The document debunks the myth that CIOs of SMBs are the primary decision makers for IT purchases. It summarizes that:
1) Most SMBs have fewer than 1,000 employees and lack dedicated CIO roles. IT decisions are made by generalists and staff within small IT departments.
2) Understanding the scale and needs of SMB segments (1-10 employees, 10-250, 250-500, 501-1000) is important for targeting marketing correctly.
3) Influencing IT staff who provide recommendations to management is key, as they can prevent vendors from reaching actual decision makers. Focusing solely on CIOs risks missing the majority of SMB opportunities.
Loudoun SBDC Information Technology (IT) Investment CIO and Due Diligence Str...Ted McLaughlan
Information Technology (IT) concerns and strategies a Chief Information Officer (CIO) deals with are equally relevant for small businesses and startups, as they are for larger businesses. A presentation to the Loudoun Small Business Development Center (SBDC).
Small and Medium Businesses feel the desperate need for adopting IT, yet no single vendor solution seems to serve their plight. Does this call for an entirely different service model?...
ISACA IT GRC Conference 2008 Creating Business Value by means of Stakeholder ...Arno Kapteyn
In marketing a saying goes: “The Customer does not exist” this recognizes that each customer is unique in its desires and requirements and there is no such thing as a one size fits all. In analogy this session sets out with the statement that “The business does not exist”. An enterprise is a unique combination of central or de-central, task, geography, goal and/ or skills oriented divisions and departments. All these stakeholders have individual needs and requirements that might be met or supported by the services offered by the Enterprise IT Domain. To offer a one size fits all solution (per service) in response to this multitude of desires is to reuse the line of though from Henry Ford: “They can have any color they like as long as it is black”. This approach was very useful to help build the company into the global enterprise it is today. Yet at some point in the growth of the organization it was abandoned in favor of more variation of choice as a trip to the ford dealer will tell you. Even a standard product like a McDonalds hamburger varies to suite the (taste) requirements in different parts of the world.
How can the IT Domain of an enterprise growing in complexity, size, geographical presence etc. strategically prepare to deal with this complexity and ensure it will (keep) deliver(ing) maximum value in the eyes of the individual stakeholder (groups)?
The course of good product software and that of the processes in good business are seemingly contradictory. Good business differentiates as it matures, good software tend to standardize with time. This paradox is the essence of designing business solutions.
Barriers to Retail Growth - And How to Overcome ThemSarah Mitchell
The retail industry has never been more complex. In a climate where retailers are deluged with data and technology, trying to make sense of disparate systems and home-grown solutions is almost impossible.
Increasingly, retail executives are under scrutiny about how their stores are displaying prices, promoting products and complying with a multitude of regulatory bodies.
All this adds up to unnecessary pressure for the retailer and, quite often, a less than fabulous customer experience. Removing these barriers to growth is simpler than you might think but it takes an outsourced service focused focused solely on helping you get closer to customers to achieve. Read on to find out more.
Loudoun SBDC Information Technology (IT) Investment CIO and Due Diligence Str...Ted McLaughlan
Information Technology (IT) concerns and strategies a Chief Information Officer (CIO) deals with are equally relevant for small businesses and startups, as they are for larger businesses. A presentation to the Loudoun Small Business Development Center (SBDC).
Small and Medium Businesses feel the desperate need for adopting IT, yet no single vendor solution seems to serve their plight. Does this call for an entirely different service model?...
ISACA IT GRC Conference 2008 Creating Business Value by means of Stakeholder ...Arno Kapteyn
In marketing a saying goes: “The Customer does not exist” this recognizes that each customer is unique in its desires and requirements and there is no such thing as a one size fits all. In analogy this session sets out with the statement that “The business does not exist”. An enterprise is a unique combination of central or de-central, task, geography, goal and/ or skills oriented divisions and departments. All these stakeholders have individual needs and requirements that might be met or supported by the services offered by the Enterprise IT Domain. To offer a one size fits all solution (per service) in response to this multitude of desires is to reuse the line of though from Henry Ford: “They can have any color they like as long as it is black”. This approach was very useful to help build the company into the global enterprise it is today. Yet at some point in the growth of the organization it was abandoned in favor of more variation of choice as a trip to the ford dealer will tell you. Even a standard product like a McDonalds hamburger varies to suite the (taste) requirements in different parts of the world.
How can the IT Domain of an enterprise growing in complexity, size, geographical presence etc. strategically prepare to deal with this complexity and ensure it will (keep) deliver(ing) maximum value in the eyes of the individual stakeholder (groups)?
The course of good product software and that of the processes in good business are seemingly contradictory. Good business differentiates as it matures, good software tend to standardize with time. This paradox is the essence of designing business solutions.
Barriers to Retail Growth - And How to Overcome ThemSarah Mitchell
The retail industry has never been more complex. In a climate where retailers are deluged with data and technology, trying to make sense of disparate systems and home-grown solutions is almost impossible.
Increasingly, retail executives are under scrutiny about how their stores are displaying prices, promoting products and complying with a multitude of regulatory bodies.
All this adds up to unnecessary pressure for the retailer and, quite often, a less than fabulous customer experience. Removing these barriers to growth is simpler than you might think but it takes an outsourced service focused focused solely on helping you get closer to customers to achieve. Read on to find out more.
Marketing, Technology, and the Empowered CustomerJay Henderson
In an increasingly connected world, consumers are in control. Connected customers demand connected marketers. Marketers must move beyond their silo and focus on business results. They will only accomplish this if they embrace a holistic approach of customer centricity beyond marketing, a long term plan for a system of engagement, and the right marketing culture. This combination creates customer loyalty, better marketing ROI and ultimately, better business results.
Selling Document Management to the Mid MarketJohn Mancini
AIIM President John Mancini keynote at the Docuware Partner Conference -- Research cited in presentation available (free) at http://www.aiim.org/research.
Marketing, Technology, and the Empowered CustomerJay Henderson
In an increasingly connected world, consumers are in control. Connected customers demand connected marketers. Marketers must move beyond their silo and focus on business results. They will only accomplish this if they embrace a holistic approach of customer centricity beyond marketing, a long term plan for a system of engagement, and the right marketing culture. This combination creates customer loyalty, better marketing ROI and ultimately, better business results.
Selling Document Management to the Mid MarketJohn Mancini
AIIM President John Mancini keynote at the Docuware Partner Conference -- Research cited in presentation available (free) at http://www.aiim.org/research.
The Devices are Coming! How the “Internet of Things” will affect IT.Spiceworks Ziff Davis
The devices are coming! Think you’re ready for the Internet of Things? We surveyed over 440 IT pros about this latest IT trend and released in this report. Find out what IT pros had to say about this IT shake up and what you can do to prepare.
Are you on the hunt for a new job, or maybe looking to advance your career? On this 9th Day of Sysmas, we're bringing you IT resume tips, interview prep advice, and more - it's all in our new eBook, "Hiring Managers Tell All"! Find out what the experts have to say on what it takes to stand out from the IT crowd... this'll be the Sysmas gift that keeps on giving for years to come!
Learn how cloud companies are keepin' it saasy with small- and medium-sized businesses. We're going to discuss:
• The unique challenges of cloud marketing
• What successful companies are doing to reach SMB tech buyers
• What SMB IT professionals are saying about the Cloud
Why? Because Spiceworks has worked with leading Cloud vendors (from startups to the Fortune 500) to help them develop, launch, and promote their cloud products to millions of tech buyers....and now we would like to share what we have learned with you!
Virtualization has fundamentally changed the shape of the IT landscape in the past decade. If you haven’t learned the ins and outs of hypervisors, hosts, and guests, attend our virtual webinar to learn about the different kinds of virtualization, the benefits of the technology, and the different players in the industry!
What’s techy, spicy, bacon-lovin’ and orange all over? Why, the Spiceworks Community, of course! Not only are there over 4M IT pros using the Community to do their jobs, research products, and talk shop with vendors, they’re also having some jolly good fun! Hear from one of Spiceworks’ very own IT pros as he highlights Spiceworks humour, shows how you can take the Community goodness offline, and shows you how easy it is to spread the spice to other IT pros and tech vendors near and far.
Speaker: Francis Sullivan, CTO & Co-founder, Spiceworks
12:00 - 13:00
*MSP-Friendly
With the endless wave of smartphones and tablets, the ever-nagging issue of BYOD isn’t going away. But have no fear, Spiceworks is here! In this info-packed session, you’ll:
Learn how to manage BYOD within Spiceworks using MDM
Get access to premium features that allow remote management of mobile devices
Take a tour of all the Spiceworks apps – Spiceworks Mobile and Spiceworks Mobile HD
A presentation of Emirates Computers by Mr. Khaldoun Al Shamaa at the Communication for the Smart SMB event held at Murooj Rotana Dubai last May 21, 2008 organized by Emirates Computers and sponsored by Cisco & 3M.
How do you align business with IT? Many companies don\'t do this - to their detriment. IT that is focused on solving business solutions is the only effective IT.
Overcoming AI Challenges with IBM’s AI LadderBernard Marr
With $16 trillion up for grabs by 2030, there’s a race to be leaders and pioneers in the brave new world of AI and automation. Across every industry, we see an acceleration in the rollout of smart, cognitive systems that promise improved customer experience and streamlined more efficient business processes.
Small is big: The big differences in marketing to smaller businessesAirfoil
The biggest target segment for marketers today isn’t GenX, GenY, or Baby Boomers; it’s small-business owners. While iPhone, YouTube and MySpace have dominated the front page of our front pages, the business section is filled with the efforts of large enterprises and startup companies alike to appeal to the vast small-and-midsize-business category, known as SMBs.
More than ever — and more than any other single business type — the SMB sector is producing a tremendously large and fast-growing impact on our economy. Large
Of all the current technology buzzwords and expressions being made popular by IT sales people (cloud, artificial intelligence, internet of things… and so on) ‘big’ data is the one that often comes over as the most intimidating for smaller businesses.
Putting The Commerce Back In E Commerce 2001Julian Curtiss
Skills and cynism aside, what gives me the most sleepless nights is the fact that Critical Success Factor #1 of any eCommerce implementation is the provision of a stable technology platform capable of feeding into the eProcurement, eBusiness and CRM systems clean, accurate and reliable information. Step 1, before anything else… finish your ERP implementation!
IT Solutions for 3 Common Small Business ProblemsBrooke Bordelon
Many time consuming IT problems can be side-stepped by establishing a solid network from the get-go rather than playing catch up with problems as they arise..find out how with these IT solutions.
How geeky are you really? Now's your chance to find out! To celebrate Geek Pride Day on May 25th, Spiceworks pulled together a fun IT test to help you find out where you stand on the IT geek spectrum and how you compre with friends and peers. Think you've got what it takes to be a true IT geek?
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 was once the go-to server OS for IT,but the world has moved on. Don't get caught up in nostalgia... it's time to level up, get secure and retire WS2003!
Let’s face it: The BYOD headache isn’t going away. Fret not, we’re all in IT together to prevent our sensitive business data from walking out the door. Check out these slides from SpicewWorld London to find out:
- The technology to solve the issue head-on
- Game plans when it comes to implementation
- Security compliance solutions specific to Europe
Got a mountain of help desk emails driving you mad? Is your company headcount bursting at the seams, and you’re aching from the growing pains? Spiceworks has just the tool to ease your aches! This crash course will cover anything and everything you could possibly want to know about the Spiceworks Help Desk. Check out these slides from SpiceWorld London to learn how to:
- Improve adoption by using email and Active Directory integration
- Understand the different admin roles and help desk notifications
- Work tickets on-the-go with special email commands and mobile and tablet apps
- Prioritise and organise with ticket attributes, due dates, views and alerts
- Help users help themselves with knowledge base articles and the user portal
- Report on what you’ve accomplished with regular reporting
Check out these slides from a SpiceWorld London SpiceHead on how he goes about his purchasing strategy, including:
- Budget planning; how to use an IT Strategy; using 1, 2 & 5 year plans to manage the finances.
- How to persuade the bean counters to open their wallets by showing them that you can be trusted to manage your own finances.
- Business case justification; you know it makes sense, but they don’t talk tech, so you still have to show them why in terms of pounds and pence.
- Applying for grants; treating other people’s money like your own.
- The art of negotiation; when and why to say no; and how to politely say, “that’s not what I can afford to pay.”
Leading a massive services organization or moonlighting and considering the jump to full time? Let's have a frank discussion about what it takes to run a growing services business. Check out these tips given out at SpiceWorld London from industry experts and your peers around the globe on what to consider before getting started, what to expect from clients (and what they expect from you!), and how to stand out from the masses. We'll take the discussion beyond tech and give you the lowdown on how to grow your business, big or small.
Check out these slides from SpiceWorld London that talk about debuzzing network security! Sometimes we get so caught up using buzzwords that we lose the point of the whole solution, we don’t want that to be the case for our new online security solution and we need the SpiceHeads to help! Be the first to see our totally new solution and help us to shape the future of a tool that gives you the power to manage your network security like large enterprises, at a fraction of the price and time commitment.
How does Group Policy work with Active Directory? Group Policy provides granular control over thousands of different settings and allows you to highly customize permissions per user, group of users, computer, or group of computers within a domain. It also makes your life much easier by allowing you to automate tasks. – because no one wants to manually update a single setting 500 times.
On Your Mark! Getting ready and set to spice IT up in Spiceworks. Spiceworks Ziff Davis
Curious about what Spiceworks is all about? Are you a new marketer in the Spiceworks Community and wondering where to start? Then lace up your spicy sneakers, and join us for a quick (and we mean quick!) jog through our community of 5 million IT buyers. You’ll learn how to get started – and ways to cross your marketing finish line in record time.
How do you become an IT buyer’s top choice for tech gear? With so many choices in front of IT pros, how do you stand out from the rest? Spiceworks not only gives the opportunity to reach 5 million IT pros, we’ve got a top-notch team ready to connect you with them. We can help you create smart media strategies to win the minds (and wallets) of IT buyers!
Want to avoid IT buyers hitting “delete” when they see your email? Hoping they’ll open it, click it… and keep on clicking? IT buyers tell Spiceworks they prefer email over any other communication from a tech vendor – so make sure your email marketing is up to snuff. We can help your email stand out in an IT buyer’s crowded inbox and become something that your target market loves opening (yep, loves!).
In the Spiceworks infographic, "The Evolution of Information Technology Through US Presidential Administrations," we take a trip down memory lane to reflect on milestones in the evolution of IT over 9 decades, analyze the role of tech in US history and popular culture, and cite computing quotes from US Presidents and popular figures.
There sure are a lot of smartphones and tablets the workplace these days! With the recent BYOD explosion, more and more devices have access to your company’s critical data. What is an IT pro to do to mitigate the threat posed by these devices? Learn how to protect your workforce, secure your network, and educate your users about threats.
Hear first about the new innovative technology coming from HP to help SMB IT professionals like you. See how this new technology can drive innovation in your own business, while delivering breakthrough energy, space and cost savings.
Speaker Bio: Julian has 30 years’ experience at HP, working with HP’s channel partners and customers through various hardware product sets ranging from the initial Digital PC’s through PDPs, MicroServers and Vaxes onto HP ProLiants, where he has been working for the past 10 years overseeing Generation 1 through to the current Generation 8 models.
Speaker: Nicole Tanzillo, Director of IT Marketing, Spiceworks
Location: Boardroom | 13:45 - 14:45
Lightning round anyone? Have you just been through a major operating system upgrade? Did you recently migrate your network from virtualized servers to the cloud? And do you have a few bits & bobs you’d like to share with SpiceHeads who are in your same situation? Attend this session to get four snippets of IT know-how from those who have gone before you.
SpiceSpeakers & Topics
Anthony Sutcliffe - Virtualization
Tino Todino - VoIP
Ben Snape - Wireless Display
Peter Craine - BYOD
State of ICS and IoT Cyber Threat Landscape Report 2024 previewPrayukth K V
The IoT and OT threat landscape report has been prepared by the Threat Research Team at Sectrio using data from Sectrio, cyber threat intelligence farming facilities spread across over 85 cities around the world. In addition, Sectrio also runs AI-based advanced threat and payload engagement facilities that serve as sinks to attract and engage sophisticated threat actors, and newer malware including new variants and latent threats that are at an earlier stage of development.
The latest edition of the OT/ICS and IoT security Threat Landscape Report 2024 also covers:
State of global ICS asset and network exposure
Sectoral targets and attacks as well as the cost of ransom
Global APT activity, AI usage, actor and tactic profiles, and implications
Rise in volumes of AI-powered cyberattacks
Major cyber events in 2024
Malware and malicious payload trends
Cyberattack types and targets
Vulnerability exploit attempts on CVEs
Attacks on counties – USA
Expansion of bot farms – how, where, and why
In-depth analysis of the cyber threat landscape across North America, South America, Europe, APAC, and the Middle East
Why are attacks on smart factories rising?
Cyber risk predictions
Axis of attacks – Europe
Systemic attacks in the Middle East
Download the full report from here:
https://sectrio.com/resources/ot-threat-landscape-reports/sectrio-releases-ot-ics-and-iot-security-threat-landscape-report-2024/
Elevating Tactical DDD Patterns Through Object CalisthenicsDorra BARTAGUIZ
After immersing yourself in the blue book and its red counterpart, attending DDD-focused conferences, and applying tactical patterns, you're left with a crucial question: How do I ensure my design is effective? Tactical patterns within Domain-Driven Design (DDD) serve as guiding principles for creating clear and manageable domain models. However, achieving success with these patterns requires additional guidance. Interestingly, we've observed that a set of constraints initially designed for training purposes remarkably aligns with effective pattern implementation, offering a more ‘mechanical’ approach. Let's explore together how Object Calisthenics can elevate the design of your tactical DDD patterns, offering concrete help for those venturing into DDD for the first time!
DevOps and Testing slides at DASA ConnectKari Kakkonen
My and Rik Marselis slides at 30.5.2024 DASA Connect conference. We discuss about what is testing, then what is agile testing and finally what is Testing in DevOps. Finally we had lovely workshop with the participants trying to find out different ways to think about quality and testing in different parts of the DevOps infinity loop.
The Art of the Pitch: WordPress Relationships and SalesLaura Byrne
Clients don’t know what they don’t know. What web solutions are right for them? How does WordPress come into the picture? How do you make sure you understand scope and timeline? What do you do if sometime changes?
All these questions and more will be explored as we talk about matching clients’ needs with what your agency offers without pulling teeth or pulling your hair out. Practical tips, and strategies for successful relationship building that leads to closing the deal.
Key Trends Shaping the Future of Infrastructure.pdfCheryl Hung
Keynote at DIGIT West Expo, Glasgow on 29 May 2024.
Cheryl Hung, ochery.com
Sr Director, Infrastructure Ecosystem, Arm.
The key trends across hardware, cloud and open-source; exploring how these areas are likely to mature and develop over the short and long-term, and then considering how organisations can position themselves to adapt and thrive.
LF Energy Webinar: Electrical Grid Modelling and Simulation Through PowSyBl -...DanBrown980551
Do you want to learn how to model and simulate an electrical network from scratch in under an hour?
Then welcome to this PowSyBl workshop, hosted by Rte, the French Transmission System Operator (TSO)!
During the webinar, you will discover the PowSyBl ecosystem as well as handle and study an electrical network through an interactive Python notebook.
PowSyBl is an open source project hosted by LF Energy, which offers a comprehensive set of features for electrical grid modelling and simulation. Among other advanced features, PowSyBl provides:
- A fully editable and extendable library for grid component modelling;
- Visualization tools to display your network;
- Grid simulation tools, such as power flows, security analyses (with or without remedial actions) and sensitivity analyses;
The framework is mostly written in Java, with a Python binding so that Python developers can access PowSyBl functionalities as well.
What you will learn during the webinar:
- For beginners: discover PowSyBl's functionalities through a quick general presentation and the notebook, without needing any expert coding skills;
- For advanced developers: master the skills to efficiently apply PowSyBl functionalities to your real-world scenarios.
Generating a custom Ruby SDK for your web service or Rails API using Smithyg2nightmarescribd
Have you ever wanted a Ruby client API to communicate with your web service? Smithy is a protocol-agnostic language for defining services and SDKs. Smithy Ruby is an implementation of Smithy that generates a Ruby SDK using a Smithy model. In this talk, we will explore Smithy and Smithy Ruby to learn how to generate custom feature-rich SDKs that can communicate with any web service, such as a Rails JSON API.
Software Delivery At the Speed of AI: Inflectra Invests In AI-Powered QualityInflectra
In this insightful webinar, Inflectra explores how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming software development and testing. Discover how AI-powered tools are revolutionizing every stage of the software development lifecycle (SDLC), from design and prototyping to testing, deployment, and monitoring.
Learn about:
• The Future of Testing: How AI is shifting testing towards verification, analysis, and higher-level skills, while reducing repetitive tasks.
• Test Automation: How AI-powered test case generation, optimization, and self-healing tests are making testing more efficient and effective.
• Visual Testing: Explore the emerging capabilities of AI in visual testing and how it's set to revolutionize UI verification.
• Inflectra's AI Solutions: See demonstrations of Inflectra's cutting-edge AI tools like the ChatGPT plugin and Azure Open AI platform, designed to streamline your testing process.
Whether you're a developer, tester, or QA professional, this webinar will give you valuable insights into how AI is shaping the future of software delivery.
Designing Great Products: The Power of Design and Leadership by Chief Designe...
Debunking The Myth: The CIO of SMB
1. Debunking The Myth:
The CIO of SMB
How do tech marketers pinpoint true decision makers in SMB?
By understanding what defines an SMB and who’s really calling the shots.
www.spiceworks.com/marketing
2. For tech marketers, it’s an all too familiar story: You’re faced
with a staggering number of companies in the SMB space
and the daunting task of reaching every last one of them. As
a result, your company often goes to great lengths to ensure
they’re “targeting SMBs.”
There appears to be a common misstep in how companies have
been carrying out their marketing approach: They assume that
reaching out to the CIOs of SMBs will do the trick. Sure, there are
a few exceptions, but when all is said and done, there are just not
enough CIOs of SMBs to warrant spending time and resources on
a lengthy marketing campaign.
What actually is an SMB? And who
manages their $800B annual IT wallet?
$
Since no two companies targeting SMBs define them in the same
way, let’s clear the air with a simple definition: SMBs are companies
having fewer than 1,000 employees. Simple as that! Spiceworks,
home to 2M IT pros, has a firm grasp on what that figure means
when it comes to purchasing power.
This leads us to a few global stats:
These 7M are the IT decision makers who are purchasing tech for
SMB-size organizations. This means that IT decision makers manage
purchasing for over 197M employees inside of 18M companies
worldwide. That’s an estimated $800 billion yearly spent on IT and
some serious buying clout.
Where to begin? Wrapping your brain around the scale of the SMB
market is a great starting place for tackling your new marketing
game plan. So first things first: let’s level set on what we mean by
organization size.
Debunking the myth: the cio of smb 1
3. The Home Office Market
(1 to 10 employees)
Starring: Your Friendly Neighbor, Fred
At the lower end of the SMB market, we typically find 1 to 10 employees
often referred to as small office/home office (aka SOHO). These folks
tend to purchase products from mass retail outlets (Best Buy/Walmart)
or online retail stores (Dell.com/Amazon.com) and then often seek out
help from IT-savvy friends or family members to set up and sometimes
maintain their computers/networks (Thanks, Fred!). MSPs and IT service
providers are playing in this space too and are providing expertise for a
number of companies just this size. These “smallest-of-the-small” usually
set a budget based on some driving event, such as a new employee or
upgrading obsolete equipment at the last possible moment.
The ‘S’ of the SMB Market
(10 to 250 employees)
Starring: The MSP & The IT Generalist
Picture your small neighborhood insurance office or vet clinic. These
are the typical small businesses that make up a large part of the
workforce around the globe, and where actual IT budgets (albeit small
ones!) start to take shape. Because they lack the buying power of large
companies, they’re extra careful about the dollars they spend. Don’t
look for a large IT department here – these organizations usually only
employ between 1 to 5 full-time IT pros. Not surprisingly, MSPs and
VARs play a large role in this segment by complementing technology
infrastructures or even running all of IT for them. That also goes for
purchasing. As a large number of products and services are acquired
through VARs/channel vendors, they trust these partners and have
cultivated very strong relationships with them.
2 Debunking the myth: the cio of smb
4. The ‘M’ of the SMB Market
(250 to 500 employees)
Starring: The IT Guru
As smaller companies evolve into bigger players in their industry,
they find themselves working harder to compete in the medium
business space. With an average, rather sizable IT budget of over
$1M annually, these SMBs have “staffed up” with an IT department
of 3 to 10 employees and sometimes even a VP of IT. They purchase
large amounts, if not all, of their products through VARs and DMRs. By
establishing trust in these partners and building mutually beneficial
relationships with them they are perfectly at ease asking their VAR reps
what products/brands they should purchase – and they usually run
with those recommendations. It goes without saying: Trust is priceless
in the IT world (almost as priceless as understanding who the real IT
decision makers are).
The Large SMB Market
(501 to 1,000 employees)
Starring: The VP of IT
The SMB “bulls-eye”: The fewest number of companies boasting the
largest IT budgets with IT organizations ranging from 5 to 20 people.
A VP of IT is not uncommon here but, as is the case in the medium
space, these VPs are known for getting their hands dirty alongside
their staff as they help put out IT fires within their organization.
SMBs in this space are using VARs and DMRs almost exclusively and
this is where we start to see solution-driven IT deployments. These
IT departments have larger-scale needs that may require on-site
contractors and special employees who set up/deploy systems and
move on to another large company opportunity.
Debunking the myth: the cio of smb 3
5. The Enterprise Market
(Over 1,000 employees)
Starring: The CIO
This is where the big dogs play, and they’re easy to track down and
network with. Sadly, this is where most IT vendors focus their efforts,
leaving the IT pros of true SMBs largely ignored. No love for the little
guy! Yeah, the CIO is here (as is the CISO, CTO, etc.), but then these are
not SMBs by any measure. Not surprisingly, tech vendors work directly
with these heavy hitters to purchase products, negotiate price, service
levels, etc.
A breakdown...
Home Office Small Medium Large Large Enterprise
Owners, Office Sys/Network Sys/Network Sys/Network CIO, VP of IT, IT
Managers Admin, IT Admin, IT Admin, IT Director
Director Director Director, VP of IT,
Team Leaders
People who keep the Often the only IT Often one of very One of many IT Often hard-to-reach,
business running. pro on staff. Highly few IT staff. Highly pros on staff with with gatekeepers
Typically not IT-savvy. knowledgeable knowledgeable influence on large preventing sales
and influential in and influential in purchases and contact. Passes
purchasing. purchasing. actively engaged in off review and
tech solutions for consideration of
company. technology to junior
staff .
4 Debunking the myth: the cio of smb
6. What’s a tech marketer to
From the Spiceworks Community
do now? IT decision makers sound off
Even as IT organizations grow (in staff and
responsibilities) the decision makers are What is a CIO? I am the IT guy
“downstream” where you’d like your brand to be. for our 250 person law firm in
Florida. Me and 2 other guys
Yes, the CEO, COO and sometimes the CIO are the decide what to buy.
ones who write the check, but don’t forget: While - Kevin C., IT Pro
the regular guys and gals in the IT department may
not have the power to say “yes,” they most certainly
do have the power to say “no” and are usually the
ones who shape the purchase discussion. Here’s Most of us ARE decision
what not to do: Focus on the CIO as the only makers… or at least TELL
the decision makers what to
decision maker and watch your sales plummet.
decide. That’s how it
works here.
Worry not – there’s an easy fix: Just pay attention - Paul C., IT Pro
to the large number of voices and influencers in
these IT departments when marketing and selling
tech products, services and solutions. Voila: tech
marketing at its finest! Through IT communities, Marketing to the C-Suite is
tech conferences, and informative newsletters you the move of someone who
can connect with these key players, speak to the knows their product isn’t
any good.
C-Level suite, and make your marketing and sales
- Scott M., IT Pro
efforts get more done.
I think what so many vendors
fail to realize is that while I, as
an IT professional, am not the
decision maker, I have two
very important roles: decision
influencer and gatekeeper.
If a vendor doesn’t convince
me, they don’t make it to the
decision maker… and [I] can
make or break most IT decisions.
- Justin D., IT Pro
Debunking the myth: the cio of smb 5
7. What’s my next move?
Glossary
We’re glad you asked! The next step is simple: Show IT
pros who are in the “trenches” of their IT departments SMB - Small and Medium Size Businesses:
that your company truly values “the little guy.” Because, Businesses with 1 to 1000 employees.
let’s face it, they can make a tremendous impact on how
VAR - Value Added Reseller: Vendor of IT
successful you are in the SMB space. products that provides additional services,
sometimes complementary and often built
We see it over and over again: Tech marketers focus their into contracts for larger purchases.
efforts on the “big fish” and bypass potential prospects
who actually call the purchasing shots. Frankly, the CIOs DMR - Direct Market Reseller: Also known as
an ‘e-tailer,’ is a company that sells directly to
of SMBs are few and far between. Should you come businesses without operating a storefront of
upon a rare one, chances are they’ll be heavily influenced any kind.
by (or defer to) the IT staffers you just overlooked. And
your competitor, who might know better, may just snag MSP - Managed Service Provider: Provides
the deal for themselves (ouch!). delivery and management of network-
based services, applications, and equipment
to businesses.
CIO - Chief Information Officer:
The person, typically in an enterprise,
responsible for the information
Ready to talk to the true IT decision makers? Get technology and computer systems that
in touch with us at spiceworks.com/marketing support enterprise goals; also known as the
Chief Information Services Officer (CISO)
and we’ll make sure you’re quickly engaging with
over 2M IT pros.
Spiceworks, as an IT management app and
a community of over 2M IT professionals,
provides a unique view, insight and path to
reaching more than 25% of the world’s SMBs.
Visit us at spiceworks.com/marketing to learn more and understand how to optimize your IT marketing with IT buyers.