy:

Fitting mobility into the enterprise

Charles Brett — 02/17/2013 - 06:58

By Charles Brett

At Fujitsu Forum, held in Munich in November last year, Benno Zollner (the CIO of Fujitsu Technology Solutions, outside Japan) asked the question: “Why are (organizations) spending so much for Workplace IT?” It is a good question. It has made me think 1) about mobile devices and 2) about roles and what is deployed with [...]

Polls and Surveys: Negotiating Software Contracts With Oracle or SAP Part 1.

R "Ray" Wang — 02/16/2013 - 23:09

By R "Ray" Wang

We’re working on a report looking at “How Third Party Maintenance Plays A Role In SAP and Oracle Contract Negotiations”. If you are an Oracle or SAP customer, please take our survey. We’ll add you to the final report list when you complete the survey and provide a little information about yourself. Here’s the survey:

Your POV.

Let us know your experiences with SAP or Oracle contract negotiations Add your comments to the blog or reach me via email: R (at) ConstellationRG (dot) com or R (at) SoftwareInsider (dot) com.

Let Us Help You.

Laptops are a misnomer; mobility is changing what and how we do it, at work, at home and in between

Charles Brett — 02/16/2013 - 10:26

By Charles Brett

Have you ever thought about the term ‘laptop’? It was invented to differentiate a portable class of PC from desktops. But, how many people use their ‘laptops’ on their laps? This has a practical productivity significance that many underestimate, and it may be one of the unsung reasons why tablets are so attractive… Think about [...]

Upcoming Technologies Set To Change The Way We Interact With Our Surroundings

Alan Lepofsky — 02/15/2013 - 21:30

By Alan Lepofsky

I can't wait for these technologies to be part of our daily lives. Which do you want the most?

Tactus Technology, transparent physical buttons that rise up from a touchscreen surface

Leap Motion, control your computer in three dimensions using just your hand and finger movements

Three Technologies Set To Change The Way We Interact With Our Surroundings

Alan Lepofsky — 02/15/2013 - 21:30

By Alan Lepofsky

I can't wait till these technologies are just part of our daily lives. Which do you want the most?

Tactus Technology, transparent physical buttons that rise up from a touchscreen surface

Tactus Technology - CES 2013 from Tactus Technology Inc. on Vimeo.

Leap Motion, 3D, control your computer in three dimensions using just your hand and finger movements

Waving Goodbye to Posterous

Gavin Heaton — 02/15/2013 - 20:22

By Gavin Heaton

I have long been a fan of Posterous. It was a platform that was ridiculously easy to use – and was a great introduction to social media for those who were (or remain) cautious of technology and online publishing. But when Twitter acquired Posterous in 2012, it was only a matter of time before it [...]

Repeat After Me - There Is No One Perfect Tool

Alan Lepofsky — 02/13/2013 - 12:02

By Alan Lepofsky

I'm tired of people talking about how social software solves everything and call for the end of email.

Let me make my opinion perfectly clear: No one tool is perfect for all scenarios and no tool is effective without the right use-cases and process for using it.

What’s in Your Startup DNA

Gavin Heaton — 02/12/2013 - 19:37

By Gavin Heaton

There’s plenty of hype around startups – and around the founders of those startups. We buy books (books, really? Yes!) written by startup entrepreneurs, attend talks, download podcasts and go to conferences. Sometimes it can feel like meeting a rockstar rather than a business person. But for every startup, there are countless others, often behind [...]

Cornerstone for Salesforce: Optimizing CRM Investment

Yvette Cameron — 02/12/2013 - 08:47

By Yvette Cameron

Cornerstone OnDemand has announced the availability of “Cornerstone for Salesforce”, effectively rebranding CyberU and reinforcing its commitment to bringing learning and training directly into the business applications used by employees, partners and customers every day.

News Analysis: Adobe Behances The Creative Class With $150M Community Acquisition

R "Ray" Wang — 02/11/2013 - 15:41

By R "Ray" Wang

Behance Empowers The Creative Cloud To Make Ideas Happen

News Analysis: Oracle Bets Long on Acme Packet for IP Communications

E. Brent Kelly — 02/06/2013 - 09:11

By E. Brent Kelly

On February 4, 2013 Oracle announced that it was purchasing Bedford, MA based Acme Packet for $1.7 billion. Acme Packet will be a division within the Oracle Communications Global Business Unit. 80% of this unit’s revenues comes from the carrier business, 20% is in the enterprise space. With Oracle’s gigantic software footprint and the mega trends outlined above, Oracle has an opportunity to propel Acme Packet’s SBC sales into all areas of Oracle’s broad software business.

Avaya: Applying Big Data to Customer Engagement

E. Brent Kelly — 02/06/2013 - 04:35

By E. Brent Kelly

At the Avaya Evolutions event in Dallas (February 5/6, 2013) I had the opportunity to speak with Brett Shockley, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Avaya Applications and Emerging Technologies. The discussion focused around new technology Avaya is working on that will significantly impact and enhance contact center customer engagement: speech analytics and big data analytics. Both of these capabilities overlay two Avaya’s contact center products, Elite and the newer Avaya Aura Contact Center.

News Analysis: New SAP Customers Face Maintenance Hike

R "Ray" Wang — 02/04/2013 - 23:46

By R "Ray" Wang

SAP Plans A Standard Support Maintenance Fees Hike Of 5.5%For New Customers

For new customers, SAP announced its intent to raise its standard support maintenance fee from 18% to 19% effective July 15, 2013. The standard support option was reintroduced in January 14, 2010, after much pressure from user groups. A few key takeaways:

SAP Goes Back to the Well for a Maintenance Fee Hike

Frank Scavo — 02/04/2013 - 10:30

By Frank Scavo

Jarret Pazahanick alerted me to an email that went out this morning to SAP partners, announcing a unilateral price increase on standard support, for new maintenance contracts signed after July 15, 2013.

The email reads, in part,

To be able to provide the same level of support in the future, we will change the maintenance rate for new maintenance contracts with SAP Standard Support from 18% to 19%, effective July 15, 2013.

This moderate adjustment does not apply to any existing maintenance contracts for SAP Standard Support closed before July 15, 2013. We also want to be respectful about budgets being planned for 2013. Therefore, we encourage you to take advantage of the opportunity to place purchase orders with SAP Standard Support ahead of this change at the existing 18% rate until July 14, 2013.

I would point out that this is not a 1% increase in maintenance fees: it is a 5.5% increase (1/18 = 5.5%).

Logos and the Psychology of Colour

Gavin Heaton — 02/01/2013 - 14:31

By Gavin Heaton

In the process of building new brands, there are three steps that I love: Naming, Planning, Visual Design. Read on...

Mitigating Risk in Software Vendor Support

Frank Scavo — 01/31/2013 - 14:31

By Frank Scavo

For implementation and ongoing support, most customers rely on their original vendors of major enterprise applications, such as ERP, CRM, and supply chain management (SCM). But what happens when the vendor is not up to the job? What steps can buyers take to mitigate the risk of vendor support failure and protect their investment? These are questions that come to mind when reading about a recent lawsuit by a governmental agency in Puerto Rico against Infor, alleging that Infor "has been absolutely incapable of resolving serious problems" with the agency's implementation of an Infor product.

Advertising in 2020 – Let’s Hope There’s Fire

Gavin Heaton — 01/31/2013 - 12:16

By Gavin Heaton

John Willshire and Mark Earls make you think. They chisel and shape ideas until they are sharp enough to be carved into your mind. As part of the Wharton Future of Advertising program, they put together this presentation that provokes a conversation around advertising and what it might look like in the year ahead.

BlackBerry for enterprise: the comeback kid?

Dennis Howlett — 01/31/2013 - 09:46

By Dennis Howlett

BlackBerry has largely been written off as too late to the next gen mobile party. Is it that simple? I don't think so.

Multi-Channel Unified Agent Desktop Software Geared for Growth

Elizabeth Herrell — 01/31/2013 - 05:59

By Elizabeth Herrell

The rapid growth in smartphones, social media and video has created new channels — many of which are handled separately than the traditional call center, causing inconsistent customer experiences. Today’s customers, especially the digital natives, seek immediate response to issues and are no longer satisfied with slow service or delayed response. They expect immediate connectivity and response to their questions and want consistent service and recognition regardless of the channels they choose.

This more complex support environment often leads to mistakes as CSRs toggle back and forth among several applications to deliver an answer to a customer. Additionally, customers are often put on hold while waiting for the CSR to process a transaction. An intelligent unified desktop software greater reduces processing time and improves accuracy of CSRs. Customers enjoy faster and more accurate answers resulting in a positive experience.

Yammer’s Community Management Playbook

Gavin Heaton — 01/30/2013 - 13:10

By Gavin Heaton

As a boy I can remember my Nanna holding court at a friend’s house. We were sitting at a 50s laminex kitchen table (you know the kind with the fake marbling and the shiny metal edging) and there were copious cups of tea, home made cakes, scones and biscuits carefully laid out. But no one [...]

Exit the vanity PC; enter the vanity iPad/tablet?

Charles Brett — 01/30/2013 - 04:37

By Charles Brett

According to the FT in its piece about the latest iPad upgrade (January 30, 2013), Philip Schiller, Apple’s SVP of Worldwide Marketing, said 120m iPad owners were using these “rather than their old PCs” to fulfil both “business and personal needs”. The implication, at least according to Mr Schiller, seems that to be that the PC must be dead or dying because it is being supplanted by iPads. This seems a dubious (except to Apple) proposition.

What may be true is something slightly different, and rather more plausible. This is that the ‘vanity PC’ (or laptop) is being added to (but not replaced) by iPads (and potentially other tablets), which may or may not in turn be ‘vanity tablets’.

So what is a ‘vanity device’? It is a device purchased for (or by) an executive more for show rather than serious use. You think these do not exist? If so, you are sadly mistaken.

Organic Search Remains King in B2B

Gavin Heaton — 01/29/2013 - 17:59

By Gavin Heaton

If you are looking for marketing advice, you don’t need to look very far. There are literally hundreds of marketing blogs, websites and platform vendors who offer up various levels of expertise and advice. So no matter whether you are an enterprise marketer or running your own business, you’ll easily find some ideas, strategies and [...]

IBM Sametime as Part of the Enterprise Infrastructure Fabric

E. Brent Kelly — 01/29/2013 - 10:00

By E. Brent Kelly

At IBM Connect, Sametime has barely had any mention on the main stage. Furthermore, as one looks at the show program, there are only a couple of sessions on Sametime.

Yet, in some of the demos, the ability to see presence, send an instant message, or have an instant meeting was demoed or at least referenced as key parts of the solution functionality. It almost seems that in the minds of IBM's executives and managers, Sametime's capabilities have become part of the enterprise infrastructure fabric - almost a given that they are there.

The Constellation Guide to Successful Disruptive Technology Adoption

Courtney Sato — 01/28/2013 - 11:56

By Courtney Sato

That fancy unified communications system isn’t improving communication or efficiency if no one uses it.

Don’t worry—Constellation’s got your back. We’ve created a framework that helps executives short on time identify, understand, and capitalize on their organization’s tech adoption style and get the the most out of the technologies in which they invest.

IBM Connect 2013 First Take: Will Watson be the future of HCM?

Yvette Cameron — 01/28/2013 - 09:26

By Yvette Cameron

The messages at this morning’s IBM Connect keynote event were clear: The future is “Social” and the new language of business is “Analytics”. Welcome to the future.

All morning these messages were evangelized and demonstrated, from IBM executives and their demo teams, to clients like Bosch, Caterpillar and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, and even from a Hollywood star-slash-collaborative film development entrepreneur. Each spoke on the transformational role that collaborative, social engagement is having in our business and personal lives, changing how we work, play, create, engage and in some cases even how we’re paid or rewarded for our efforts.

IBM Introduces Their Vision Of The Smarter Workforce

Alan Lepofsky — 01/28/2013 - 06:00

By Alan Lepofsky

Today at IBM Connect (the conference formerly known as Lotusphere), IBM unveiled their vision for how businesses can find, attract and hire the best employees; empower those people to get their jobs done as effectively as possible; and motivate them to be happy, productive and successful employees with long and rewarding careers. These three areas combine to deliver what IBM refers to as the Smarter Workforce.

My Point of View

News Analysis: Aptean Six Months After The CDC Software And Consona Merger

R "Ray" Wang — 01/27/2013 - 23:35

By R "Ray" Wang

Consolidation Continues In The Enterprise Software Space

On August 7th, 2012, CDC Software and Consona Corporation merged to form Aptean. Over the past six months, Monte Ford, the president of Aptean has made key executive hires, committed to new product investments, and rationalized overhead. Key points in the acquisition include:

Personal Log: So You Want A Tesla Model S? See Why It's Cheaper Than ICE

R "Ray" Wang — 01/26/2013 - 01:53

By R "Ray" Wang

The Latest Silicon Valley Disruption Is…A Car?

It’s all the rage in the valley. No, it’s not the latest social, mobile, and big data app. No, it’s not some cloud computing break through. No, it’s not even bio tech. It’s actually a car.

Source: Tesla Motors, Inc.

Press Release: Constellation Research and ITR Corporation Form Strategic Alliance in Japan

Courtney Sato — 01/22/2013 - 23:14

By Courtney Sato

Two boutique market research firms across the Pacific collaborate for innovative research

SILICON VALLEY, California., and TOKYO, Japan – January 23, 2013 – Constellation Research, Inc. and Information Technology Research (ITR) of Japan today announced that they have entered into a strategic alliance to bring Constellation Research’s insights about disruptive technologies and business models for creating transformational innovation to the Japanese market.

Constellation Research expands its presence into Japan

Putting Together the Puzzle of IBM Connect Websites

Alan Lepofsky — 01/22/2013 - 12:30

By Alan Lepofsky

Next week IBM will be putting on IBM Connect, the conference formerly known as Lotusphere. The theme is "Get Social. Do Business." and the sessions are divided into two primary tracks: 1) Create a Smarter Workforce and 2) Create an Exceptional Customer Experience. Think of the first track as focused on employees (internal) while the second is focused on customers (external), although both topics do have some overlap.

Leading up to the event, I've been pointed to several websites, so I thought I'd share them all here to make things "easier" for people.

Press Release: Constellation Research Publishes Best Practices Guide to Successful Stakeholder Interactions in the Digital Age

Courtney Sato — 01/22/2013 - 09:28

By Courtney Sato

SAN FRANCISCO – January 22, 2012 Constellation Research, Inc. the research and advisory firm focused on disruptive technologies today announced the publication of “Building Your Interaction Strategy with the 9 C's of Engagement” by Constellation CEO and Principal Analyst, R “Ray” Wang. The 9 C's of Engagement provides a best practices methodology for crafting a successful digital engagement strategy.

This report reveals:

Press Release: New Research by Constellation Research Analyzes IT Services Market Ahead of NAASCOM

Courtney Sato — 01/20/2013 - 18:49

By Courtney Sato

Investment in IP will accelerate Indian IT firms’ growth

Buyers want next gen IT services, outcomes from Indian IT vendors

Report criticizes partnerships with mega software vendors

SAN FRANCISCO – January 20, 2013 Constellation Research, Inc., the award-winning research and advisory firm focused on disruptive technologies, announced the publication of “Clients Want Outcomes, Are Indian IT Services Vendors Ready?” by Constellation Research CEO and Principal Analyst, R “Ray” Wang. This report reveals that IT Services firms that invest in Intellectual Property (IP)-based offerings will experience accelerated growth in the next 24-36 months. Research conducted by Constellation Research shows a staggering 80% of clients surveyed prefer ‘outcomes’ rather than technologies or solutions from IT service providers. The resulting demand-side dynamics of this preference will compel services firms to focus on IP versus vanilla offerings.

Do you use mobile applications at work?

Alan Lepofsky — 01/17/2013 - 19:30

By Alan Lepofsky

I'm gathering information about the usage of mobile applications for accessing work related content. I'd appreciate it if you could take a few minutes and answer the following questions: (you may have to scroll down through the survey)

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Press Release: Constellation Publishes 'Big Idea' Report "Introducing Matrix Commerce"

Courtney Sato — 01/16/2013 - 16:47

By Courtney Sato

The future of commerce is Matrix Commerce

SAN FRANCISCO – January 16, 2013 Constellation Research, Inc. the research and advisory firm focused on disruptive technologies today announced the publication of “Introducing Matrix Commerce” by Constellation Principal Analyst and CEO, R “Ray” Wang. This Big Idea report, on the heels of NRF 2013, explains and establishes the concept of Matrix Commerce as the force that will shape the future of ecommerce and internet retailing. The report informs decision makers about basic commerce concepts, trends to expect in 2013 and beyond, and provides tips about how to prepare for the impact of Matrix Commerce.

Will a Move to the Cloud Make IT Irrelevant?

Yvette Cameron — 01/15/2013 - 04:08

By Yvette Cameron

An impressive number of IT and Business leaders from across EMEA have converged upon Dubai this week to participate in Oracle’s CloudWorld, an executive event focused on the disruptive technologies of social, mobile and, of course, Cloud.

One of the common conversations taking place amongst conference delegates is the impact of these technologies on the IT organization – fundamentally, is cloud making IT irrelevant?

News Analysis: SAP Business Suite on HANA

R "Ray" Wang — 01/11/2013 - 16:26

By R "Ray" Wang

Next Stop On The Road To HANA: SAP Business Suite

In a global announcement in Palo Alto, New York and Frankfurt, SAP’s top executives Dr. Vishal Sikka, Rob Enselin, Jim Haggeman Snabe, and legendary founder and chairman Dr. Hasso Plattner announced availability of SAP’s Business Suite powered by SAP HANA. SAP has rewritten the Business Suite to work on SAP’s HANA platform and believes that customers will benefit for four reasons:

Kicking Off 2013 in the Hot Seat

Yvette Cameron — 01/07/2013 - 10:40

By Yvette Cameron

What can you cover in 20 minutes on a radio show with a provocative host? A lot, apparently.

"Ok, Now You've Scared Me"

Yvette Cameron — 01/04/2013 - 14:27

By Yvette Cameron

A few weeks ago, I participated in a virtual panel focused on “The Future of Work”, providing my views into the changing landscape of work, not just as we enter 2013, but looking further out to 3, 5 or even 10 years from now. The discussion, sponsored by Cornerstone OnDemand, is available here for playback.

Monday's Musings: Trends In The Top Software Insider Posts of 2012 (#softwareinsider)

R "Ray" Wang — 01/03/2013 - 11:17

By R "Ray" Wang

Thank You For Your Support

SoftwareInsider.org generated almost 10 million page views in 2012 (see Figure 1). This does not include syndication through Constellation Research, Forbes (discontinued in 2012), Enterprise Irregulars, Computerworld UK, and other great media partners.

Figure 1. Software Insider Achieved 9.8M Page Views for 2012

Market Maker 1:1: Steve Miranda, Oracle Fusion Applications Update - The Inside Story

R "Ray" Wang — 12/31/2012 - 01:26

By R "Ray" Wang

The Inside Story On Oracle Fusion Apps At The End of 2012

Constellation sat down with Steve Miranda, Oracle’s Executive Vice President of Oracle Applications Product Development to discuss the state of Oracle Fusion Apps in a no-holds barred honest conversation about what’s working, what’s not, and what to look forward to in 2013.

Press Release: Constellation Research Publishes 'Big Idea' Report, "Pervasive Video in the Enterprise"

Courtney Sato — 12/26/2012 - 23:06

By Courtney Sato

SAN FRANCISCO– December 27, 2012 Constellation Research, Inc. the research and advisory firm focused on disruptive technologies today announced the publication of "Pervasive Video in the Enterprise” by Constellation Vice President and Principal Analyst, Dr. Brent Kelly. This research report examines the impact pervasive desktop video will have on the enterprise network and the subsequent total cost of ownership (TCO) an enterprise will experience when deploying desktop video across multiple sites.

A Cup of Chaos #79: Eagle Snatches Kid

Gavin Heaton — 12/20/2012 - 21:13

By Gavin Heaton

Imagine … you’re just out at the local park doing some bird watching. It’s cold but the kids are still out playing and enjoying themselves. In the sky you see a great eagle and you marvel at its majesty. You track it as it banks on the air currents and then watch in horror as [...]

The Mayan Apocalypse? No, Just Eloqua’s Early Christmas Joy

Gavin Heaton — 12/20/2012 - 20:14

By Gavin Heaton

Sneaking a last minute deal in before the holiday break, Oracle announced an $871 million acquisition of marketing automation vendor, Eloqua. Representing a 10x multiple on Eloqua’s annual revenues, it marks the first of what is likely to be a string of consolidations in the marketing technology space over the next 12 months. The deal [...]

Free Your Instagram Photos with FreeThePhotos

Gavin Heaton — 12/19/2012 - 15:36

By Gavin Heaton

Remember when Flickr was cool? It has the no-brainer business model of $25 per year, in-built community functions like sets, groups and connections, and it helped manage copyright through various licensing arrangements. And the open API meant we could do cool things like But then it lost its way. Yahoo! stopped telling us about what [...]

Instagram Don’t Want Your Pictures, They Want Your Influence

Gavin Heaton — 12/18/2012 - 17:03

By Gavin Heaton

Over the last 24 hours, the changes to the Instagram social network’s terms of use have rippled across the web. Many took to Twitter to voice their displeasure, while others determined it was a non event. In many respects, it was only a matter of time before Facebook began to expect a return on their [...]

Instagram Rings its Own Death Knell and Leaps to the Mainstream

Gavin Heaton — 12/17/2012 - 17:40

By Gavin Heaton

When Instagram burst onto the scene with its mobile only platform and funky photo filters it came armed with a secret. It wasn’t just about the photos. Sure, the vast range of photo filters were appealing. They provided a layer of nostalgia for the Gen Xers raised on Kodak round edged photos and soft focus [...]

What Facebook’s Year in Review Reveals About Us

Gavin Heaton — 12/16/2012 - 15:35

By Gavin Heaton

The promise of big data is that it can reveal to us the truth in our behaviours, not just our beliefs. Just think, for example, about your internet use over the last year. Or month. Or even week. What did you do? What sites did you visit? What did you click on? Why did you [...]

Should You Work for Free

Gavin Heaton — 12/15/2012 - 17:28

By Gavin Heaton

Almost everyone I know has been asked to work for free at some stage in their career. The question may have come from: A family member: perhaps your parents need help with their computer. Maybe your brother needs a website or some graphic design help. Perhaps your sister wants to shoot and edit a video [...]

Here’s to the Curious

Gavin Heaton — 12/13/2012 - 22:23

By Gavin Heaton

What did we search for in 2012 – and more importantly, what did we find? Google’s Zeitgeist 2012 reveals the remarkable personal, international and social events that brought us together. And those that tore us apart. Tweet

Contact Centers Lack Adequate Metrics for Social Channels

Elizabeth Herrell — 12/13/2012 - 14:43

By Elizabeth Herrell

Traditional contact centers represent a highly regulated industry with multiple metrics to identify performance and costs. Most companies use measurements to determine how effective they are in handling customer issues and achieving high customer satisfaction ratings. But the huge growth in social, mobile and self-service channels has left many customer service organizations without a means to measure and monitor performance on these growing channels. Dimension Data’s “Global Contact Centre Benchmarking Report 2012, Dimension Data plc” revealed that only 9.9% of companies surveyed measured costs and time for social media (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) and speech self-service. Additionally, only 6.1 % measured their performance for smartphone mobile application support. These results indicate incredible oversight by most companies and pose a serious risk to customer support operations.

Four Needs Pushing Microsoft Dynamics into Large Enterprises

Frank Scavo — 12/13/2012 - 13:23

By Frank Scavo

Early in November, I attended a series of analyst briefings offered by Microsoft Business Solutions (MBS), which provided an opportunity to catch up on where Microsoft is going with its Dynamics line of business applications. Coming away from the event, I was impressed with several overall trends that are encouraging Microsoft to move up-market, into territory that for many years has been dominated largely by SAP and Oracle. I recently developed these thoughts more fully in a new research report. This post provides a brief introduction.

The Long Trail of Digital’s Long Tail

Gavin Heaton — 12/12/2012 - 20:06

By Gavin Heaton

For the last couple of months I have been researching the digital marketing automation market – speaking with vendors, watching demos, listening to customers and analysing features, statistics and case studies. It’s a crowded market with a wide variety of feature sets and capabilities. But if there is one thing that is obvious in all [...]

Moving Payroll to the Cloud? Join the Crowd.

Yvette Cameron — 12/11/2012 - 13:43

By Yvette Cameron

If you’re considering a move to the Cloud for your payroll technologies, you’re not alone. In a recent survey, 40% of companies considering payroll technology investments reported such investments involved a move to the Cloud. Why the mass migration? In short, organizations moving their payroll to the cloud are doing so to reap the many benefits of SaaS while ensuring the core objectives of Payroll are met.

SAP's year in review, the developer viewpoint

Dennis Howlett — 12/10/2012 - 14:06

By Dennis Howlett

It's been a busy year for SAP. What do I make of it?

A Little Joy to Start Your Week

Gavin Heaton — 12/09/2012 - 12:55

By Gavin Heaton

Flashmobs tend to feel too smug to be joyous. But this one produced for Spanish bank, Banco Sabadell works wonderfully. As explained: Earlier this summer, the bank brought together 100 musicians and singers from the Orchestra Simfonica del Valles, Amics de l’Opera de Sabadell, Coral Belles Arts, and Cor Lieder Camera to perform the anthem [...]

Friday’s Famous Tweets

Gavin Heaton — 12/06/2012 - 17:30

By Gavin Heaton

Each Monday I write up a summary of the best five articles that from the previous week. This curated “Five Must Read Posts” series serves a series of purposes:

Improves the signal to noise ratio: I only post the most useful and interesting of articles that I have read or noticed over the previous seven days
Stokes creativity through diversity: I am a great believer in the power of random ideas to drive the creative process. Hopefully these posts add to the diversity of content you read or are exposed to
Share the link love: Links are the currency of the web. By linking to quality content, I hope to share traffic but also shine a little reputational love on sites and authors who deserve it

Light Up Someone’s Life This Holiday with Moore’s Cloud

Gavin Heaton — 12/05/2012 - 17:07

By Gavin Heaton

Admit it. You’re more than a little geeky. There is a drawer somewhere in your house with old mobile phones, cameras, and pieces of technology. For all I know, you probably have a Newton gathering dust under your desk. If this sounds like you, then you may just want to add Light to your Holiday [...]

Dell Launches Social Business Services

Gavin Heaton — 12/05/2012 - 05:47

By Gavin Heaton

Much lauded for its own social business transformation, Dell is now taking its social media expertise to market, launching a new range of offerings through a collaboration between its marketing and services teams. Targeting enterprise and medium sized business customers, the first offerings provide: Education – best practice seminars for a range of industries Advisory [...]

Reduce Marketing Risk with ADMA’s Compliance Hub

Gavin Heaton — 12/05/2012 - 00:40

By Gavin Heaton

With recent changes to Australia’s privacy legislation, marketers now face a slew of regulatory responsibilities or risk significant fines of up to $1.1 million. Marketers and advertisers have been given 15 months to comply with the recent changes – and the Association for data-driven marketing and advertising (ADMA) has launched the ADMA Compliance Hub to [...]

The Many Colours of Digital Disruption

Gavin Heaton — 12/04/2012 - 16:10

By Gavin Heaton

From almost any angle, businesses are under pressure. Connected customers are out-flanking business efforts to control the flow of goods and services and manage relationships in an increasingly connected economy. The global economy continues to struggle under the weight of misguided policies, sovereign debt and an entitled corporatocracy that aims to “maximize the status quo” [...]

Disruption is the New Normal – The Internet @ December 2012

Gavin Heaton — 12/04/2012 - 00:38

By Gavin Heaton

There are few trend reports that generate the kind of excitement that Mary Meeker is able to elicit. The well known partner at VC group Kleiner Perkins Caulfield and Byers has just released a year-end update to her 2012 internet trends presentation. It is an 88 slide information overload that will provide plenty to ponder [...]

Social Business 2013: Less Talking. More Doing.

Alan Lepofsky — 12/03/2012 - 21:30

By Alan Lepofsky

It's that time of year where analysts gaze into our crystal balls and make predications about the trends we expect to see in the upcoming months. My thoughts about 2013 are based on the hundreds of conversations I've had with social business product vendors and customers over the last twelve months. Below I'll list my top predications for 2013, but if you only have a moment here are the mains idea that I want to share:

Is Mobile Working For You?

Gavin Heaton — 12/03/2012 - 19:25

By Gavin Heaton

At the beginning of the year, digital traffic on mobile devices was sitting at about 5%. This was a small but important segment – but very few websites were optimised for mobile devices. And those that were offered slimmed down functionality. Even Facebook was slow to deliver on a mobile experience. But through the year, [...]

Monday's Musings: Understand The Four Organizational Personas Of Disruptive Tech Adoption

R "Ray" Wang — 12/02/2012 - 23:27

By R "Ray" Wang

Pace of Innovation Exceeds Ability To Consume

Rapid innovation, flexible deployment options, and easy consumption models create favorable conditions for the proliferation of disruptive technology. In fact, convergence in the five pillars of enterprise disruption (i.e. social, mobile, cloud, big data, and unified communications), has led to new innovations and opportunities to apply disruptive technologies to new business models. New business models abound at the intersection of cloud and big data, social and mobile, social and unified communications, and cloud and mobile.

A Cloud Buyer's Bill of Rights?

E. Brent Kelly — 11/29/2012 - 10:19

By E. Brent Kelly

Procurement guidance and best practices based on over 500 software contract negotiations for both on-premises and cloud-based solutions.

Over the past weeks and months, I've had the opportunity to speak with a number of vendors in our industry about their product and service offerings. In addition to traditional on-premises solutions, many of these vendors now have cloud-based deployment options in which they are offering UC as a service (UCaaS). This is a rapidly growing market, with cloud-based UC services showing double digit growth for most vendors in the space. In fact, one vendor recently reported that more than half of its sales in 2012 are for cloud deployments in which the customer deploys no hardware on-premises except the phones; everything else, including the contact center, resides in the vendor's private cloud.

From Big Data Science to Big Data Action

Gavin Heaton — 11/28/2012 - 20:57

By Gavin Heaton

From the dawn of civilisation through to the year 2003, Google calculates that humans have produced 5 exabytes of data. That’s a lot of stone tablets. But with the explosion of mobile devices, 3G and 4G networks and social networks, we now produce 5 exabytes of data every two days. That means that every photo [...]

Hey Sexy Lady – It’s Servant of Chaos Style

Gavin Heaton — 11/28/2012 - 13:55

By Gavin Heaton

It’s that time of year … projects are being finalised for the holiday rush, colleagues are moving on to new roles or new employers and everyone is about ready to let off a little steam. But what happens when a christmas party gets a little out of hand? I have a feeling that we’ll be [...]

Mobile Isn’t Just a Marketing Conversation

Gavin Heaton — 11/27/2012 - 19:26

By Gavin Heaton

“Mobile first” won’t cut it – businesses need to think “mobile only” It’s time for CMOs to climb aboard the technology bus CIOs need to buy-into the marketing conversation Could it be that 2013 will indeed be the “year of mobile”? Mobile internet traffic is now accounting for 20-30% of total web traffic working from [...]

Event Report: ConnectingUp.org’s Social Media Forum

Gavin Heaton — 11/26/2012 - 20:28

By Gavin Heaton

Connecting Up is a not for profit organisation that provides vital products, resources and programs designed to make the Australian not for profit and community sector stronger and more resilient. As part of this charter, Connecting Up recently held a social media forum in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide, showcasing the work of local organisations and [...]

Marketing the First Step for Retailers Matrix Commerce

Gavin Heaton — 11/26/2012 - 13:47

By Gavin Heaton

Australian retailers have lost a decade on their US-based rivals. Since the early 2000s, many of the US retailers have been actively gathering and analysing the mountains of behaviour-oriented data generated by web traffic and putting it to work. Sites like eBay and Amazon use this information to transform their business from the outside-in – [...]

Expect to Pay More for Microsoft Software

E. Brent Kelly — 11/26/2012 - 12:06

By E. Brent Kelly

Some Client Access License (CAL) charges go up, and changes to Lync and SharePoint server options are due to hit smaller users.

A significant change hits Microsoft enterprise software users on December 1, 2012. At that time, Microsoft will implement a price increase that could have significant impact on many enterprise users.

Perhaps the biggest impact will be in Client Access License (CAL) costs. In the past, customers could order either device CALs or user CALs at the same price. Now, Microsoft will charge a 15% premium for user CALs (device CALs will not increase in price). This price change will also affect enterprises with Core CAL and Enterprise CAL Suites.

Lotus Is Dead. Long Live Lotus

Alan Lepofsky — 11/22/2012 - 10:00

By Alan Lepofsky

Update: Apparently not everyone is aware of the saying from which the title of this post was taken. "The King is Dead. Long Live the King" is a positive statement, alluding to the continuity of leadership when the throne changes hands. With that in mind, read on...

Over the last few days I've had dozens of inquires about my thoughts of IBM removing the name Lotus from Lotus Notes and Domino, effectively putting to rest the Lotus brand name. Rather than respond to everyone individually, I figured I'd post my Lotus eulogy here.

Trust is Up for Financial Services' Connected Consumers

Gavin Heaton — 11/21/2012 - 15:33

By Gavin Heaton

While the retail sector continues to flounder, the Financial Services industry seems to finally have cottoned on to the digital business opportunity presented by social media. A new report published by ING shows that frequent social media users (ie that lucrative and market-making early adopter segment) view social media as being as reliable as other online media.

How ClickFrenzy Became a ClickFizzer

Gavin Heaton — 11/20/2012 - 16:44

By Gavin Heaton

It should have been a raging online success for Australian retailers – a pre-Christmas event bringing together hundreds of local stores to create an online marketplace unrivalled in Australia’s digital history.

The aptly named ClickFrenzy was designed to kick start the holiday purchasing season with an Australian flavour – with local retailers aiming for a greater slice of the estimated $16 billion spent each year online. It appeared to be a match made in virtual heaven – retailers with full warehouses and consumers waiting with wallets fattened off the back of low unemployment and stable economic growth. What could go wrong?

Like Any Failure, It’s Not About the Technology

When the ClickFrenzy servers went down minutes before the 7PM launch, Facebook and Twitter exploded with frustration. But the seeds of this failure go back years.

Three Areas I’d Like To See Improved In Social Business Software

Alan Lepofsky — 11/20/2012 - 13:00

By Alan Lepofsky

I spend a great deal of time advising software vendors ranging from stealth startups to the world's largest enterprise software companies. While I am optimistic about many of the innovations I see coming, I'm also troubled by some of the recurring themes.

The slides embedded below are from the presentation I gave at the excellent Defrag 2012 conference. They highlight three of the areas I would like to see software vendors improve upon. It's a bit hard to follow without me narrating, but here are the general themes:

Press Release: Enterprise Cloud Buyer's Bill of Rights Published by Constellation Research

Courtney Sato — 11/20/2012 - 11:42

By Courtney Sato

SAN FRANCISCO, CA– November 20, 2012 Constellation Research, Inc. the research and advisory firm focused on disruptive technologies today announced the publication of "The Enterprise Cloud Buyer’s Bill of Rights: SaaS Applications" by Constellation Principal Analyst and CEO, R “Ray” Wang. This research helps buyers and prospective buyers of enterprise cloud applications with building the right client-vendor relationships. This bill of rights serves as a reference, checklist and point of discussion during the vendor selection and contract negotiation process for Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) apps. Though vendors may not honor all these rights today, they represent the best practices we have gleaned from being involved in negotiating over 500 SaaS contracts.

Funnel Conversion: Make it About Your Customers

Gavin Heaton — 11/19/2012 - 23:22

By Gavin Heaton

It’s one thing to have a marketing insight, but quite another to do something valuable with it. Living as we do with an abundance of data, what marketers increasingly need is a way to filter the information, distil it for...

Event Report: Constellation Research Connected Enterprise

Gavin Heaton — 11/19/2012 - 15:49

By Gavin Heaton

At some events, all eyes are turned towards the shining stars on the stage, but at Connected Enterprise, Constellation Research’s annual conference, the lines are blurred. This weekend long conference is an intimate innovation event for senior business leaders who not only have an interest in disruptive technology – they’re putting it to work within their businesses.

Keynotes and sessions centered around the Constellation business themes:

New Bundled Solutions Improve Options for Mid-Market Contact Centers

Elizabeth Herrell — 11/19/2012 - 08:43

By Elizabeth Herrell

Contact centers are in a state of flux as new customer demands expose the inadequacies of aging infrastructure for current operations. These emerging communication channels driven by customers’ use of social networks and mobile applications create challenges for contact center managers who realize that they must upgrade their infrastructure to support emerging channels and richer functionality to meet current and future needs.

Cloud Evolution – Version 2.013

Alea Fairchild — 11/18/2012 - 03:31

By Alea Fairchild

As it is getting to be the time for writing the annual family holiday card, it is also time to take a few moments to reflect on IT trends for the next year, and why we believe things will evolve in a particular way. This is the first of three blog posts to explain my research directions for 2013, and what to expect going forward.

Many analyst firms are claiming that 2013 is THE year we will see cloud computing evolve rapidly. I would agree, but from a different angle, that of cost and complexity, not from enterprise take-up and industry acceptance. But I am focusing on the view of the enterprise, not that of the IT vendor.

The Shift from Mobile First to Mobile Only

Gavin Heaton — 11/16/2012 - 21:15

By Gavin Heaton

Every year the mobile marketing industry boldly announces that THIS will be the “year of mobile”. In 2005, Sony Ericsson, O2 and Samsung added new features and capabilities to their mobile handsets, delivering 2Mb cameras and GPS to blur the...

Press Release: Constellation Research Publishes New Report About APAC Mobile and Digital Innovation

Courtney Sato — 11/15/2012 - 10:22

By Courtney Sato

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - November 15, 2012 Constellation Research, Inc. the research and advisory firm focused on disruptive technologies announced today the publication of "Digital Disruption: Five Lessons from Asia Pacific's Digital Trajectory", a new trend report authored by Gavin Heaton which details how marketing leaders can adapt mobile and social innovation across Asia Pacific to their own market conditions.

This report reveals:

Event Report: Washington Ideas Forum (#IdeasForum) Highlights America's Current Challenges

R "Ray" Wang — 11/15/2012 - 04:40

By R "Ray" Wang

Washington Ideas Forum Creates A Convergence Of Thought Leaders

Influencers in politics, academia, and business converge once a year at the Washington Ideas Forum to discuss the challenges and potential solutions America faces. This event held November 14th to November 15th pulled together over 1200 attendees and was sponsored by The Atlantic in partnership with The Aspen Institute and the Newseum. The Day 1 morning sessions included a Post-Election outlook with:

Who Really Uses Facebook?

Gavin Heaton — 11/14/2012 - 23:01

By Gavin Heaton

When you think of Facebook, the scale can be confronting: 1 billion members 45% of the North American population 42% of Oceania 35% of South America 270 million members in Asia But who really uses Facebook? What do they look...

And the Winners are... 2012 SuperNova Awards

Courtney Sato — 11/10/2012 - 01:48

By Courtney Sato

Announcing the winners of the 2012 SuperNova Awards

Tonight at Connected Enterprise we announced the winners of the 2012 SuperNova Awards.

The SuperNova Awards recognize leaders who fearlessly pursue implementation and adoption of disruptive technologies within their organizations. Meaningful adoption and development of new technologies is no easy task. Constellation knows that while the adoption of disruptive technologies is the lifeblood of corporate innovation and efficiency, it is often a thankless job. Enter the SuperNova Awards.

SuperNova Awards: Find Out Who Wins - LIVE!

Courtney Sato — 11/08/2012 - 15:10

By Courtney Sato

Join us as we announce the 2012 SuperNova Award winners live, on stage, at the SuperNova Awards Gala Dinner on the first night of Connected Enterprise. We will be streaming the awards ceremony directly from Connected Enterprise, so you can find out who wins live!

Register now for the SuperNova Awards Livestream here: http://cce2012.eventbrite.com/

The SuperNova Awards recognize individuals who lead successful implementations of disruptive technologies. We will be selecting eight winners from a group of exceptional semifinalists in the following categories:

Sneak peak at InfoSec presentation

Alea Fairchild — 11/07/2012 - 02:33

By Alea Fairchild

In your post-US election hangover, you may not get a chance to register and listen to the virtual conference on Information Security that I have taken part in today, so I thought I might include a sneak peak at my portion of the presentation. See here for more details: http://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/virtualconference/infosecurity-maga...

My panel counterparts from Deloitte and Stroz Friedberg were quite good, and our discussion on ‘Tackling the data privacy challenge’ was very interesting.

My portion of the discussion focused on the Four “E”s of Enterprise Data Privacy: