For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Addressing Diverse Stakeholders In The IT And Business Services Buying Process

Planning For 2010 Requires A Clear Understanding Of Roles

by Chris Andrews, November 20, 2009

For years, Forrester has written about the evolution of information technology (IT) into business technology (BT) — an idea that is rooted in Forrester's view that technology is becoming more relevant and strategic to business processes. This trend, which . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

B2B eBusiness: Preparing For Online Liftoff

by Carrie Johnson, Elizabeth Davis, November 17, 2009

As more and more traditionally nonconsumer brands begin to move online, questions abound: How do we sell online? What do we sell to — or how do we service — our customers online? How do we organize to optimize the channel? The good news is that B2B companies . . .

For Interactive Marketing Professionals

Targeting Eco-Friendly Consumers

by Emily Riley, October 29, 2009

Eco-friendly consumers are an educated group with higher incomes than most online consumers and a high likelihood of using the Web to research and purchase products. As the green trend rises in Europe, interactive marketers must be keenly aware of how . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

The IT Management Software Challengers

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

by Jean-Pierre Garbani, October 26, 2009

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

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

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

by Chris Andrews, October 20, 2009

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

For Technology Sales Enablement Professionals

A Systematic Approach To Strategic Account Programs Improves Tech Sales Performance

Account Value Mapping Expands Wallet Share In Key Accounts

by Scott Santucci, October 19, 2009

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

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

Reach Real Global B2B Tech Audiences With Virtual Events

New Tools And Best Practices For B2B Marketing Beyond Borders

by Jennifer Belissent, Ph.D., October 6, 2009

The downturn is turning out to be a double whammy for tech marketers. Budget cuts and a significant drop in the effectiveness of tried-and-true tools, like trade shows, make calls to reach wider audiences through traditional marketing activities problematic. . . .

For Technology Sales Enablement Professionals

North American Insurance IT Spending In 2009

Despite Gloom, Most North American Insurer Budgets Remain Stable

by Ellen Carney, September 22, 2009

The North American insurance industry is still plowing forward in an economy that fell completely off the rails during the third quarter of 2008. This year, insurers are tackling the impacts of a long global recession, hefty declines in rates and written . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

Get B2B Messages Right: Balance Global Consistency And Local Relevancy

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

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

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

eBusiness Is The Right Channel To Go Green

Leverage Your eBusiness To Customer And Employee Green Behavior

by Chad Mitchell, September 8, 2009

Consumers are being bombarded with green messaging online, in print, and on TV. Repositioning a brand to be greener is a top planning activity among marketers. Firms are trying to tap into the growing segment of consumers who may pay a premium for a product . . .

For Technology Sales Enablement Professionals

Demand Insights: Healthcare Budgets And Spending Trends

Data Shows Hospital IT Buyers Need Strong Business Cases And Proof Of ROI

by Eric G. Brown, September 2, 2009

Hospitals' historically lackluster IT spending continues through 2009, with the recurring themes of low outsourcing, tight budgets, and focus on operational stability over innovation. But after years of waiting for widespread adoption of electronic health . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Making The SaaS And Collaboration Marriage Work

A Framework For Collaboration SaaS Vendors To Capitalize On The Channel

by TJ Keitt, August 31, 2009

Finding collaboration and Web 2.0 technologies to facilitate collaboration between employees and partners is a top business priority. How technology enters businesses is changing as business leaders and individual workers are demanding more say in choosing . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

The IT Management Software Megavendors

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

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

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

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Analysis Of IT Management Software Sales Deals

The Megavendors Are Missing Out On Smaller Deals

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

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

For Marketing Leadership Professionals

Green Marketing Will Grow In 2009

Successful Green Strategies Save Costs And Generate Additional Revenues

by Steven Noble, July 16, 2009

Does green marketing still matter? With consumer concern for the environment, standards and regulations changing, and the ability for organizations to save by being green, green strategies are more important than ever. Organizations have launched a number . . .

For Technology Sales Enablement Professionals

Pick The Right Sales Strategy To Sell To Insurers

ACORD/LOMA Tech Exhibitors Exemplify Three Go-To-Market Approaches

by Ellen Carney, Scott Santucci, July 15, 2009

When sales teams can tie their offerings to customers' business outcomes, deals move forward. Go-to-market planners target vertical industries like financial services to articulate that value connection within a group of like-minded buyers and boost sales. . . .

For Consumer Product Strategy Professionals

Mass-Market Appeal Pushes Hybrids Mainstream

by J.P. Gownder, Abe Garon, July 14, 2009

A decade ago, the first mass-market hybrid vehicles were sold to consumers in the US. Since then, the market has enjoyed 10 straight years of growth. Spurred on by a growing green movement and skyrocketing gas prices, hybrids offer consumers a strong . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

How The Recession Is Affecting Tech Vendors

Despite The Challenges, Tech Strategists Seek To Innovate And Provide Solutions

by Chris Andrews, July 10, 2009

For the first few months of 2009, many technology companies operated in a general state of confusion. As the credit crunch of late 2008 took its toll on spending, technology vendors were adapting their strategy on the fly — trying to quickly align their . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Client Firms Scrutinize Green IT Services Providers

Providers: Polish Your Value Proposition To Differentiate

by Christopher Mines, July 2, 2009

Data from Forrester's Business Data Services surveys show continued interest in green IT services. One-third of the surveyed enterprises plan for a green IT services engagement in the coming year. Some of these prospective clients are aggressively using . . .

For Consumer Market Research Professionals

Technographics® Survey Highlights: North American Technographics Emerging Uses Of Technology Online Survey, Q1 2009 (US)  (647 KB PPT)

by Joost van Kruijsdijk, June 23, 2009

This highlight deck summarizes the key findings from Forrester’s North American Technographics Emerging Uses of Technology Online Survey, Q1 2009 (US).

For Technology Sales Enablement Professionals

Forrester's Value-Equation Sales Messaging Framework

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

by Scott Santucci, June 16, 2009

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

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Market Overview: Business Service Management

Introducing The BSM "Class Of 2009"

by Peter O'Neill, June 11, 2009

Enterprises continue to invest in business service management (BSM) projects, even with the economy going into recession. As a technology, BSM is founded on the ability to map business services to infrastructure components, providing visibility into IT . . .

For Technology Sales Enablement Professionals

Help Sales Teams Connect With Buyers By Mining Quantitative Survey Data

How Surveys Like Forrester's Business Data Services Can Inform One-On-One Sales Conversations

by Eric G. Brown, Emily Van Metre, June 11, 2009

Sales teams know plenty about your offering and capabilities — and little about the people they try to sell them to. Valuable sales conversations, the kind that your top salespeople have that bring in the lion's share of your revenue, start with a good . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Conventional Wisdom Is Wrong About Cloud IaaS

Enterprises Lead SMB; Cloud Services Trump Internal Cloud Build-Outs And More

by Frank E. Gillett, May 29, 2009

Survey results confirm strong interest in cloud infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) but debunk several stereotypes. Large firms are more interested in cloud IaaS than small firms. Firms are interested in cloud services slightly more than internal cloud, . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Vendors: Make Mobile App ROI Your Sell Epicenter

ROI Analysis Must Prove The Business Process Benefits Of Mobile Solutions

by Michele Pelino, May 22, 2009

The economic downturn increases pressure on enterprises to control costs and to provide return on investment (ROI) analysis to justify the benefits of investing in mobile technologies, applications, and solutions. While many companies are decreasing their . . .