The 451 Group announced in a press release (see below) that analyst industry veteran and ZDnet blogger Dan Kusnetzky (bio, Twitter, blog) has joined the firm as VP of Research Operations. In addition, Dan will launch 451’s cloud computing and virtualization research coverage. This fits in well with the work Dan was doing with his ZDnet blog (which will continue) and his boutique firm Kusnetzky Group (which will be shut down).
In February 2009, The 451 Group did go through a round of layoffs that affected analysts, executives, and back office staff. However, it is not a contradiction for it to be hiring at this time as technology companies frequently lay off and hire nearly at the same time in order to change the mix of skills.
SageCircle Technique:
- Vendors that are competing in the cloud computing and virtualization markets should immediately brief Dan to ensure that he is up-to-speed during his transition to The 451
- AR teams for whom Kusnetzky is relevant, should do a refresh of their analyst lists to see if Dan’s ranking is affected by his new employer
- Frequency of future briefings should be determined based on Kusnetzky’s ranking using established methodology and criteria
- AR teams and IT buyers should monitor The 451’s efforts to broaden market coverage
Tip o’ the hat to Barbara French for posting about this on the Tekrati Weblog.
Bottom Line: While this hire will not vault The 451 Group to the top of the analyst industry, it does show that it will continue to invest even during a recession. IT buyers and vendors should follow 451’s future moves to see if it is successful in broadening its research coverage and increasing its influence.
Question: AR – What is your impression of The 451 Group? Are any of its analysts ranked high enough to fall in the Tier 1 range? IT managers/buyers – Have you purchased 451’s services? What was your experience like?
Dan Kusnetzky Appointed Vice President, Research Operations, to Accelerate Cloud Computing Thrust for The 451 Group
Independent Analyst Firm Adds Well-Known Analyst and Thought Leader to Senior Management Team
NEW YORK, June 4, 2009 – The 451 Group has appointed Dan Kusnetzky, 25-year veteran analyst and leader of ZDNet’s Virtually Speaking blog, to head up its research operations. As Vice President, Research Operations, Mr. Kusnetzky will initially accelerate The 451 Group’s cloud computing and virtualization practices, and will direct overall 451 coverage.
“Our clients rely on us to provide straight talk about who wins and who loses as a result of disruptive changes in IT,” said Martin V. McCarthy, Chief Executive Officer of The 451 Group. “And cloud computing is one of the most profound changes we have seen in two decades. Dan’s addition will be key to helping us assess the viability of these and other emerging segments for vendors, investors, bankers and technology end users.”
Dan Kusnetzky brings The 451 Group more than three decades of industry experience. Before joining the senior team of The 451 Group, Kusnetzky was Principal Analyst at KG LLC. Prior to that, he was Executive Vice President of Corporate and Marketing Strategy for Open-Xchange, a software company that provides open-source collaborative solutions. Kusnetzky also spent 12 years at International Data Corporation (IDC), four of them as Vice President of System Software Research. During this time, he led an extended team of 16 analysts and created an industry-leading research practice based on both quantitative and qualitative analysis.
Prior to that, Kusnetzky spent 16 years with Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC), where he was responsible for program and product management and marketing in the areas of client software, server software, and clustered and networked systems, and he had the responsibility of being the Intel/UNIX Business Manager.
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