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January 22, 2009
expressor software CEO interviewed by Data Migration Pro
Click here to read the informative Q&A with expressor software CEO Bob Potter just published on Data Migration Pro.
- Michael Waclawiczek, VP of Marketing
Posted by expressor software at 1:45 PM | Comments (0)
Oh, you want to drive it? That's extra.
Funny how people seem to have forgotten that the purpose of data integration tools is to integrate data. A wide range of data. The sad truth is that the baseline versions of most data integration tools are incapable of integrating EDI, HL7, SAS or even Excel data. For them, DI is a simple flat-file to relational conversion.
Sure, you can pay extra for a 'dongle' that hangs off their baseline products to handle these 'exotic' data types. That's like buying a car only to find out when they hand you the keys that you have pay extra for a transmission so you can drive it off the lot.
But it's actually worse for DI tools, because those add-ons assume you're an expert in the product that generated the source data you're looking to integrate and are so complex that you’ll probably need to hire consultants to make them work. Been there, done that.
Then there's the cost. With Informatica, for example, even if your base license was $80k, it would cost you something like $240k to buy the add-ons necessary to integrate data from EDI, SAS and Tibco Rendezvous, if they even exist. And don’t forget to add in those professional services costs at up to $200 an hour.
So why bother?
Good question. There must be a better way…
- John Russell, co-founder and chief scientist
Posted by expressor software at 1:30 PM | Comments (0)
January 20, 2009
2009 predictions
Noticed a couple of interesting blog posts in the past few days in on trends for '09.
First is from Vincent McBurney on IT Toolbox, whose top trends for BI in ’09 is a compilation of the 'predictions' from a number of pundits across the industry spectrum. Top on the list is cloud computing (10 of 22 mentions), but a close second (9 out of 22) is reducing expenses -- this second point being entirely consistent with what we are hearing from prospects. He also posits that SOA has 'jumped the shark.'
Have to agree on that last one -- I think we're all a little tired of talking about SOA these days.
Second is from Rick Sherman, on his Data Doghouse blog, where he takes a different approach to the same subject -- noting the top 'hyped' trends for '09. Sherman's opinion is that the PR on these topics will far outweigh their impact on IT this year, especially given the state of the economy. Interestingly, cloud computing is also first on his list.
What's behind the apparent contradiction between these posts? Is cloud computing a meaningful trend for '09 or is the hype about cloud computing out of control?
Yes.
As John Russell has noted here previously, cloud computing is an old concept but many enterprises are just now discovering that it can offer a compelling value proposition -- especially in the for of SaaS.
On the other hand,Sherman is right to be skeptical. As he puts it -- no single 'new' technology or application will 'solve world hunger' in 2009.
My take is that cloud computing will be one of the most talked'about trends in '09, for good, solid business reasons. But it's not a panacea. From a DI vendor perspective, it offers promise as a delivery mechanism, but it also poses significant challenges in the form of even more distributed and dispersed data sources.
I'm excited about the possibilities and motivated by the challenges.
-- Michael Waclawiczek, vp of marketing, expressor software
Posted by expressor software at 1:30 PM | Comments (0)
January 15, 2009
timing is everything
More on Gartner -- this time their predictions for the data integration market in 2009 and beyond, issued December 12th. True to form, this report provides more than a dozen pages of detailed analysis, but I think the biggest takeaways are that:
-- companies need to use DI to more strategically manage their data if they are to stay competitive, and
-- customers want their DI solutions to cost less.
More proof that timing is everything, in life as well as business.
Of course it's always good to be in sync with the leading analysts who cover your space, but that's never been more true than it is today.
And as crazy as this sounds, I'm glad we launched expressor when we did. These are obviously difficult times that will only make it more difficult for all vendors -- large and small -- to survive, never mind grow and prosper.
But as a company with a value proposition based on performance, ease of use and cost savings of 40% or more, Gartner's analysis helps explain whey we're finding people so receptive to our pitch.
Looking forward, beyond these near-term business drivers, we also generally agree with Gartner's assessment that cloud computing will have an impact on our market (see John Russell's most recent blog below, 'silver lining' for more on that topic). SaaS has real potential as a delivery mechanism for DI, but it also poses a challenge for comprehensive data integration that needs to incorporate the increasing amounts of data created and stored in the cloud.
-- Michael Waclawiczek, vp of marketing, expressor software
Posted by expressor software at 1:30 PM | Comments (0)
January 9, 2009
Silver Lining
So here it is, 2009. What is the hottest topic of the year, besides expressor software? Cloud computing. I thought the VM charge-for-usage model died in the early nineties, but we found a new way to sell it and guess what? It is good.
Don't get me wrong, I am still skeptical this is just more marketing hype by the bigger vendors, but it could actually work. This is how:
Departmental Marts
Business units have been fighting IT for business data for decades. How do I know? Look at all the desktop databases hosted on the business user desktops of corporate America that run the company. We can be honest, we are adults. IT just made the process too difficult; backups, capacity planning, and storage are all taken care of in the cloud. Build it in the cloud and things get a whole lot easier.
Data Services
The ability to cross reference natural and surrogate keys is paramount to DI success. Yet time and time again they are created from scratch in every project in the organization. So put the service in the cloud and have EVERYONE utilize a common service. I must say I dislike this acronym but this is SOA for the masses.
B2B Data Exchange
Let's be honest here, FTP is the backbone of B2B. My earliest recollection of FTP was downloading Linux in the early nineties from the University of Stuttgart in Germany. Why are we still using this in B2B? Imagine a system where sending B puts the data in the cloud. Now receiving B goes into the cloud to get the data.
That is progress.
-- John Russell, expressor chief scientist and co-founder
Posted by expressor software at 8:45 AM | Comments (0)
January 5, 2009
Gartner for startups
[for earlier blog entries, please go to http://blog.expressor-software.com]
It's been interesting to read the back and forth between Talend and Gartner on the challenges smaller vendors face "cracking the MQ code."
Let me offer a different perspective. FYI, our company, expressor software, is a startup selling a high-end data integration solution to big companies. And I've been marketing enterprise software for over 20 years, mostly for small-to-medium sized vendors - with more than a few scars from battles with Gartner. Not all victorious, either.
So I can see that both sides in the current discussion have their points. For any vendor selling to high-end/large customers, dealing with Gartner is a given. Even if you decide to ignore them, your customers won't. And that can be frustrating if you don't see eye-to-eye with the analysts in your space.
But at some point, you have to realize that the MQ is designed to meet the needs of Gartner customers - big companies looking for information, insights and backside-cover for big-ticket IT purchases.
So it shouldn't be a surprise if the MQ "looks back" in some respects. Gartner customers want to see your record - tracks in the snow, prints in the sand, revenue, whatever. By any number of measures, lots of Gartner customers simply want some assurance that you're going to be around tomorrow, ten months and two years from now to support them. Even if they know past performance doesn't guarantee future performance.
My advice to fellow startups? Give up hope of making a real impact in "your" MQ, for now at least. But don't give up entirely. Work the Gartner system the best you can. Pull every lever you can reach. Brief the relevant analysts when you launch and keep them abreast of significant news along the way. Buy consulting time to pick their brains.
Set your sights on a Cool Vendor profile. I've never talked about this with the Gartner guys, but my guess is they created the Cool Vendor vehicle just for this purpose - to highlight smaller companies with no real chance of making the MQ.
Prime the feedback loop. Make it hard for any analysts to ignore your company. If the analysts are telling you they aren't hearing from their customers about your company - make sure your sales reps are encouraging their prospects to call Gartner and ask about you. They're probably going to do it anyway, so two birds, one stone. You look confident and your "stock" rises at Gartner.
Finally, take the long view. As a startup, we're used to getting everything done today. Because that's how we're measured. And because a good today makes it more likely there will be a tomorrow.
But our customers don't usually work that way. The wheels of justice - and enterprise IT - grind slow but they grind exceeding fine.
You know the drill. They want to test. Trial. Ease into production. Then maybe they'll do that press release they promised you.
It's just another fact of life as a startup. And a small price to pay to change the world.
-- Michael Waclawiczek, vp of marketing, expressor software
Posted by at 6:15 AM | Comments (0)
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