In this day and age, independent IT research and analysis (R&A) has become something of an oxymoron. Since the mid 1990s, R&A service providers have served the interests of the vendor community almost to the exclusion of the business technology consumer.

Part of the explanation is, of course, financial. Vendors themselves have become the largest customers of most service providers and even the leading R&A houses depend upon vendor service contract renewals for their business survival.

While this situation has not led so much to the blatant endorsement of the wares of key vendor clients by reputable providers (though there have certainly been some cases of paid endorsements, the vendor-analyst nexus has had the effect of dumbing down research itself. For example, one thing that is almost entirely missing is comparative evaluations of competing products. Think about it: if competing vendors are both important clients, the R&A house risks losing one account or the other if it releases a test-based report that favors one or the other.

As a consequence, technology consumers report that they no longer use R&A services to advise their acquisitions. Instead, they make their own technology decisions, then peruse the R&A literature to find a favorable report about the product they have already chosen: there is always at least one analyst who has given any product a positive review! The analyst review is an afterthought, a proof point to present to management when the decision maker builds his or her case for acquisition approval. Most vendors make equally cynical use of R&A services. Many report that, while they don't actually believe the findings of the R&A services, they use their findings just the same - to bolster their own arguments as though they have been confirmed by independent sources.

Given the enormous sums of money that organizations are spending on technology today, combined with the generally poor return on investment that most consumers are realizing from their acquisitions and most vendors are realizing from their development work, it is clear that a new model for independent research and analysis is needed.

The new model must deliver guidance that has tangible value, as demonstrated by the bottom line of profit and gain. Service providers need to be held accountable for their guidance, just as vendors need to be held accountable for their product value and consumers for their internal IT services.

At Toigo Partners International, this is a responsibility that we have made into our corporate philosophy.

OUR UNIQUE "DEMAND-SIDE" FOCUS

Toigo Partners International provides research based on a combination of consumer interviews and laboratory testing. We focus on "demand side" rather than "supply side" information, leaving it to our competitors to count numbers of switch ports and volumes of product shipped.

Our customers are also our partners in a very real sense, contributing their "in-the-trenches" experience with products and sharing their requirements with us. Through this dialog, we are able to discern the actual technology needs of the consumer rather than reporting what the vendor community wants those needs to be. Our model builds on that of Consumer Reports and Underwriter Testing Laboratory and our insights are delivered currently in the form of a unique, web-based, subscriber portal, www.it-sense.org, complemented by a burgeoning set of targeted electronic and print media newsletters.

TPI also performs special research projects at the customer request, always with the proviso that the information gathered will go into a centralized repository of information available to the subscriber community as a whole.

We are finding that both technology consumers and vendors share an interest in our reviews and commentary. We hope that this signals the beginning of a greater consumer focus among those who develop technology products and we regard TPI as the vanguard of a consumer revolution in information technology.

SUBSCRIBING TO IT-SENSE DECISION SUPPORT SERVICES

Toigo Partners International is dedicated to supporting technology consumers with unbiased and actionable information on trends in data management and data protection techniques and solutions. Your options, as a technology consumer, include purchasing an annualized subscription to our burgeoning decision-maker community, IT-Sense (www.it-sense.org), where you will have free access to a selection of newsletters and reports created by TPI, or purchasing individual newsletters and reports from our IT-Sense Visitor Area. Reports and newsletter issues can also be purchased individually, if you are seeking one-time access to targeted data.

General Membership the IT-Sense Community and Free Access to Select TPI Reports and Newsletters:

Individual (single access profile): $240 US per year Corporate (up to ten access profiles): $2000 US per year

Select Annual Newsletter Subscriptions:

Individual: $50 - $1,200 per year depending on the newsletter All Newsletters: $3,600 per year

Individual Newsletter Issues, White Papers, and Special Research Reports:

"Pay per drink" Priced per item

Client-Directed Research and On-Site Briefings:

In addition to our electronic and print publishing, TPI also offers on-site briefings and client-directed research. These projects are priced on a per engagement basis and provide a real-time insight into research-in-progress, as well as an opportunity to interact with a TPI advisor directly to obtain relevant insights within your business context.

ADVISORY SERVICES FOR INVESTORS AND VENDORS

Toigo Partners International is frequently asked to provide input to vendors about end user requirements in a particular market segment, or to investors who are evaluating financial opportunities with respect to start-ups, mergers and acquisitions. We are delighted to consult in these matters because we believe that a careful consideration of end user problems and needs is paramount to developing and delivering to market technology that makes sense and delivers business value.

Whether you are seeking a fresh perspective, based upon an honest and factual assessment of real world business technology requirements, or a no-holds-barred perspective on the current competitive technology landscape, TPI Advisory Services may be just what you are seeking.

Pricing begins at $1500 per day, including travel days and preparation time. Travel expenses are billed separately.