Highly Competitive - software industry insights

The Resilience of Master Data Management

Final article of a six part series on the "New Age of Master Data Management"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For years there have been industry professionals and analysts who seemingly find pleasure in declaring some type of technology as "dead". This compulsion has been a constant in the software industry. Master data management (MDM) is no exception. Some have been convinced that MDM was DOA practically from the day it emerged as a distinct form of data management and data governance. Making such a declaration attempts to make the case that MDM no longer serves a purpose or that it never succeeded in its 'mission'.

The proof of what MDM can do to transform an organization is easy to find. Numerous case studies show how MDM successfully improved data management and data quality, took companies to greater use of data, and contributed to real value in support of goals and desired outcomes. Beyond case studies, the vendor landscape for MDM software solutions continues to grow and evolve. Both traditional and newer MDM software vendors have developed innovative solutions and approaches to master data management that offer improved alignment with business requirements and objectives, and faster paths to realizing value.

If MDM is so useless, why do we have all this activity over these many years? Why would new and innovative technologies continue to emerge continuously if organizations weren't finding that MDM helps them meet many data, process and business challenges?

 

If not MDM, Then What?

I'd hope by now that most organizations understand that they live and breathe data for just about every aspect of the business. And if these organizations want to at least ensure competent use of their data, they should also understand that data management is a must-have. But today companies have to do a great deal more with the avalanche of data that flows into, through and out of the organization. Data management moves several levels higher for meeting business needs when MDM and data governance initiatives are implemented. MDM practices and processes coupled with the right-fit technologies enable many business-critical objectives and contribute to competitive edge.

Those who denigrate MDM seem to imply that MDM serves no purpose. Without MDM, an organization will likely lapse into a sort of 'data anarchy' where there is no common standard for data and definitions, no confidence in the reliability and timeliness of data, no optimization of the systems and processes that run through every business function and activity. Such 'anarchy' can even infect the selection of technologies to handle data, due to the lack of an overarching framework based on corporate data strategies that would have been developed through MDM initiatives.

Organizations will always have to manage business data. But that's not enough. MDM introduces higher quality processes that are clearly aligned with business needs and objectives. Organizations benefit from master data that provides context for other sources of data to be able to achieve optimal results from comprehensive analytics, insights and improved decision-making. Master data processes can help identify missing data, inaccuracies and redundancies that will likely skew analytics results with potentially harmful consequences.

 

Unrealistic Expectations for MDM

If organizations have weak or no strategies around data usage for business, MDM initiatives and technologies can't fix what's already broken in organizations. MDM practices and processes combined with technologies do not deliver a 'magic wand' that will conquer all organizational ills. So-called MDM 'failures' have much more to do with difficulties and obstacles emanating from the politics and people aspects that are so critical to successful implementations of MDM and data governance initiatives.

For MDM to deliver value and benefits, management (often including the C-level) must have good comprehension of the important role that MDM plays across the organization. And management must deliver full backing of what it will take to successfully implement comprehensive MDM. There is now extensive guidance available through publications, blogs, consultants, and many other resources that show how to connect MDM to business value through means such as strategic business cases, and metrics that link MDM activities to desired business outcomes.

A well-implemented MDM initiative actually strengthens the strategic nature of organizations since such an initiative is clearly connected to business-drivers and to helping to achieve goals and objectives. The primary leaders of MDM-related activities should work to align managers across the organization as supporters of MDM. The benefits to each functional area should be clearly communicated, along with the strategic vision of how MDM contributes to specific business impact.

 

Why MDM Has Persisted

MDM provides a core platform of advanced data management and data governance capabilities that are essential for organizations building strategies around data and analytics. After all, master data comprises the consistent business-ready data that runs through many (if not all) processes, systems and applications. As data-focused organizations continue to evolve the use of data and analytics, MDM grows in significance and innovative substance. Master data has become the "rosetta stone" for highly disparate sources of data. When big data is connected to master data that provides context and relationships, organizations can now derive value and usability from big data.

MDM practices and technologies, and the development of reliable master data, are not the end objective, but are the means to enable organizations to realize strategic vision and achieve key objectives. MDM initiatives achieve success because they focus on specific business drivers and business-led initiatives, and are set up to change as organizations change. Such MDM success translates into organizations that continuously benefit from faster utilization of timely, reliable data.

MDM anchors many significant, even critical, functions:

• Real-time analytics / BI processes
• Big data analytics
• Automated processes for information and data processing applications
• AI and machine learning efforts
• Compliance and risk management 
• Improving customer experiences and interactions
• Cost reductions
• Ability to anticipate, analyze and adapt to market changes
• Agile responses to change for competitive edge

MDM has persisted because of what it tackles. MDM jumps into many of the messiest aspects of an organization: data silos, unconnected systems and processes, management turf wars, politics, and the organizational roadblocks to disparate people working together effectively for common purpose. What MDM takes on to achieve business-usable master data and better processes reflect many of the problems that organizations must solve to survive, adapt, compete, and achieve desired outcomes.

So it's about time for master data management to enjoy a 'New Age'. The creation and use of master data for business purposes has always been a good idea. The goal has been to make sense of all data that touches the organization: clean it up, add context, enrich it, and put it to work strategically as well as operationally.

 

Organizational Resilience in the Face of Business and Market Volatility

Many organizations continue to encounter increasingly volatile markets that have given rise to more complex business environments. Such volatility can become a hurdle for achieving financial success and often translates to significant risk. Organizations need more sophisticated analytics and decision-making processes to assess market conditions and to determine whether "risk" means opportunity, danger, or even both. Master data is an important component of essential processes for insight into market conditions, supporting functions like real-time continuous analytics and responsive decision-making.

While more senior executives do see the value of data analytics and MDM, many organizations are still making critical decisions based on spreadsheets. These organizations aren't able to respond to market volatility with comprehensive intelligence rooted in the right data and analytics. Since MDM is tightly bound to business drivers and functions, it's already positioned correctly as the right partner for real-time analytics that support critical business decisions.

Organizational agility and adaptability are defining facets of competitive edge, particularly in the face of market volatility. The agile business requires continuous processing of data from many disparate sources that must be transformed into consistent and trustworthy data with relevant context. Speed to decisions and to actions of change is improved and better grounded in the right information when MDM processes are involved.

MDM can provide pathways to help 'future-proof' organizations. Being future-proof means harmonizing technology, people, and processes to tackle the challenges ahead. When implemented effectively, MDM greatly improves methods used to address the challenges that organizations face every day. MDM practices, approaches and technologies continue to evolve to help solve complex business problems.

 

The New Age of MDM

Master data management and data governance have indeed entered the 'New Age of MDM'. The practice of MDM has become stronger through building on common cause with business, rather than a sole focus on technology. Technology vendors have made advancements with MDM software solutions by understanding the critical nature of MDM aligned with business needs, objectives, optimal processes, and involved business users.

MDM provides the greatest benefits when practitioners embrace the strategic aspects of an organization and help to enact them through processes, practices, policies, and organizational changes. Strategic use of MDM also gives rise to cross-functional and cross-organization integrations of people and systems. A successful MDM initiative comprises a holistic endeavor to provide strategic organizational and infrastructure change, as well as manage complex data processing. Part of MDM holism is the intertwining of business, people and technology in the most effective mix possible.

On the software solution side, MDM is the "poster child" of the critical need for business strategy to 'meet and mingle' with technology strategy. In a sense MDM technology is a conundrum. The technology should take a back seat to all of the non-technical activities, objectives and requirements for MDM implementations. But technology can also be a game-changing component of MDM initiatives.

Now, on to the 'Next Age of MDM'!

 

Image source: nicholaspetrie.com

 

About the author: Julie is an independent consultant and industry analyst for B2B software solutions, providing services to vendors to improve strategies for customers and target markets, products and solutions, and future direction. Julie has expertise in several solution spaces including: data integration and data quality; analytics and BI; business process, workflow and collaboration; digital marketing, WCM and social media; and the pivotal importance of user and customer experiences. Julie shares her takes on the software industry via her blog Highly Competitive and on Twitter: @juliebhunt For more information: Julie Hunt Consulting – Strategies for B2B Software Solutions: Working from the Customer Perspective

 

Modern Master Data Management – Responsive to Business Needs

 

Part 5 of a multi-part series on the essential interwoven nature of Business and Modern Data Integration

 

As a ubiquitous partner for Modern Data Integration, Master Data Management continues to amplify its focus on transforming data into the crucial game-changing business asset that it should be. MDM has been evolving from older approaches that take too long to make an impact on the organization, to an agile platform that responds to what organizations need and want from master data: reliable data that reflects how organizations need to work to achieve successful outcomes for themselves and their customers.

 

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Master Data Management and Modern Data Integration

Master data is very much a valuable business asset that has a growing role in many areas that should matter to organizations: strong brand presence, multichannel customer interactions, right-fit content and information, and highly variable buying journeys. To more deftly keep pace with business needs, master data management has been evolving to better mirror how businesses use data for numerous purposes. In this sense, MDM plays a significant part in the evolution of modern data integration. The recognition of the now more overt relationship between business and data management is a defining aspect of modern data integration and MDM alike. While it is tempting for organizations to think of MDM as a technical or IT function, MDM is far more about business objectives and the problems to be solved to achieve them.

Behind the scenes, MDM works to eliminate the data and process silos that threaten the ability of organizations to quickly and accurately put data to work in a myriad of processes and initiatives. The most up-to-date and useful data now comes from many sources, some internal to the organization and others from sites all over the digital landscape. Master data is critical to providing context to sources like big data, to connect big data fragments to customers, transactions and other organizational entities.

Data quality and data governance processes and practices are important parts of MDM. To succeed with accurate analytics and customer programs, centralized high quality data is a must-have. Hard work has to be done to make sure data is relevant, particularly if it originates from multiple sources of varying reliability. Many data-driven processes need to take on adaptive qualities to handle the increasing dynamic nature of business activities today. But this only works well if data is continuously trustworthy and timely.

 

The "New Age" of Master Data Management

Offerings from the newer master data management solution vendors, and new approaches by established MDM vendors, are responding to what organizations need and want from master data: reliable data that reflects how organizations need to work to achieve successful outcomes for themselves and their customers. Many MDM solutions are moving towards: faster and more streamlined implementations; broader capabilities in a single extensible platform; and the ability to work with any kind of data. Organizations need multi-dimensional knowledge, context and insight related to relevant entities, such as customers and products. Today, master data entities extend beyond this classic pair to include domains such as asset, location, supplier, finance, and personnel data.

The world in which businesses operate isn't just "relational". Relationship data grows in importance. MDM solutions must handle complex connections, hierarchies and relationships between multiple entities or domains. And companies must go beyond traditional transactional data to capture data describing behavioral aspects that amplify context. These newer kinds of master data may not be best stored in relational data repositories; as a result, graph databases are gaining importance for MDM effectiveness.

Cloud-based solutions are becoming the norm for modern data integration, especially with the growth in rich options for secure data flows from anywhere to anywhere. MDM solution vendors are following suit for cloud offerings, though at a slower pace. Organizations should already be extending data governance processes and practices to include any SaaS / cloud generated data, and most organizations pull in data from cloud sources for master data processes. So the cloud transition should be a "natural" move for MDM solutions themselves.

 

Data Governance Future Direction

Data governance is the pathway for orchestrating practices, processes, policies, and the involvement of many business roles, to assure that master data is available as a trusted and vital asset for the organization. A new direction for data governance is to create policies and practices that reflect the continuously changing needs of dynamic or adaptive organizations that want to be able to respond quickly to business opportunities and challenges. This means that data governance activities have to develop faster to be effective. At least that's the ideal goal.

Unfortunately internal politics in organizations continue to weigh down data governance efforts. Direct involvement of corporate leadership is essential to ensure that cross-enterprise collaboration and cooperation are kept as a top priority to empower data governance efforts so necessary for optimal use of data assets. Tasking upper management to recognize that data and the solutions that manage it are strategic functions for organizational success is a game-changing move.

 

Data Priorities Run on Business Processes

An imperative of master data management is to understand how the business operates: how the business uses key data and processes, how processes interact with data, and which business processes matter to strategic focal points. From an understanding of business processes, the best approach or approaches can be determined for implementing a master data 'plan of attack' that not only creates trustworthy, consistent master data but is responsive to changes in the business and to new data that continues to be collected / generated by business processes. The convergence of data and application integration and the increasing importance of orchestration hubs that manage various data-related processes, pave the way for master data management to have a natural partnership with modern data integration.

Organizations strive to determine how to extract value from data assets. Data and data-oriented solutions by themselves don't usually map directly to business outcomes, and as such, usually can't be measured to determine the value contributed to desired outcomes and the achievement of key corporate goals. It's through business processes that data can be mapped to business value. The key focus should be the business processes that impact revenue, business agility, competitiveness, and overall positive performance, connecting work to desired outcomes that lend themselves to various metrics. However -- both reliable data and effective data governance are essential enablers of gaining such value from business processes.

 

MDM: Never Just About the Technology

The increasing focus on master data in relation to business processes extends usage across the organization to more functions and business roles. For MDM and data governance, technology has long taken a back seat to strategy, planning and the creation of practices and processes – all of which are people-intensive activities. The involvement of business roles is critical for data governance to work, and to validate the MDM approach and keep it current to business needs.

As a reflection of the long-time participation of business roles, MDM technology solutions continue to provide more access points for a variety of business roles. This aligns with efforts by modern data integration solution vendors to recognize the importance of integration activities to be performed by both technical and less technical roles. Modern data integration solutions could benefit from taking a closer look at the trail already blazed by master data management and data governance initiatives, in terms of involving more business roles in many aspects of strategies, practices and processes.

 

Image source: geek.com

 

About the author: Julie is an independent consultant and industry analyst for B2B software solutions, providing services to vendors to improve strategies for customers and target markets, products and solutions, and future direction. Julie has expertise in several solution spaces including: data integration and data quality; analytics and BI; business process, workflow and collaboration; digital marketing, WCM and social media; and the pivotal importance of user and customer experiences. Julie shares her takes on the software industry via her blog Highly Competitive and on Twitter: @juliebhunt For more information: Julie Hunt Consulting – Strategies for B2B Software Solutions: Working from the Customer Perspective

 

 

The Much-Needed Business Facet for Modern Data Integration

 

Part 3 of a multi-part series on the essential interwoven nature of Business and Modern Data Integration

 

Data integration has always faced complex technical issues. Obviously the technically savvy will always be needed for many aspects of data integration, and require solutions that can handle complex problems. But this approach isn't enough for what businesses need and want today from Modern Data Integration. Making room for business ubiquity – business user participation and input – continues to be a challenge.

SaaS and cloud services are important technologies for modern data integration. SaaS in particular has brought into play ease-of-use and focused workflows to help non-technical users move through pre-built integrations. More vendor solutions are improving user experiences and solution efficiency, for both technical and less-technical users. There is increasing development of streamlined UIs, powered by sophisticated technologies behind the scenes, thus speeding data integration tasks.

There seem to be more discussions addressing business data needs, connecting data integration more directly to desired business outcomes via business processes. Including business users in more areas of data management has seen growth both in "lip service" and actual implementations. For the majority of vendors, a business user remains a tech-savvy power user. So we still have miles to go before business ubiquity in data integration includes more types of business roles.

 

 

The Much-Needed Business Facet of Modern Data Integration

Business ubiquity is not limited to direct participation by business users, but includes the overarching notion of Business informing all activities around data integration functions. This means empowering all sorts of business roles to work in partnership with IT, to inform, validate, and provide context to data integration processes. Business roles can help determine if data integration functions will deliver the right data, and will know where problems are likely to occur.

The Modern Data Integration technology platform should provide access points for business users, as well as templates for practices and processes that help organizations engender useful, dynamic and continuous collaborations between business and IT – and the growing involvement of business roles at many levels. Collaborative approaches are usually iterative and involve processes that are both human-based and technology-based. Modern data integration solutions should include all appropriate collaborative aspects.

 

Modern Data Preparation

We're seeing growing attention on tools that more quickly connect business users to the data they need, without much intervention from IT. Data integration is not an easy-peasy undertaking for anyone. But we can break out components that are more amenable to business user access and participation, such as data preparation. There is real value in moving these tasks from IT to business users who can connect data to business processes, usage realities, professional knowledge, and pertinent requirements.

Self-service data preparation solutions include the integration of disparate data sources. These solutions address all of the functions that make the data business-usable and reliable: profiling or exploring, cleansing (which should follow organizational data quality guidelines), enrichment, and so on.

Business users working with data preparation solutions can achieve greater agility to respond to new data sources, new business initiatives, narrow windows of opportunity, impending competitive threats, and unexpected market changes – all of the realities of fast-changing and highly digital business worlds.

 

Business Use of Data Profiling

Data profiling started off as a technology and methodology for IT use. But data profiling can be an important tool for business users to gain full value from data assets. When given the right tools and practices for data profiling, business users should quickly identify inconsistencies and problems for data, before it is used for reporting and intelligence purposes. It's also a sensible way for business users to understand more about the data they utilize in applications, processes and analytics.

From such "data intelligence", business users can have a greater understanding different data sources to be able to ask the right questions for BI and analytics projects. They'll also know if they have the right data and all of the data that they need to answer their questions.

 

Business Data Libraries for Ready-to-go Data

Data libraries are another aspect of improving business-IT collaboration. Modern data integration solutions are doing a better job of attaining the holy grail of business-ready data: directories or libraries of available data views, particularly the data that results from a variety of integrations. This data could be accessed by IT or business users, with the safety net of role-based constraints built in. Such business data libraries greatly aid reusability, as well as allow business users to utilize the data sets that they need, but may not know how to generate.

 

Modern Data Governance for Data and Application Integration

Today's myriad of data sources, data integration tools and approaches, means that data governance is mission critical to ensuring trustworthy and business-usable data. As data and application integration processes overlap more and more in modern data integration, data governance now must oversee all integration approaches, as a centralized function.

Because of the new world of modern data integration, there is more pressure on data governance functions to accept new realities involving business users and self-serve data solutions. Organizations must establish guidelines and processes to directly manage when it's beneficial for business users to perform data prep or integration – or when then work is best done by technical teams due to complex technical requirements.

 

Modern Data Quality

For modern data integration evolution to work well for business user participation, data quality is paramount. More and more organizations understand that data can be a valuable asset, that intelligence can be derived from a variety of data sources, and that analytics of many kinds can greatly benefit decision making, future direction, competitiveness, and innovation. But many organizations aren't well-prepared to tackle the work that must be done to ensure that data is reliable, timely and relevant.

One reason data management and data quality are so important is that a lot of data that can be useful to the enterprise has a very short shelf life. So business processes and activities must be able to tap into data as soon as possible. But that data is only useful if it has high quality. All of the amazing new technologies of modern data integration solutions will mean nothing if the data is unreliable, and therefore unusable.

 

Business Ubiquity – Organizational Symbiosis

Business users increasingly have the potential to utilize powerful capabilities to explore, manipulate and merge new data sources without IT support. There is obvious advantage to organizations to fully support and empower business users to work more directly in many aspects of data management.

Modern data integration solutions should not only support business ubiquity, but can also benefit from it. Vendors can achieve this by making sure that these solutions:

• Provide natural access points for business users backed by built-in guidance to make sure these users don't misstep
• Document and support collaborative processes between IT and business roles in ways that improve data integrations
• Participate in building a comprehensive plan for business user participation and help execute it
• Trace and monitor metrics that are established to connect data integration processes to business outcomes and impact
• "Know" that technology is only part of what is needed to create, implement and reap value from data integration processes
• Support agile change involving both IT and business roles

 

Image source: theyellowsparrow.com

 

About the author: Julie is an independent consultant and industry analyst for B2B software solutions, providing services to vendors to improve strategies for customers and target markets, products and solutions, and future direction. Julie has expertise in several solution spaces including: data integration and data quality; analytics and BI; business process, workflow and collaboration; digital marketing, WCM and social media; and the pivotal importance of user and customer experiences. Julie shares her takes on the software industry via her blog Highly Competitive and on Twitter: @juliebhunt For more information: Julie Hunt Consulting – Strategies for B2B Software Solutions: Working from the Customer Perspective

 

Why Modern Data Integration? Core Drivers and Characteristics

 

Part 2 of a multi-part series on the essential interwoven nature of Business and Modern Data Integration

 

From the business perspective, modern data integration has become instrumental simply because a lot of data that can be useful to organizations has a very short shelf life. Business processes, initiatives and other activities must be able to tap into data as soon as possible. Companies need to develop data management strategies that focus on generating business-ready and business-usable data. To do this, organizations need a new mindset where silos of all kinds are broken down, and where business and IT teams continue to grow a collaborative partnership to improve any and all integration processes to more quickly meet dynamic business needs.

For relevance to business needs, modern data integration must ensure business user participation in innumerable data management activities. Line of business teams are the business experts who are vital for revealing key information about data usage, the importance of data to specific business processes, as well as guidelines and thresholds for data quality and remediation. Business users can help to determine the value of source data in context, and to understand how it contributes to intelligence being gathered for the organization.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Drivers of Modern Data Integration

Complex problems confront organizations of all sizes; to solve them, the right technologies must come into play. However, when making technology purchase decisions, more companies now consider the impact on business results. Very few organizations can indulge in "tech for tech's sake".

Until recently, data integration solutions were tools only for tech-savvy teams. With modern data integration, business roles in organizations are taking more proactive participation in making sure that the right technologies are implemented. Vital data and the processes that produce it can better connect to business requirements and objectives. Organizations that recognize - and act on - the strategic value of data, also understand and embrace the need for technologies that get the most out of information and data, with continuous improvement and change.

Another key driver for the emergence of modern data integration is simply the imperative of keeping up with everything data, every day. Data, information and intelligence are the fuel for effective business processes throughout the organization – more of which must be handled in real-time. By considering business processes and business information in alignment to strategies and initiatives, business outcomes are likely to improve.

The need for context also drives modern data integration. The most up-to-date and useful data now comes from many sources, some internal to the enterprise and others from sites all over the digital landscape. For data external to the organization to convey meaning, additional qualification and context must come through connections to data such as master data. Context leads to determining the relevance of data from any source.

 

Core Characteristics

Technology capabilities are part of what defines modern data integration, so it's important to understand key characteristics of a comprehensive platform. Modern data integration characteristics and capabilities should align with both technical and business needs.

• Mandate to keep up with everything data. In this sense, modern data integration technologies, processes and users must be well armed to continuously handle data twists and turns over time. A comprehensive platform is needed to address every business and technical use case related to data assets – and it must be a platform that will continue to evolve and add capabilities.

• A hybrid solution to address any data integration flows. First and foremost the hybrid solution reflects the hybrid infrastructures of most organizations (on-premises and cloud). It also follows both the convergence of data and application integration, and of traditional and cloud-based solutions. This is a further step to eliminate silos for data, business processes and users of data integration.
• A ubiquitous platform: agile, flexible, adaptable, responsive, elastic with universal interoperability, orchestration and connectivity to support any kind of data integration process - anytime, anywhere. Reusability through pre-built components, with categories appropriate for business or technical users.

• Access and support for both business and technical users. Efforts for creating business user access can be applied to simplifying capabilities for technical users. The modern data integration platform should also provide the basis for business-IT collaboration in every sense, to gain expertise from both constituencies for optimal integration processes.
• Services-orientation for reusability. For technical teams, reusable services speed up the creation of more complex data integration processes, and help IT more quickly keep up with business demands. For business users, simpler integrations can quickly be pulled together through wizards.
• Evolved API management. Modern data integration solutions should provide simplified approaches to working with APIs. APIs permeate the digital world (cloud, mobile, web) and the enterprise application world. They drive new ways to access data, to develop apps, and innovate the use of data, including access for third party developer ecosystems, to extend the value of data beyond the organization itself.

• Centralized management for all things data, including data quality, data governance, and master data as critical pieces for modern data integration. These functions also strongly connect to business users, to ensure that the right data in context flows into processes and programs.

 

Modern Data Integration: Differentiating for Business Value

Sophisticated, wide-reaching technologies matter greatly as the basis of a modern data integration platform. But the technology alone does not engender modern data integration. Further definition comes from a solution base that equips organizations to handle any integration scenario and support any business case, where access and capabilities provided to both business and technical constituents take on innumerable data-related tasks. It's a mindset of business and technology teams working together to use data to improve business results and competitive edge.

Ultimately true differentiation centers on the value and benefits delivered to businesses and all users, by taking advantage of modern data integration. Metrics can be put into play to connect modern data integration capabilities and processes to business outcomes; from such metrics certain kinds of business value can be determined. Keep in mind that business value is subjective and different for every organization - and will change over time.

Business should be the heart of modern data integration.

 

 

 

Image source: information-age.com

 

About the author: Julie is an independent consultant and industry analyst for B2B software solutions, providing services to vendors to improve strategies for customers and target markets, products and solutions, and future direction. Julie has expertise in several solution spaces including: data integration and data quality; analytics and BI; business process, workflow and collaboration; digital marketing, WCM and social media; and the pivotal importance of user and customer experiences. Julie shares her takes on the software industry via her blog Highly Competitive and on Twitter: @juliebhunt For more information: Julie Hunt Consulting – Strategies for B2B Software Solutions: Working from the Customer Perspective

 

Business Transformation Demands Modern Data Integration

   

Part 1 of a multi-part series on the essential interwoven nature of Business and Modern Data Integration

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Business and Data Transformations

Forward-moving businesses and their data needs comprise a whole new world that is constantly changing. This new data-smart world is built on expanded approaches to data integration that have become known collectively as Modern Data Integration. If businesses want the right kind of data to underpin advanced analytics processes or to create multi-dimensional views of customers, data integration must be pursued as a strategic function that aligns with business objectives.

Most organizations have entered the digital realm, where various aspects of business increasingly incorporate cloud, social and mobile as important platforms. As the usage of these platforms grows, we see more changes in both business and customer behavior. To perform well in the digital realm requires an elastic organization.

Elasticity, both as business and technology infrastructure paradigms, enables organizations to tap into dynamic business models, decision-making processes, and technology mechanisms to strengthen responsiveness to any situation. To empower enterprise elasticity, organizations have to commit to continually improving data gathering methods, analytics approaches, business processes, and bi-directional connections between the people of the organization.

 

Modern Business Means Modern Data Integration

Vital data needed by organizations frequently is found not only outside the enterprise data warehouse, but outside the enterprise. Businesses are pressed to recognize the value that can come from integrating data from a variety of sources. Data management and data integration solutions have been strongly challenged to handle continuous changes in data and how it's used, increasingly in real-time.

Modern data integration builds on technologies and processes that long have been part of the bigger world of data integration, beyond basic ETL functions. Practices like data quality, data profiling and data governance (also highly relevant to business users) comprise important capabilities that are central to reliable up-to-date data, no matter the source or structure.

Modern data integration offerings encompass interoperating multi-platform solutions (iPaaS and on-premises), as well as pure-play cloud and SaaS solutions, where the lines continue to blur between application and data integration. Today modern data integration stands as a critical endeavor that must be agile and business-responsive, directly underlying many initiatives that can make or break organizational success: analytics and decision-making; real-time processes to engender improved customer experiences; omnichannel and digital marketing; intelligent business automation; alignment with digital transformation -- and so on.

Newer technologies like graph databases and data virtualization have contributed to the metamorphosis of traditional data integration into modern data integration, as have concepts like 'good-enough' data quality and data mash-ups. Part of the metamorphosis is to provide access to business users, to give them more hands-on power for data usage and analytics. The metamorphosis also reflects needs such as real-time situational awareness analytics, frequently run as continuous processes. With these changes, modern data integration also takes on the burden of ensuring that business users are protected from the inherent pitfalls of concepts like 'good enough' data quality and data mash-ups.

 

The Seeds of Modern Data Integration

For data integration solutions, the reality of modern data integration has been a work-in-progress for several years. Some solutions began with integrations designed specifically for cloud to cloud data flows, and then expanded to include cloud to on-premises. Then there's the Salesforce ecosystem of third-party vendors that has been a strong driver for developing cloud to on-premises (and back) integration flows, and a distinct incubator of Data Integration as a Service.

As cloud services proliferated, established integration solutions were augmented to work with cloud data flows, and thereby expanding their data integration capabilities into "new" territory. Traditional data integration vendors are adding cloud-based solutions. Some solutions have come into the modern data integration arena from the world of ETL and EDW; some from the application integration spaces of ESB / SOA / EAI. Modern data integration also has origins in the multi-structured worlds of B2B data exchanges and business messaging systems.

Master data management has a part in the evolution of modern data integration. MDM has a growing role in many areas that matter to organizations: strong brand presence, multichannel customer interactions, right-fit content and information, and highly variable buying journeys. Master data is critical to providing context to big data sources, to connect big data fragments to customers and transactions. A quick survey of new entrants for MDM solutions shows a conscious recognition that data management has to parallel how the business works and recognize highly variable data sources that are needed for full-bodied master data.

 

What Matters Most: The Buyer Perspective

Modern data integration is a whole new world, in a clean slate sort of way, because it must serve a business world that is constantly changing. This is what should matter to the buyers of data integration solutions. Modern data integration solutions are meant to handle numerous business use cases with ease, while providing value to IT and business roles.

In the past, vendors of data integration solutions solely targeted IT as their buyers, principally because many data integration solutions were very "hands on", more like developer tools. Modern data integration includes a significant change: more opportunities for business users of various levels of technical proficiency to directly use - and even create - data integration processes. For IT roles, modern data integration offers more streamlined, pre-built and reusable components, to speed up the creation of more complex integrations.

For modern data integration solutions, all buyer perspectives matter, whether related to business or technical roles. In reality, for most technology purchases (especially in larger organizations), there is often a "composite" buyer made up of IT and business roles. A tech-savvy buyer will already know the history of data integration and a lot about the "new world" of modern data integration. A more business-oriented buyer doesn't care where modern data integration came from, but needs to know that the solution will support business initiatives that map to desired business outcomes.

The essential perspective is that both buyers simply want to know if the modern data integration solution is going to take care of what they need to do now, often in terms of business-related projects and objectives.

 

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About the author: Julie is an independent consultant and industry analyst for B2B software solutions, providing services to vendors to improve strategies for customers and target markets, products and solutions, and future direction. Julie has expertise in several solution spaces including: data integration and data quality; analytics and BI; business process, workflow and collaboration; digital marketing, WCM and social media; and the pivotal importance of user and customer experiences. Julie shares her takes on the software industry via her blog Highly Competitive and on Twitter: @juliebhunt For more information: Julie Hunt Consulting – Strategies for B2B Software Solutions: Working from the Customer Perspective

 

Knocking Down Silos: Connecting Technology to Business

 

"Knocking down silos" to ensure the critical role of data strategies and solutions -- from the perspectives of business needs, buyers and users, and software vendors.

 

 

A Passion for Software Technology

I have two great passions when it comes to software technology. My tech career and first source of passion for software began many years ago as a developer in the IT group of Texas Instruments, working on systems that supported the semiconductor division. From the very beginning, end users (or customers) were always in the back of my mind, both for the work I did in software development and for the system user guides that I wrote.

When I did analysis for a new software project, my frame of reference included: is this something that the people who do the work really need? Does it help them in the ways that they want to be helped? Will this improve the overall quality and productivity of work done? And, unlike many at the time, my user manuals were created from the user perspective, in a flow that followed how they would use the application for actual work. It seemed natural to me to connect technology to real business needs, and to people. Still does.

Unfortunately to this day, software vendors and in-house developers often put too much focus on technologies and features, and fail to connect with the right potential customers or users to create solutions that help customers solve their business problems. Software vendors and buyers alike need strategies and expert guidance to optimize today's integrated enterprises: how different software applications fit together, how to evolve practices and processes for users to best take advantage of new technologies – even cultural changes for the internal enterprise.

 

An Equal Passion for Data Applications

My second long-time passion comes from working with a data management software vendor for several years. Obviously data impacts most companies and their systems; functions like data integration and data quality matter a lot for successful outcomes. I'm concerned that many businesses and IT teams still come up short on understanding the importance of connecting data management processes to business needs.

I've worked with other software vendors with offerings for web content management, marketing automation and eLearning, to name a few. These solutions almost always include an increasing number of data-oriented capabilities, including analytics, and metrics.

Data runs through an entire organization and beyond -- connecting employees, customers, partners, systems, processes, actions, and outcomes. Unfortunately silos of all sorts also run through organizations, with horrific consequences for important business initiatives. For business software to work well, it's rarely only about the technology.

 

A Data Story for Digital Marketing: Silos and Integration

Successful digital marketing initiatives with an authentic customer focus are only possible with the substantial aid of sophisticated technologies. But the right technology isn't enough. All sorts of silos and stumbling blocks can plague marketers working with digital marketing. These hurdles mirror company-wide challenges to becoming customer-focused, business-agile and market-savvy. Integrated data management and analytics are crucial but so is the integration of many kinds of silos.

• Silos of information and content, business processes, and corporate functions continue to debilitate many organizations. Digital marketing will not happen if Marketing is a silo. The essentials of digital marketing are cross-team collaboration, bi-directional sharing of data and analytics results, cross-functional customer focus and support, relevant quality content. All of these pieces are needed to continuously update a strong understanding of customers and their journeys – across the organization.  
• Data and analytics are mission critical to everything in digital marketing, for successful outcomes. Data from many sources, inside and outside the firewall, is requisite to create and continuously update a multi-dimensional customer view – as well as analytics for buying trends, future customer behavior, understanding which products and which target markets, and better tracking of different customer journeys.

Data analytics initiatives are no small undertaking, especially since many of the sources and analytics processes don't originate in the Marketing 'silo'. As part of the effort to integrate silos, centralizing analytics can eliminate redundant effort to pull together intelligence to benefit all functions in the company. Centralized customer-focused analytics also contribute greatly to nurturing relevant customer experiences across channels by sharing the right insight with all customer-related functions in the business.

• It's very tempting to focus too much on technology and tactics. While technology is essential to make a lot of digital marketing happen, many marketers find themselves too enamored of the tools, thinking that's all it takes. Outcomes: no strategies, no customer focus, the wrong goals, and the wrong metrics. Often the mechanics of working with the technology pull marketers away from the actual customer experience and how to improve it – which are pivotal elements of digital marketing.

    

The Biggest Silo of Them All

If top management doesn't yet understand who their customers are and why they do or don't buy from the company, then it's crazy to expect marketing to conjure miracles and save the business. Company leaders must build corporate strategies that revolve around customers, delivering what they need and want – and they must pursue marketing as a strategic function. For most businesses, customers drive the sales process -- meaning that an organization will only succeed when marketing is empowered to provide the highly personalized and relevant interactions that help customers want to buy products.

 

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About the author: Julie is an independent consultant and industry analyst for B2B software solutions, providing services to vendors to improve strategies for customers and target markets, products and solutions, and future direction. Julie has expertise in several solution spaces including: data integration and data quality; analytics and BI; business process, workflow and collaboration; digital marketing, WCM and social media; and the pivotal importance of user and customer experiences. Julie shares her takes on the software industry via her blog Highly Competitive and on Twitter: @juliebhunt For more information: Julie Hunt Consulting – Strategies for B2B Software Solutions: Working from the Customer Perspective

 

 

 

Reducing Risk for Self-Service Data Integration

 

Cloud platforms and SaaS solutions have opened the door to service-oriented strategies for the day-to-day infrastructure and applications needs of organizations. These "off premises" approaches to business functions have helped reduce costs and improve workplace access and productivity. But, as a side effect, managed services providers are losing some of their traditional services domains as companies continue to migrate systems and work activities to cloud services.

There is increasing pressure on MSPs to innovate services in new areas to sustain their businesses, particularly to contribute to real business outcomes (and not just IT infrastructure) and provide more direct business user support. MSPs should consider compelling opportunities for developing "middleware" services that fill in gaps around cloud solutions, especially for helping business users get more out of these solutions, while protecting users and the organization.

Over the years, IT services providers have profited well from building and maintaining data and application integrations for on-premises and cloud infrastructures. Recently vendor offerings for self-service data integration have been growing, with the business user as a primary target. The increased adoption of self-service data integration has the potential to cut into data integration services from MSPs.

Self-service data integration is an intriguing approach to connecting business users to actual integration tools; however this approach is filled with risk that must be addressed. Unfortunately hype from a number of data integration software vendors tries to make the case that self-service data integration is easy-peasy for the business user. The reality is far from this simplified view. But that doesn't mean self-service data integration is a bad idea. And it actually opens up an opportunity for third-party consultants and managed services providers to create valuable services that better support business users – and reduce risk – when working with data integration.

To ensure that business users do the work correctly and avoid serious missteps, self-service data integration has to be narrowly defined, with guidance at every step. MSPs could create a "middleware" services layer for particular self-service data integration offerings that better protects and guides business users when leveraging these offerings. It would be a sort of 'managed intervention services' – protecting and coaching business users when utilizing data integration services, to better understand what is going on and how to use the self-service approach.

Business users have to understand both the business aspects and the technical means to successfully perform self-service data integration. For example, MSPS can provide missing guidance (be assured - there is plenty of missing guidance in these offerings) to help business users utilize data modeling and data definitions that are necessary to stay on the right path for integrations that will correctly produce the data results that are needed. This can be accomplished both through supplemental technology services, and through training / coaching that can be embedded in technology services or handled in live engagements. Internal IT teams often have little time to create such guidance and training for business users.

There are also extremely complex data integration processes that should never be attempted by business users – but these users should have access to the resulting data for their own projects. In these instances managed services can fill the gap by delivering ready-to-use data to business users. MSPs can create the processes that handle complex integrations, making available the resulting data with the assurance that the integrations have been tested and verified by the services provider.

Working with business users for self-service data integration also means that MSPs will now have the mastery to take direct advantage of self-service data integration tools, along with other cloud data integration platforms, to build other data-related services for their clients. There are always numerous data integration projects that are never undertaken because of time and resource constraints for IT and business teams. For many MSPs and consultants, self-service data integration in the cloud can be a faster means to solve data integration headaches for their clients.

Self-service data integration still has a long road to travel before it becomes an everyday tool for many business users. MSPs should look at creating services that help business users today, as well as in the future, to safely and smartly take advantage of self-service data integration as a route to improve the data needed every day for all levels of decision-making, innovation and other workplace requirements.

 

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This post was brought to you by IBM for MSPs and opinions are my own. To read more on this topic, visit IBM's PivotPoint. Dedicated to providing valuable insight from industry thought leaders, PivotPoint offers expertise to help you develop, differentiate and scale your business.

 

About the author: Julie Hunt understands the overlap and convergence of many business processes and software solutions that once were thought of as "separate" – and how this impacts software Vendors and Buyers, as well as the strategies that enterprises implement for how technology supports the business and its customers. Julie shares her takes on the software industry via her blog Highly Competitiveand on Twitter: @juliebhunt For more information: Julie Hunt Consulting

Industry-Focused Services Deliver Unique Value

 

I often advise my clients (B2B software vendors and professional services firms) to seriously consider well-targeted markets that require extensive expertise that will set the vendor apart. These markets might be a specific industry focus or niche services for distinct industry or business problems. Such specialized offerings provide an important way that vendors can competitively differentiate on real performance that benefits their clients. MSPs are no different in this respect, particularly as traditional IT managed services have become highly commoditized, with an overflowing field of competitors.

 

Distinctive Expertise Means Big Value for Clients and for MSPs

To provide niche or industry-specific services means developing in-depth expertise for that particular service offering, both in terms of the industry or niche and the problems that need to be solved. The MSP becomes highly proficient in understanding the details of a specific industry need - on all fronts: business; technology; processes; practices; external requirements such as compliance; and how the new services will impact client imperatives.

Hands-on expertise is essential. The MSP becomes the "go-to-guy" for certain industries or business specialties because of proven knowledge and ability. This expertise serves to market the MSP naturally through real demonstrations of subject matter mastery and problem-solving. It will require that the MSP directly participate in the world of the specialty, including attending events, user group meetings, training opportunities, and so on. Such events provide excellent access to potential clients, as well as organic marketing through articles, blog posts and news releases written about the events by other parties.

When MSPs specialize, they're able to walk in the shoes of their clients, to better understand what they are facing, and to visualize new ways to help them solve problems. The MSP now walks the walk, as well as talks the talk. Being able to speak the same language as customers and users engenders trust and opens clearer lines of communication. Hands-on expertise in specialized areas allows the MSP to know what matters to their clients and what solutions will make a difference. And their clients will quickly see that the MSP is for real.

Knowing specific industries or niche markets makes it easier to assess the needs of each customer, and to determine the best solutions. The MSP builds a knowledge bank of problems, pitfalls and best practices related to solutions for focused markets. As a result, reusability becomes a competitive advantage for the MSP, from assessing client needs and constructing bids, to basing applications and solutions on proven solution templates. MSPs become thoroughly in the know for the top industry preferences for specific software solutions and the corresponding software ecosystem.

All of this leads to opportunities for unique services that few other MSPs are able to provide.

 

Technology Services Focus for Retail Fashion Industry

New York City-based service provider eMazzanti Technologies has been actively targeting the retail fashion industry with services to improve transactional technologies, such as mobile POS systems, and services for comprehensive cyber security. eMazzanti provides extensive security services for customer and business data protection, including network security solutions and appliances, supplemented by eMazzanti monitoring and remediation services.

To deepen industry expertise, eMazzanti staff now includes experienced retail fashion professionals. eMazzanti sees greater opportunity in serving broad needs across a retail fashion business, beyond the traditional IT services of the past:

Looking to enhance clients' retail revenue growth, the company is continually assessing emerging technologies such as digital mirrors, interactive product displays and customer recognition systems for retail customers. Existing and future technologies depend on reliable and secure network design and deployment, eMazzanti's core strength.

 

Selling Value over Price

Traveling the path of niche and industry services helps smart MSPs escape endless pricing "wars" for commoditized services provided by innumerable MSPs. Value is immediately obvious to clients when focused services are available for unique needs within an industry or niche market.

All clients want top notch technology services providers, and many are on the lookout for services that have a tight fit for their specific industry or niche. Tailored services offer such clients competitive advantage for attaining business objectives. Clients know their businesses can see healthy growth when partnered with MSP firms committed to deep expertise for their clients' specific industry needs.

 

 

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This post was brought to you by IBM for MSPs and opinions are my own. To read more on this topic, visit IBM's PivotPoint. Dedicated to providing valuable insight from industry thought leaders, PivotPoint offers expertise to help you develop, differentiate and scale your business.

 

About the author: Julie Hunt understands the overlap and convergence of many business processes and software solutions that once were thought of as "separate" – and how this impacts software Vendors and Buyers, as well as the strategies that enterprises implement for how technology supports the business and its customers. Julie shares her takes on the software industry via her blog Highly Competitiveand on Twitter: @juliebhunt For more information: Julie Hunt Consulting

 

 

Earning Customer Trust is Priority One

 

Organizations can run into various detours when making decisions to partner with managed services providers, ranging from security concerns to internal politics. However, trust is frequently the main stumbling block for the adoption of managed services. To win business, MSPs must listen to any and all concerns expressed by potential customers, and be well prepared to help customers work through those concerns. To keep the business, MSPs must do everything they can to earn trust from their customers.

 

Services that Make a Difference for Customers

One important way to build trust is to demonstrate expertise and reliability through specialized services that positively impact businesses. More and more the value of managed services is not about lower cost, but about contributing solutions that deftly handle the complexity and difficulties of ever-evolving sophisticated technology infrastructures. In addition, services that enhance the daily work being done to achieve business objectives show that the MSP understands what organizations really need. It's also important to provide services that safeguard and enhance the business, where the MSP shows clear commitment to corporate well-being and security.

When organizations outsource technology needs to providers that specialize in diverse technologies, these organizations can focus on the real purpose of their businesses. Often managed services not only free up staff in organizations to spend more time on business objectives, but contribute to improved technologies and processes that directly improve new product development, help create new market opportunities, optimize operations, and improve customer service. Delivering real business value sustains trust.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Invaluable Business Continuity Services

More and more companies run on integrated technologies. MSPs become an ‘asset’ for businesses through their expertise for complementary solutions and platforms. It’s essential to understand how these technologies should work together in order to support how the people of the business work, and how their activities achieve business goals. Agile business processes comprise a core element for optimizing technologies.

Through such comprehensive expertise, MSPs can provide invaluable business continuity services to keep organizations healthy and up-and-running when faced with any number of adverse conditions. Business continuity encompasses every aspect of running the business and the problems and threats that can derail it. MSP involvement in business continuity means far more than security and back-up services. MSPs can help clients design better processes, and better ways of working. The MSP takes on the role of trusted advisor who not only understands technology infrastructures, but how people need to work with technologies and the impacts on business.

 

Brand Impressions Matter for Trust

MSPs have to pay attention to customer perceptions of their brand, just like any other vendor. This is yet another shift away from solely focusing on technology. Every person in a managed services firm comprises the face of the brand. Physical and interpersonal impressions count, both to build positive brand perception and to earn real trust.

What the brand stands for in terms of services also matters. This doesn't just mean the array of services that are offered. How services are executed make a big difference. Going the extra mile, preventing problems, anticipating customer needs, taking time to do things right, pointing out areas where improvements can be made and how best to do it – these are all necessary to truly help customers achieve success.

 

 

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This post was brought to you by IBM for MSPs and opinions are my own. To read more on this topic, visit IBM's PivotPoint. Dedicated to providing valuable insight from industry thought leaders, PivotPoint offers expertise to help you develop, differentiate and scale your business.

 

About the author: Julie Hunt understands the overlap and convergence of many business processes and software solutions that once were thought of as "separate" – and how this impacts software Vendors and Buyers, as well as the strategies that enterprises implement for how technology supports the business and its customers. Julie shares her takes on the software industry via her blog Highly Competitiveand on Twitter: @juliebhunt For more information: Julie Hunt Consulting

 

Designing for the ‘Anywhere’ Mobile Workplace

 

For most organizations, business today has a fast pace, is global in nature and relies more and more on virtual networks of employees, partners, supply chains, and outside consultants. Mobile has a critical role here. Mobile is no longer just about devices, it's a catalyst for changing corporate culture that must evolve to ensure the competitive survival of the organization. Mobile is becoming a critical path for providing the workforce with streamlined and secure access to the right data, tools, and applications to do their jobs effectively - anytime anywhere.

Managed services providers have long had expertise for optimizing technology infrastructure, mostly focusing on the technologies and the operations that use them. Mobile is different. MSPs should not only handle the tech services but must understand the big picture culture of a mobile workforce. The underlying services must match all the different ways that a workforce utilizes mobility. End-to-end design services for this new world of work would be an invaluable offering for many organizations.

An outside-in approach to designing the entire mobile experience, including infrastructure, will ensure highest returns to clients in terms of productivity, security and the benefits for desired business outcomes. MSPs can be expert advisers for helping organizations understand the change in "culture" that comes with the 'anywhere' mobile workplace.

 

Who are Mobile Workers? Everyone

Mobility is rapidly becoming a critical element of business technology for many workers around the world. Mobile work activities happen just about anywhere. The classic example has been the "untethered" employee hunkered down in a Starbucks, working away. But today all kinds of employees are actually accomplishing mobile work everywhere: at home, commuting, at client sites or in the field, in libraries or parks. Some are rarely in the office and may not even be working from home. Even traditional corporate office-based employees are shifting more work to mobile devices, and carrying on work "anywhere".

What kind of work flourishes when the mobile office is anywhere? An obvious area is all kinds of services work performed at customer or client sites. Mobility has revolutionized the productivity of such workers in the field. Another category: employees heavily involved in creative work often seek out unconventional sites where mobility connects these employees to the tools they need and to their collaboration partners. Innovative work requires interactions with the world, new ideas, people who are not part of the corporate mindset or even the employee's corporate world. At the other end of the spectrum, effective mobile workers can be those whose jobs focus primarily on well-defined tasks or results-oriented work that fit a fixed set of metrics to show completion and value.

For all of these mobile employees, the work itself will probably become more project-focused. Ever-changing teams of employees, partners, contractors, and consultants will come together as needed, contributing to the needs of such projects.

 

The New Mobile Workplace Still Needs the Human Touch

With the advent of mobility the corporate office environment has started to change. At corporate sites, traditional offices and cubicles are giving way to an increase in casual meeting spaces to support the need for face-to-face meetings and collaborations when truly mobile workers come into the corporate office. Relationships and the focus on corporate goals are strengthened with regular in-person contact. Management and others need to personally interact extensively with mobile workers to understand the value they bring to work communities and business outcomes. While virtual collaboration is on the rise, it's still essential for mobile workers to physically re-connect with fellow workers and partners to take advantage of in-person sessions that tap into the group dynamic.

With this need for in-person contact, the office experience must undergo change. Management must support, encourage and allot more time for interactions between office-bound regulars and mobile workers. Such activity should be considered part of the job. Some of the space that was allocated to offices and cubicles will give way to a variety of meeting areas. But 'untethered' mobile workers also need private work areas at corporate sites. These areas need to have a human touch, again to reconnect these workers with the company that employs them.

 

 

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This post was brought to you by IBM for MSPs and opinions are my own. To read more on this topic, visit IBM's PivotPoint. Dedicated to providing valuable insight from industry thought leaders, PivotPoint offers expertise to help you develop, differentiate and scale your business.

 

About the author: Julie Hunt understands the overlap and convergence of many business processes and software solutions that once were thought of as "separate" – and how this impacts software Vendors and Buyers, as well as the strategies that enterprises implement for how technology supports the business and its customers. Julie shares her takes on the software industry via her blog Highly Competitiveand on Twitter: @juliebhunt For more information: Julie Hunt Consulting – Strategies for B2B Software Solutions: Working from the Customer Perspective