Introducing the Enterprise Advocates

3 years ago, Dennis Howlett and I along with a few others formed the Enterprise Irregulars. A tribute to Sherlock Holmes, it showed us how a motley group could use emerging tools of blogging, and RSS and Twitter and new media channels like ZDNet develop a following in technology world.  While staying loyal to our individual employers and businesses.

Today, we are joining a few others in announcing the Enterprise Advocates. It has a narrower set of credentials – none of us work for a technology vendor unlike in the EIs. And it has a narrower mission – we want to speak out primarily for the enterprise technology buyer.

We think the time is right. Technology vendors spend 20 to 50% of their revenues in sales and marketing. Give or take that is a trillion dollars a year. The buyer’s voice is often drowned in that roar. 

It may be the equivalent of peeing in that wind of vendor self-promotion, but the 5 of us have a track record of doing so. Dennis Howlett, who most readers know, is a certified curmudgeon. Ray Wang, who recently left Forrester, is well known for his Software Buyer’s Bill of Rights. Frank Scavo, who has run a  consulting and research firm for years, typifies independence with his quote “Just cuz you're SaaS doesn't mean you get a pass!". Oliver Marks is bringing rational, business results-oriented perspectives to the young world of social media and collaboration.

So you will see webinars, advisory services, blogs and more from us. Our individual firms bring a wide range of experiences and locations and we plan to offer more joint services.

But the key focus is to be Jiminy Crickets to a market whose nose keeps getting longer with that annual trillion dollar spend.