From: Freeform Dynamics
Sent: 24 April 2009 13:36
To: Freeform Dynamics
Subject: Community Research Roundup - April 2009
Attachments: image002.emz; oledata.mso
Welcome to the April 2009 edition of the Freeform Dynamics 'Community Research Roundup'.
The following reports have been added to our website and are now available for free download:
Information Management in the Retail Sector
Practical strategies to drive business decision making
Given that retail is the market where real-time decision making is catalysed by knowledge, it is more important than ever to ensure that demands on information can be met, notably cohesion, consistency and delivery of the right information to the right people. However, many organisations are living with older IT systems and fragmented sources of data. This paper considers criteria to review an information management strategy, and offers practical advice for retail organisations wanting to take stock and build on where they are today.
Download link: http://www.freeformdynamics.com/fullarticle.asp?aid=591
Application Platforms
The State of Play
Across IT, we are currently witnessing a consolidation of application capabilities into more coherent platforms which can be used across IT systems. This paper considers the current state of play, in terms of which capabilities are seen as central to the platform and what benefits can result. It also asks where opportunities might exist to deploy such a foundation, such that potential benefits can be realised. For individual organisations these will depend on specific criteria such as the diversity of their existing infrastructure, the level of formality involved, and the constraints that exist around deployment.
Download link: http://www.freeformdynamics.com/fullarticle.asp?aid=593
Taking stock of the IT environment
Practical steps towards infrastructure optimisation
Given the nature of IT today, it can be tough to step back from the coalface and consider the value that it brings to the business as a whole. In this paper we consider how IT and business leaders take practical steps towards improving the organisation’s ability to deliver its services. Whether you’re setting budgets or simply need a starting point to help you think about improving the way that IT supports the business, this paper provides practical tips learned from the field.
Download link: http://www.freeformdynamics.com/fullarticle.asp?aid=599
Interested in more?
The above are just some examples of recent reports. You can browse our full library of research here:
http://www.freeformdynamics.com/researchanalysis.asp?searchFor=[REPORTS]
We also encourage you to check out our 2-3 page ‘Inside Track’ research notes and some of the many opinion pieces written by our analyst team for media partners such as The Register, Computing, CIO Online, Silicon, IT-Director, SmallBizPod and others. Here are some links to a selection of recent material that may be of interest:
Recent ‘Inside Track’ research notes
How to ensure a smooth converged comms transition
It’s all in the planning
http://www.freeformdynamics.com/pdf/insidetrack/2009/09-04-Coverged-Comms.pdf
Mobile operators drive for customer centricity
But cultural, process and systems challenges prevail
http://www.freeformdynamics.com/pdf/insidetrack/2009/09-02-Mobile-operators.pdf
Joining the dots of business communications
The need for a balanced and coordinated approach
http://www.freeformdynamics.com/pdf/insidetrack/2009/09-01-Business-communications.pdf
CRM Promise and Practicality for the Smaller Business
Blending the right approach with the right solutions
http://www.freeformdynamics.com/pdf/insidetrack/2009/09-01-CRM-Promise.pdf
Recent analyst opinion pieces
Applications, languages, and tools in 2008-9
Jon Collins, published on The Register
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/04/13/software_dev_snapshot/
Align green and business strategy, or fail
David Tebbutt, published on IT -Director
http://www.it-director.com/blogs/Teblog/2009/4/align_green_and_business_strategy__.html
Josie Sephton, published on Computing
http://freeform.computing.co.uk/2009/04/mobile-tv-whos-watching.html
The eroding enterprise boundary
Tony Lock, published on The Register
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/03/12/eroding_enterprise_boundary/
Are Apple and Sony worth the price premium?
Dale Vile, published on The Register
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/02/26/tech_panel_notebook_poll_results/
Martin Atherton, published on Silicon
http://management.silicon.com/itdirector/0,39024673,39408675,00.htm
Slide Presentations
Here’s a sneak preview of slide presentations soon to come to the Freeform Website:
Virtualisation - The State of Play
By Jon Collins
Cloud Computing - From myth to reality
By Jon Collins
Please visit www.freeformdynamics.com for more research notes, articles and blogs.
You can also find us here on 
In the meantime, we hope the above is of interest. We try to keep everything we do practical, useful and grounded in the real world view we maintain from our continuous primary research activities. In this spirit, we are always interested in receiving feedback, whether you agree with our analysis or not. So, if you’d like to tell us what you think, send an email to analysts@freeformdynamics.com.
Best regards
Linsey Berry
Publications Manager
(on behalf of the Freeform Dynamics research team)
publications@freeformdynamics.com