Autumn 2019 speaking gig themes

I'm always grateful when people ask me to speak at their events - it's a privilege never to be taken for granted that people are willing to spend their valuable time listening to what I have to say. But I thought it might be useful for some to know the themes of my talks through the… Continue reading Autumn 2019 speaking gig themes

The paradox of enterprise search

We live in a world in which business decisions are increasingly driven by data. And that data isn't just the structured variety stored in a relational database and accessed via BI tools. The majority of data is unstructured and can be hard to find. This is where enterprise search comes in. The market for enterprise… Continue reading The paradox of enterprise search

Newly minted kCura looks to dominate corporate e-discovery before expanding further

Raising large private investment rounds is something of an anomaly in the world of e-discovery software, due to the relative maturity of many of the players and the somewhat modest total addressable market – at least compared to some other enterprise software segments. When kCura, maker of the SaaS-based Relativity e-discovery suite, announced in February… Continue reading Newly minted kCura looks to dominate corporate e-discovery before expanding further

Why now is a great time to rejoin the analyst business

I'm very excited to be returning to the industry analyst business full time with 451 Research, the company I co-founded 15 years ago. I've spent just over three years away, running product marketing in the eDiscovery software business and more recently, running my own consulting business. I've rejoined as research VP for software. That somewhat bland… Continue reading Why now is a great time to rejoin the analyst business

Equivio deal is classic Microsoft – good enough eDiscovery & info governance

So the long-rumoured acquisition of Equivio by Microsoft has finally been confirmed. It the comparatively small world of eDiscovery it caused quite a lot of navel-gazing when news first emerged in October 2014. The price is apparently somewhere in the $150m-$200m, which is chump change to Microsoft but a nice return for Equivio's investors and management - a… Continue reading Equivio deal is classic Microsoft – good enough eDiscovery & info governance

What does bringing eDiscovery in-house look like today?

Once enterprises had caught their breath following the big bang of the 2006 US federal rules changes that ostensibly created the eDiscovery market, they've been looking at ways of bringing the eDiscovery process in-house and thus hopefully reducing their costs and gaining more control. When I was an analyst at 451 Research our 2010 annual eDiscovery report… Continue reading What does bringing eDiscovery in-house look like today?

Data-rich insurers about to get richer. Can they handle it?

Insurers are already awash with data, but they're about to get a whole lot more. That makes their current under-investment in technology to analyse data all the more troubling. A recent report, surveying more than 300 insurers around the world identified insurers as ripe for disruption unless they invest in new technology to better analyse… Continue reading Data-rich insurers about to get richer. Can they handle it?

Healthcare ripe for information innovation

The business case for better information management in healthcare is clear cut. This applies especially in markets where healthcare providers aren't competing for patients, as they do in the US. So sharing information should be the norm. But it isn't. Why? There are numerous reasons, but it's due in part to slow adoption of technology… Continue reading Healthcare ripe for information innovation

Enterprise search being turned inside out, upside down

The business case for enterprise search is clear, so why is adoption so relatively low? A recently-published survey by AIIM (to which 415 AIIM members responded) found 71 percent of businesses surveyed saying search is vital or essential to them, but only 18 percent of them have cross-repository search capabilities. And given these are members of AIIM, so have… Continue reading Enterprise search being turned inside out, upside down

The dark corners of Information Governance

Information governance is a subject that's interested me for years and one in which I actively worked both as an analyst at 451 Research and in product marketing at Recommind. But it's a slow burner - that's for sure. The recent Information Governance Initiative report that I looked at here made just about the best… Continue reading The dark corners of Information Governance