Ovum collaborative intelligence promises new analyst approach

So says Ovum research fellow Jonathan Yarmis, adding: "The IT analyst industry, overall, has been approximately flat for a decade due to failure meeting these needs." Yarmis suggests that, while existing IT advisory firms focus on technology, the new Ovum, as part of analyst Datamonitor, fields more than 500 business and ICT analysts able to advise on both industry and technology issues for the first time. "Analyst firms without an extensive business analysis community will always produce research that is narrow, technically focused and lacking genuine business alignment," he says. Analysts at the likes of Gartner and AMR will pour scorn on that notion – as will the dozens of ICT and business consultants all around the world that currently assist manufacturing businesses large and small with projects that invariably involve business, ICT and production strategy and tactics. Nevertheless, Ovum, which also includes the old Butler Group brand, is toughing it out, with statements such as: "Ovum's Collaborative Intelligence harness vertical market expertise including retail, utilities, pharmaceuticals, FMCG, financial services, media and broadcasting, public sector and manufacturing – with expertise in software, IT services, enterprise IT management and telecoms." They even wheeled out Gideon Gartner, the founder of the ICT advisory business, saying: "The technology industry has changed and business people are now more deeply involved and that [sic] research and advice which addresses the needs of business management will be increasingly valuable." Tellingly, Mark Meek, managing director of Ovum and CEO of Datamonitor, says: "The three brands of Butler Group, Datamonitor Technology and Ovum all had great reputations, but we knew that they would be better together." Not least because that's probably the only way they will survive in these austere times.