TECHNOLOGY IN VIEW
FROM IAN INSIGHTS
Ian is a recognized expert on the return on investment (ROI) and total cost of ownership (TCO) analysis of technology and has written and presented extensively on a range of organizational topics and the importance of matching technology to business organizational objectives.
Zoho continues to rise
I remain very impressed with Zoho. Last week at the Zoholics event in Austin, the private company announced a three-year, 65% CAGR in mid-market and enterprise segments with those segments representing 1/3 of its business. A business, by the way, that serves more than 90 million users across more than 600,000 customers. Zoho may do…
First Republic bank and a thought on risk
Let me start by saying I really liked First Republic bank. The level of customer service, built entirely on a foundation of great people, went far beyond any other bank. From friendly staff at desks, to fresh cookies, to a valet at the Palm Beach office that returned my car with a cold bottle of…
Microsoft Copilot and the future of human-centered AI
A long time ago… oh, this will hurt a bit, I remember Jim Barksdale on a Tech CEO panel pointing out that Netscape was present on more than 70% of the desktops (okay kids, look up Netscape on Wikipedia). When Bill Gates was asked how he felt about that his reply was an appropriately snarky…
Is Marc Benioff still the right CEO for Salesforce?
Marc Benioff has lost sight of the two most important things he needs to watch as a CEO: his customers and his employees. When was the last time he sat with a small customer to see how they use Salesforce? Does he understand the real cost to deploy, or the real level of customer service…
Successful team building
Team building is one of the most fraught responsibilities of a CEO. I remember the old days when corporate retreats involved Outward Bound programs with rope bridges and trust falls were all the rage. Now I love my staff, and if you ask them in front of me, they’ll tell you I’m the best boss…
Is Salesforce still a leader in CRM?
In a recent report, we called out Salesforce for decreasing value and ultimately found that it was no longer a leader in the CRM market. The conclusion was that Salesforce customer satisfaction was on the decline and most organizations would be better served, and achieve a higher ROI, by choosing one of the other solutions…
High-tech for low and medium tech
Walk into any store and you may not immediately notice it, but signage is everywhere. It entices, informs, and convinces, all while maintaining consistent branding. Home Depot’s signage may look handwritten, but we all know it isn’t. It’s purposely designed and delivered to the consumer in a consistent way that informs about the product while…
The rise of on-demand pay
I’m going to ignore social and political commentary and, as is our focus, just stick to the facts (although the economist in me is reeling). Evelyn McMullen recently published a research report looking at the rise of on-demand pay solutions (w5 – More workers need on-demand pay). She and her team surveyed over 200 hourly…
Three things to think about before renewing that SaaS license
With many solutions delivered through a SaaS model, renewal time is a good time to take stock in the value of the solution. Before you sign the renewal here are a few things you should consider. Are you using the solution the way you expected? It’s easy to get swayed by a slick marketing pitch…
Watching the Supply Chain
As I write this, Ford just announced it’s pausing production at its Hermosillo plant in Mexico citing supply shortages. Not good for Ford since the plant makes some of Ford’s most popular products, but as they noted, without critical components it’s hard to keep the plant running. With the threat of increasing prices and dwindling…
Best of breed?
We recently published a research note calculating the value of Blackline ECS (electronic close software) on top of Oracle ERP (do I need to explain ERP?). Isaac Gould found great value in the combination, concluding that organizations who chose Blackline on top of their Oracle ERP solution realized a $2.58 return for every $1 spent. …
Good CRM will not overcome bad salesmanship
Don’t call me and don’t email me. I’m not sure I can say that any clearer. I’m a fan of CRM systems and we know the ROI they deliver. Increasing the productivity of sales and marketing employees along with integrated customer service can deliver tremendous value for the customer, but there’s one CRM trend that…
Welcome to Miami (¡Bienvenidos a Miami!)
In June of 2020, Nucleus Research opened an office in Miami, with almost all our staff making the permanent move by September. COVID was a driver of the decision, but it wasn’t a difficult sales pitch to convince the team to forgo the Boston weather for the Miami sunshine. A year later, what did we…
The ROI of BYOD
Nucleus Research has been on a hiring spree lately and that has me rethinking the old topic of “Bring Your Own Device.” The formalization of our previously informal remote work policy combined with our office move from Boston to Miami has left us with employees near and far. We were an early adopter of the…
The DOD should consider IBM for Jedi
Microsoft famously won the $10B DOD Jedi cloud contract only to have political pressure bring AWS back into the picture. It looks like the contract will be split into two but before the decision is made, I’d suggest IBM might be worthy of real consideration. The DOD is only considering Microsoft and AWS because they…
Remote working year 2 — The next wave of apps
The initial COVID pandemic sent most workers home (and Nucleus to sunny Miami) and gave a boost to a few critical solutions areas. ERP, Workforce Management, and conferencing solutions all rode an early technology wave with gains in those early months that have yet to taper. Now that we’re settling into long-term remote work, what’s…
The real cost of computer security
We recently looked at the burden of security software on the performance of employee PCs, interviewing IT Directors to get their view. You can read report v116 – Slowed Computers Cost $2.2 Million Annually, but from the title, you get an idea of the bottom line. If you add security software such as McAfee or…
When did tech become evil?
Okay, let me sound like an old guy for a second. I received my Computer Science degree in 1986. At that time technology had great potential, with Windows 3.1 providing a glimpse of the future interface between user and machine, and products such as Microsoft Flight Simulator (as crude as it was at the time)…
Why workforce initiatives should be your New Year’s resolution
Ask any CEO and they’ll tell you employees are their most valuable asset. That may be benevolence on the part of a caring CEO, or a harsh calculation that turnover is expensive by a less caring CEO, but either way, employees are a resource that must be carefully managed. Unfortunately, it’s a resource that’s likely…
What Is An Office?
Nucleus grew up in the age of the cloud and we’ve embraced its benefits. From our phone system, to our email, to our CRM solution, we’re entirely cloud-based. We also have a work style that can easily transition from office-based to remote. Cloud has enabled that flexibility and both our analyst and sales teams take…