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The overall housing crisis is expected to hit the IT market to some extent either through tighter lending practices to businesses or consumers slowing spending on gadgets and services.  At this point, it is expected to affect consumer spending more so than business.  I wanted to share a few interesting tidbits and facts about the current housing and banking market pulled from Financial press releases, Bloomberg Data, and RealtyTrac:

• Citigroup and Washington Mutual have recently reported losses, while Wells Fargo reported profits
• Countrywide Financial Corp. and IndyMac Bancorp have closed down, Bank of America purchased Countrywide becoming the largest lender
• Citigroup is the largest bank in the U.S., is expected to disclose earnings tomorrow
• More than 100 businesses/banks have closed, been sold, or halted operations due to the subprime lending practices
• California ranked Second amoung U.S. states in June for foreclosures (According to RealtyTrac Inc.)
• Foreclusures nationwide increased 53 percent in June compared to June of 2007
• More than $400 billion of losses and writedowns have been liked to the U.S. housing slump, according to Bloomberg data

I hope everyone enjoyed the July 4th weekend and festivities!  Well, it is that time of year to start our marketing and strategic planning for next year.  As we do this, I think it is important to understand what the decision-makers are thinking about.  In this case, let's talk about the greatest challenges they are faced with when it comes to IT and technology solutions.  We recently surveyed 1382 IT decision-makers and asked them "Which, if any, in your opinion represent the key IT challenges facing your firm in 2008?"

The answers are below.  As you can see in the chart, the top challenges facing these IT decision-makers include increasing the productivity of workers, lowering operating costs associated with IT systems, and improving their websites.  This being said, these are all good factors that can help guide your marketing messages, sales tactics, and strategic plans regarding your customers in late 2008 and 2009.  Others that topped the list include upgrading computers and managing customer relationships using the Internet.  What do you think about these challenges?  Will they be useful for your planning?  Please let me know if you have any ideas about this or other data we are collecting from decision-makers. 

IT Decision-Maker Challenges, 2008-2009

 Source: Compass Intelligence 04/08

Compass Intelligence (www.compassintelligence.com) recently surveyed 1383 IT decision-makers and asked them "Thinking about your company as a whole, which of the following carriers, if any, does your company or organization use for company-provided cell phones? Often companies give employees a choice of more than one carrier."  As you can see below, the numbers look really close to market share data that you see out there in the analyst world, of course the numbers may vary but the comparisons of the vendors is pretty close to what we see out there in the news and analyst reports.  AT&T and Verizon are running neck-and-neck in terms of the top choice of business IT decision-makers for cell phones, while Sprint runs a very distant 3rd.  T-Mobile hits 4th with about 11 percent of the respondents stating they use T-Mobile's cell phones. 

 Businesses today are really looking for those providers that can provide them business-oriented devices such as Blackberries, Treos, and others.  They are also looking for devices that can help with productivity.  We also asked these same decision-makers about their top challenges for 2008 and 2009 and the top choice selected (44 percent) was increasing productivity of the workers.  This being said, devices including cellphones, smartphones, handheld computing devices, and even laptops must address each industries specific productivity concerns.  Applications that are moving to a mobile environment will be very successful if they can be marketed and even give ROI on improving productivity with workers across industry.  This means some applications will have to be specific to the industry in which the business user is in.  For example an E-Prescription application on a Doctor's smartphone or handheld, or access to  Manufacturing Execution System for a Factory Floor Manager.  I would love to hear about your thoughts on the future of business applications, mobile and non-mobile.  Please let me know what you think.  Have a Happy Fourth of July!

U.S Business Decision-Maker Choice of Cell Phone Vendor, 2008 (Sample Size: 1383)

Source: Compass Intelligence, 06/08

There are a growing number of online websites that provide a network of lenders to support loans for small businesses.  Now these sites are interesting because it is not banks or financial institutions loaning the money, but everyday people like you and me.  This is not only cool because it gets the banks out of the equation, but the people lending the money can also track the progress of the company and can feel very involved in the success of that company it lended the funds to.  Some of these sites are microloan sites for personal loans and some are specific to projects or small businesses.  Borrowers can state their case or cause and hope that a lender will bite.  There are several different business models out there with these sites, but all are interesting!  Here are a few of the interesting sites that I found:

www.zopa.com

www.prosper.com

www.fynanz.com

www.greennote.com

www.kiva.com

There are so many cool online tools and Web 2.0 (FREE) applications popping up on the Internet!  So today, I just want to talk about a few and share some of the links I think can be quite useful for the SOHO (Small Office Home Office) and Small Business.  Below are a list and links to a few that are interesting:

• www.dovico.com - Tracking and Timesheet Management Software.  They have a free 30-day trial for the hosted ASP solution.
• www.zoho.com - This is the coolest and most popular in my opinion.  This has numerous FREE and paid for solutions for the SOHO business.  Includes solutions such as a word processor (Like MS Word), Spreadsheet creator (Like Excel), Presentation creator (like Powerpoint), project management, CRM, and many other online tools. 
• www.google.com/analytics - Free monitoring of your website traffic
• www.google.com - Other free software on Google includes Google Earth for maps and views of the earth, Picasa for editing photos, StarOffice (word processing and more), and many others.  Those specific to productivity include Blogger, Calendar, Docs, Sketchup, and GooglePack...a collection of free software for your PC.
• www.openoffice.org - Rivals MS Office and its Free, this is an opensource free download that allows users to create text documents, spreadsheets, presentations, diagrams, and databases, as well as HTML and XML documents
• NetNote Client - Free software that allows you to create notes on your desktop and send to others. It has network capabilities (send and receive notes, Instant Messaging), text notes, audio attachments, alarms and models (templates).  http://www.download.com/NetNote-Client/3000-2347_4-10001853.html
• www.carbonite.com - Perfect for the SOHO or small business needing to back up their files remotely...all files are backed up online...so if you crash you can login later and restore all files or just the ones you want.  We actually use it at Compass Intelligence and it is great!
• www.skype.com - of course many of know about Skype, but did you know it is great for chatting, video phone calls, and more...this is great for the virtual office and staying connected to colleagues

 Of course you can always go to sites such as CNET and ZDNet to see a large list of free software, but just be careful where you look and be aware of those 30-day trials that ask for credit card information.

Essentially, there is a growing list of free software and free online tools (Web 2.0) that are popping up everywhere across the web. I will keep my eyes and ears open for any new ones and send an update next quarter on the latest cool tools on the web.  If you have any others you would like to add, please send me a note or comment, as I am sure others would like to know.  Until next time....

Stephanie

This week I want to feature a recent report that came out last week called "The Cross-over Mobile Device: Is meeting both Personal and Professional Needs Possible?"

 In this report, Kneko Burney (President of Compass Intelligence) and Dan Blacharksi (Compass Contributing Analyst) discuss the future of mobile devices/phones where devices will have both consumer and business or personal and professional features, functionality, and applications.  We all know today all vendors generally separate the market (consumer and business) when developing, designing, marketing, and even selling phones.  These distinct differences in the future will no longer be viable due to the nature that personal phones are becoming business phones and business phones are becoming personal.

Let's face it we all know we use our business phones to make personal calls and to chat, etc.  We also use our personal phones to do the same.  Also, recent Compass Intelligence also found that there are a great deal of wireless users that have more than one device, generaly 2 phones or 1 phone and maybe a wireless data card or something similar. 

Wireless users are also putting more pressure and heavily influencing the buying decisions within corporate America.  This was greatly seen in the Health Care market about 5 years back...the newer generation of doctors and nurses were demanding to have access and use wireless in the hospital for work purposes.  The current generation will also influence the future of devices.  Most of todays teens and college students chat and IM like it is a natural conversation, that is why we are seeing more and more corporate IM and messaging platforms being rolled out in the recent years.

Another factor in this report is the impact of the iPhone and the future of open or unlocked phones.  The iPhone has really put pressure on all wireless device manufacturers and even service providers.  It came out with a bang and actually without even looking at the numbers has greatly influenced the future of the mobile device in terms of look, feel, functionality, and form.  Also, the fact that future devices will be unlocked and will also be open makes way for more personal applications to be placed on these devices with or without the permission of Corporate America.  I am sure this will be a future concern in terms of the management and security of devices and I am sure vendors are already working on plans to prepare for these challenged.

In the end, the future mobile device will require personal and corporate features.  Businesses will need to consider end-users wants and needs, BOTH personal and professional, before upgrading and buiying new mobile devices, smartphones, and even handheld computing devices.

Sorry about those Spurs, I was really pulling for them.  KOBE!!!

Well first let's talk about some of the bad things going on with Sprint...

THE BAD & UGLY

(1) Loss of 1.09 million subscribers in the 1st Quarter of 2008 - This was not surprising, but continues to put pressures on the number 3 wireless company in the U.S.  If I were to just look at the top 4 (AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, & T-Mobile), Sprint represents only 22.2% of the market based on revenues and 23.8 percent of the market based on subscribers in 1Q 2008.  For revenue market share this is about a 2.7% drop from all of 2007 and about a 1.9% drop for subscriber market share.  The other 3 market leaders all added subscribers in 4Q 2008.  AT&T is the leader based on subscribers and market share.

(2) Qwest will start marketing and selling Verizon Wireless services in the summer through a five-year contract.  Qwest's contract with Sprint ends in Feb. How much does this cost the company?

THE GOOD?

(1) Is Sprint on the Market? -  Deutsche Telekom  is considering a bid to acquire Sprint Nextel Corp. DT is testing the water on this deal, which will combine T mobile and Sprint to create #1 player  in the market.

(2) Will Sprint Spinoff Nextel and come full circle? - Cyren Call, headed by Nextel co-founder Morgan O'Brien, is working to put together a group of investors to buy Nextel.  The company talked about the creation of a nationwide, wireless broadband network that will carry priority public safety communications.

(3) The best thing for Sprint? - Dan Hesse appears to be taking Sprint on the fast track by bringing new leadership, new focus, and in my opinion is just what the company needs to get back on track.

Here are a few links on some of the stories:

http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/stories/2008/05/05/daily10.html

http://money.cnn.com/2008/05/05/technology/deutsche_sprint.ap/index.htm?postversion=2008050505

http://kansascity.bizjournals.com/kansascity/stories/2008/05/05/daily2.html?jst=b_ln_hl

http://online.barrons.com/article/SB121037292846081709.html?mod=googlenews_barrons

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/fn/5767962.html

http://www.sprint.com/investors 

I would love to get your thoughts on the market in general.  Where do you see things playing out?

Stephanie

Happy Hump Day! 

So I am back, and now it's time to talk about the growing mobile workforce.  The mobile workforce can include a number of different types of workers such as business travelers, mobile office workers, and telecommuters.  Of course many employees can fall into multiple categories.  I have attached a diagram that shows the number of employees in several categories for 2008, just to give you an idea.  But I also think it is important to look at the number of SOHO home-based employees and businesses in the U.S., which also contribute to this growing mobile and remote workforece.  From a vendor standpoint, this is a highly growing market and presents an opportunity, thus the growth in Internet and Software as a Service.  I will get into some cool SOHO and Small business tools next week. 

The largest category is the telecommuter employee, followed by remote branch office workers.  The fastest growing segment of the mobile workforce are mobile office workers.  We have seen a shift in some industries and business where employers are letting customers work from home is becoming more acceptable, and in fact you can bet that some employees will be pushing for this even more because the rising costs of fuel.  In some cases businesses are letting employees work from home 1 to 2 days a week, while others are actually hiring work-at-home employees. Working at home is also seen as a benefit!  So some employers are actually providing this as a benefit to employees, because we all know other benefits like 401Ks and health insurance is falling, so businesses are having to be more creative to compete for highly skilled workers.

I would love to get your thoughts on this subject and learn about what your company is doing for this growing segment.  Drop me a line and let me know what you think.

Stephanie

Hello everyone, I just want to introduce you to my new blog!  Yes, everyone is doing it, but this one will be fun and insightful at the same time AND I will talk about topics that you want me to.  Feel free to send me feedback on any topics of interest and we will be sure to discuss them soon. 

Anyways, I am looking out my large open window at the ranch I live on...yes it is a ranch...no horses, but we do have cattle and exotic game (deer, antelope) and am SUPER glad I work from home.  A little fact...All Compass Intelligence workers work from home, so we are a TRUE virtual company and in fact we have workers and contractors in 4 countries and in 4 U.S. states.

Virtual companies are a growing trend and in fact more small, growing businesses are doing this more, while large enterprises are finally starting to accept the fact that some workers are even MORE productive working from home.  The next blog I write I will talk a little bit about the remote and mobile workforce.

 For now, I will share with you a few pictures of my office location....awww the beauty of working from home!

 Stephanie Atkinson