[IanInsights] – For the past few years we’ve seen overall ROI numbers starting to decline while average annual benefits continue to increase. That might seem contradictory at first, since strong ROI often corresponds to the actual monetary benefit realized. But what we are seeing reflected in recent ROI numbers are bigger industry trends at play. In…

[IanInsights] – Tech bubble makes most people think stock market crashes. The bursting of the dot-com craze or more recently, the sharp rise and decline of bitcoin. In fact, the waning enthusiasm for Apple products, lackluster sales for wearables and stalled IoT promises have some economists predicting another tech bubble correction in the near future… (read…

[IanInsights] – Like it or not, Millennials are entering the workforce en masse. Despite all the complaints and gripes about our first truly digital generation, they are already transforming the way we do business. Case in point – BYOD. They refused company-issued equipment and delivered unanticipated productivity using their own devices. That was eight years…

[IanInsights] – How did the supply chain become so sexy? Once the domain of just a few logistics specialists, it seems to have caught the public’s attention lately. That’s what a random stranger who caught the chairlift with me this weekend wanted to discuss. Not the fresh powder, perfect temperature and peak skiing conditions. He…

[IanInsights] – Hats off to Amazon’s marketing strategy around the HQ2 decision. Big headlines for months from across the country as the competition heated up. 238 municipalities in total applied from nearly every U.S. states as well as from cities in Canada and Mexico. It kicked off a continental discussion of how technology could rejuvenate…

[IanInsights] – Last November I called on IBM to fire its CEO and Chair, Ginni Rometty to save what was left of Big Blue. I cited the lack of performance and particularly IBM’s 22 consecutive quarters of revenue decline as a main argument for changing leadership in Armonk. To my surprise, a majority of readers agreed,…

[IanInsights] – In the age of analytics, metrics are increasingly driving business decisions. Well beyond total profit margin, revenue growth or even EBITA and EBITDA, we are getting more granular. Churn rates and cost-of-acquisition numbers are dynamic now. We assign KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) to everyone and measure productivity down to the profit-per-employee level. Marketing…

[IanInsights] – It’s Shiny Object week, otherwise known as the Consumer Electronics Show or CES. That splashy Las Vegas display of all the exciting consumer tech toys that are poised to grab our attention and shake up the industry. For the rest of this week, gadgets, gizmos and tech concepts will dominate headlines. Just after…

[IanInsights] – Nucleus Research called for Microsoft to oust CEO Steve Ballmer in 2010 as part of our predictions for the coming year. In fairness, we knew the board would take more time before ultimately removing him. It’s too bad they waited three years to realize the need for a new direction. You have to wonder…

[IanInsights] – It’s been at least 15 years since a vendor migrating its products to the cloud has been newsworthy. At the beginning of the adoption cycle, it was interesting and the industry watched intently. Since then, nearly every software category has made the transition, including cloud laggard ERP. Cloud migration has long since been settled…

[IanInsights] – Perhaps nothing impedes business growth more than customer churn. Just ask the wireless carriers where customer renewal rates are followed as closely as revenue. That’s because customer turnover is a solid indication of the coming quarters and how the company will fare in the future. It’s all about retention. (read more)

[IanInsights] – Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is the central system of record for many enterprise businesses, enabling companies to collect and manage data ranging from sales and finance to human resources and marketing. Yet despite the fundamental role ERP plays, it has been an absolute laggard for two of the most important trends driving business…

[IanInsights] – How exactly did Amazon transition from upstart online bookseller to the third largest retailer in the world? Many give credit to Jeff Bezos and his audacious vision. Others point to the tightly managed supply chain, creating new efficiencies. Of course both are right. But what really set Amazon apart from the very beginning…

[IanInsights] – Back in 2010 at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), then-Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer stood before a packed crowd to unveil what he called the new ‘Slate PC.’ (He never was known to be a branding genius.) In the much anticipated announcement, Ballmer highlighted ‘new form factors that are coming this year’ (Video) while holding…

[IanInsights] – In my previous blog, we took a look at the eight ice cold vendors of 2017 finding they lacked customer options, flexibility and true cloud-based computing solutions. They all came up short in delivering value. For this blog, we look at the other end of the spectrum – which vendors are red hot,…

[IanInsights] – Marketing automation has emerged as one of the biggest trends in enterprise technology right now. And for good reason, as it is delivering tremendous value. Back in January, we published research that showed a $6.66 return on average for every dollar spent on marketing automation technology. That’s impressive ROI. In fact four of this…

[IanInsights] – What a difference a year makes. Now I need to start by saying that we weren’t the biggest fans of SAP a year ago. Unlike other research firms, our analysts talk to end-users just about every day (and let’s face it, if the analysts at other firms actually did talk to real customers their stories…