Around Pim Bilderbeek from The METISfiles in 10 questions

Today’s featured analyst is Pim Bilderbeek (@pbilderbeek), ex-IDC, now running independent analyst firm The METISfiles (@metisfiles, blog) together with Marcel Warmerdam and Simone de Bruin (both ex-IDC as well).

1. What are your coverage areas?
The METISfiles covers three themes: Elastic Enterprise, Connected Worker and Partner Ecosystems. I am principal analyst for the Elastic Enterprise theme. My colleagues Marcel Warmerdam and Simone de Bruin cover the Connected Worker and Partner Ecosystem themes respectively. These connected themes, each influenced by innovation in technology, represent the foundation of our research programme.
Elastic Enterprise is about on-demand consumption of IT and Telecoms. Connected Worker covers changes in worker technology, workflow and employer-worker relationships. Partner Ecosystemexplores how ICT vendor channel, alliance, and partner strategies are changing and adapting to accommodate on-demand ICT consumption by elastic enterprises and connected workers.

2. What are your opinions of the IT Analysis Marketplace and where do you see it going?
There will remain a couple of big firms and a lot of smaller ones. The reach of smaller firms will increase through alliances and independent analyst networks. The big firms will get bigger through acquiring those small firms that managed to get to a decent size. It will be easier than ever to extend your reach as an independent analyst with the help of social networking. It will be harder than ever to get your message heard in the cacophony of opinions out on the net.

3. What’s your typical day like?
A typical day would start in the home office with a social networking and communications session, checking out what’s new, responding to queries, and getting the message out. After that a videoconference with my partners to discuss upcoming research,  customers and any other business. This is followed by research and consulting work, for instance blog writing, calling on vendors, customers or IT users, and analysis. The day ends with another social networking and communications session. In between, I walk the dog, pick up the guitar to strum a few chords to get inspiration, or head out to an offsite meeting or presentation.

4. Now, c’mon, tell me an AR horror story?
Sorry mate, no horror stories here.

5. How do you position your firm? What is your business model?
The METISfiles has a freemium model. There will be plenty free opinion and research for both vendors and users available on our blog pages and through our business, media, and research partners. We will get our main funding from the vendor community through selling consulting and syndicated research.

6. What is your research methodology?
Primary qualitative and quantitative research with vendors and qualitative research with users.  We are planning to either partner with a firm that does quantitative user research or launch our own effort. 60 years of combined analyst experience, gives us the skills to provide compelling insights.

7. Tell us about one good AR practice you’ve experienced or one good AR event you’ve attended.
I always enjoyed the annual European Cisco analyst events. A good mix of business, social networking, and musical expression.

8. What are your offerings and key deliverables?
Our blog (branded METISbytes) is available for free. At the moment we have 6 major research reports planned for the 2nd half of 2011, of which 2 in each content (theme) area. We have a custom research and consulting practice for vendors that covers customer wants and needs, value proposition and messaging, market analysis and competitive intelligence, and channel alliance and partnering.

9. Any hobbies or favourite restaurant / food that you’d like to share?
Playing loud and obnoxious electric guitar solos at analyst events with my mate Martin Hingley (@mhingley) from analyst firm ITCandor.

10. What is your biggest challenges for the upcoming 6 months? And for the next 30 mn?
Next 6 months: building up the business and the research portfolio and getting the message out. Next 30 minutes: polishing this profile!