Jeff Kaplan is a globally recognized technology industry analyst and founder of Cloud Showplace, a directory of 2,000+ cloud companies. He is hosting the Connected Cloud Summit at the State Room in Boston on September 18.
Question 1: How do you define ‘digital strategy’?
“Digital strategy is the ability to engage with customers and partners online in an ongoing and compelling fashion which produces new business opportunities and more profitable revenues.”
Question 2: What are the three most significant digital trends that will define 2014?
- “B2B social networking.
- Business-driven analytics for sales, marketing and support.
- New business opportunities created by the Internet of Things (IoT).”
Question 3: What kind of mobile device(s) do you have, and what are your three favorite apps?
“I use the Samsung Galaxy 4 and rely on LinkedIn, Twitter and Google for apps. The importance of my other apps is situation-driven.”
Question 4: Why should people care about THINKstrategies and Cloud Showplace?
“THINKstrategies is the only strategic consulting firm that was created to focus entirely on the business implications of the shift in the software and technology industry from product-centric to services-driven solutions. Our expertise is based on over 30 years of experience and hundreds of client interactions. The Cloud Computing Showplace is the largest, vendor-independent, online directory and best practice resource center in the industry. It has over 2,300 company listings divided into over 90 application, industry, technology and service categories. It is an easy-to-use tool to find SaaS, PaaS and laaS providers and partners.”
Question 5: What advice do you have for aspiring digital professionals?
“Become involved in the various local and industry groups focused on digital marketing. Develop a ‘digital first’ approach which takes advantage of B2B and B2C best practices. Select your digital strategy solution providers based on their functional capabilities, track record of success, financial viability and ability to integrate together to ensure interoperability. Most importantly, measure your results. This means building analytics into every aspect of your digital initiatives.”
For more information about Jeff Kaplan, visit the Cloud Showplace website, follow him on Twitter (@ThinkStrategies), or check him out on LinkedIn. Or, you can meet him in-person at his Connected Cloud Summit at the State Room in Boston on September 18.
