Just How Loyal Are You To The Companies That Provide Your Tech?
from the mixed-bag dept
While there are plenty of different ways to judge a company's prospects, one interesting element to look at is how "loyal" buyers are. Of course, loyalty may be tough to judge, and simply buying from a company (even repeatedly) doesn't necessarily show loyalty -- as a buyer may end up buying regrettably because there's nothing else available. However, here's a study of corporate IT buyers, where the folks behind the study go out and talk to various buyers to get a real sense of where their loyalties lie, and it suggests which companies might be vulnerable on loyalty. While Dell, Microsoft, Cisco and Oracle scored well (almost all of which may surprise some people), Apple, Intel and PeopleSoft faired poorly (which, again, is likely to surprise people). Of course, more details would be useful in determining what the real issues are. Loyalty can be a function of a variety of things, but it's interesting to see so many often-criticized companies on the "good" list, and so many companies that have good reputations on the "bad" list.
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Only surprised it took this long to get tired of Intel. Their technology has been lagging edge for a while and they've pretty much relied on the 'fear factor' of someone elses products not working with the WINTEL standard. AMD is blowing them away on technology and banging on all cyclinders while intel has had miscue after miscue. Eventually, you're bound to look elsewhere. One of the reason's people have stayed loyal to Dell, Cisco, and Oracle is they haven't had any major stumbles nor has anyone offered a significant reason to to look elsewhere. Like Microsoft, all three are in the enviable position of being an 'almost' monopoly and CIO/CTOs seldom venture away from the 800 lb gorilla's ... Microsoft loyality really doesn't count as they are pretty much the only game in town (linux rocks but it's not on the same court of play .. yet). As for Apple and Peoplesoft being on the 'not favored' status, apple is probably there based on who was asked (most CIO/CTOs would love to make apple disappear from their landscapes) and the Oracle hostile bid of Peoplesoft and Peoplesofts poor handling of it has cast a negative light on the company for the time being.
I think it's pretty much fair to say that with the big companies it's more about momentum than Loyalty.
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Study of IT buyers indeed
If this study is conducted like most of the studies and surveys I get asked to take in corporate IT, the results are largely meaningless. They will relate to brand and visibility in the workplace and personal preference. Microsoft, Dell, Cisco: brand and/or high visibility. Apple's visisibility in corporate? Near zero, despite good tech and software and a brand. Intel has brand too and makes some good products, but it makes components inside a Dell, has dropped many of its accessory products, and so has no visibility despite the little 'inside' stickers. Busy IT professionals don't participate in most studies; pointy-haired bosses who want a free coffee mug do, and the results usually reflect that.
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not
I'm as loyal to a company as it is to it's employees.
Which turns out to be not at all.
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