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Quarterly Tech Brief - Your Canadian digital resiliency guide for the post-pandemic era
June 2021 Editor's Comments There's cautious optimism brewing in Canada as we enter the Summer months. Life-saving vaccines are finally getting into the arms of millions of Canadians and the COVID-19 case counts are starting to decline. We can see a path to the national and provincial economies opening again very soon. What does all of this mean for Canadian businesses and organizations? Hopefully, you've weathered the worst of the pandemic storm, and are coming out of it stronger and more prepared for the digital era that lies ahead. Although the pandemic forced many Canadian organizations further along their digital transformation journey than they had planned out of necessity, it appears that those digital preferences will continue over the foreseeable future. In this edition of IDC Canada's Quarterly Tech Brief, we explore more real-life best practice digital transformation stories from Canadian CIOs and technology leaders through our recent and upcoming events. We also reveal the most up-to-date Canadian survey results, market forecasts and market trends through our new research reports, blogs and IDC Directions Canada event. Finally, we explore IDC's new Digital Resiliency Framework to help organizations evaluate their readiness, risks and prioritize technology projects. Find out why so many organizations trust IDC to be their technology research advisor through this sampling of our research. FEATURED: Looking for ideas on how to simplify your own company's digital transformation journey or those of your customers? Join us on June 16! Hear from industry-leading tech executives in the June session of our IDC CIO Panel Series, Accelerate & Simplify Your Canadian Digital Transformation Journey. This CIO Panel Series is designed to help you better enhance your digital strategy programs and understand your customers to deliver more impactful experiences. In this 90-minute live webinar, you’ll learn about the impact of the pandemic in major industry sectors in Canada, digital resiliency trends, and new customer expectations. You’ll also hear best practices from Canadian IT leaders as they unpack how 2020 accelerated their digital transformation journey, and what we should be prioritizing in 2021. Check out the stellar CIO panelist lineup and save your virtual seat for June 16. It's going to be a fabulous event - register now to save your spot. Stay tuned for information on our next CIO Panel Session in September. Your Canadian Research Checklist Here are some of our most popular Canadian reports of the quarter to help you understand changing market conditions and succeed in 2021. ✓ Canadian Tech Market Update: 2021 Outlook ✓ IDC Survey: Canadian Organizations on the Road to Recovery Revisited ✓ Brand Perceptions of Managed Security Service Providers in Canada, 2021 ✓ East Meets West: Canada's Rogers Communications Agrees to Buy Shaw Communications ✓ Canadian Communication Services Market Shares, 2020: Who's Who in the Zoo 20 IDC THOUGHT LEADERSHIP: NEW FRAMEWORKS Explore IDC's new Digital Resiliency Framework IDC’s digital resiliency framework shows CEOs, CIOs, and other business leaders how technology can support the entire organization through the different stages of any business crisis. Understanding the Digital Resiliency Framework is critical not just for organizations working to improve their resiliency, but for their technology partners as well. IDC recognizes the challenges organizations are looking to solve and can help demonstrate how technology solutions can help overcome these obstacles in our new eBook: IDC THOUGHT LEADERSHIP: BLOG HIGHLIGHTS Enabling Digitally Resilient Organizations in Canada: A New Approach - Learn how to leverage IDC's new framework to help your customers thrive in the next normal with IDC Canada's George Bulat. Read More → Cloud Adoption and Usage is Growing in Canada, But Cloud Maturity is Not -Explore how cloud adoption and maturity have changed in Canada during the pandemic with IDC Canada’s Jason Bremner. Read More → Growing at the Edge - In 2024, the Canadian edge computing market will reach C$7.5 Billion. Explore what’s driving growth in edge computing and the opportunities it offers to end-users and tech suppliers with IDC Canada’s Tarun Bhasin. Read More → Consumer Device Refresh Rates – Why Demographics & Psychographics Matter PC & tablet refresh rates were lower in 2021 than in past years. See how consumer demographics and psychographics contextualize refresh rates with IDC’s David Myhrer. Read More → ICYMI: IDC DIRECTIONS 2021 CANADA Didn't get a chance to attend our IDC Directions Canada 2021 virtual event live back in April? Now's your chance to catch up on our uniquely Canadian perspectives. On the afternoon of April 22, IDC's thought leaders, Rick Villars, Tony Olvet, Megha Kumar, Nigel Wallis, and Jason Bremner presented their expert insights, intelligence, and guidance for finding success in the next normal. Learn about the future enterprise, digital resiliency, digital innovation, and the future of digital infrastructure in this session. Watch Now On-Demand → ICYMI: IDC FIRESIDE CHAT: CREATING SEAMLESS CONTENT EXPERIENCES Did you miss this insightful webinar on streamlining your content experiences a few weeks ago? Now’s your chance to catch up! The live IDC Fireside Chat webinar may be over, but you can still watch this enlightening event on-demand. Hear Barry Hensch, SVP & Head of Technology Enablement at ATB Financial, share his content management successes and challenges and why they're critical to senior IT leaders in Canada. While Barry’s experiences and tips steal the show, you can also hear insights from IDC Canada’s cloud and collaboration expert, Megha Kumar and seasoned content management leader, Varun Parmar as they share insights to help you move forward on your path to seamless digital experiences in the post-pandemic era. Watch Now On-Demand → Thanks for reading this IDC Quarterly Tech Brief Newsletter. Don’t forget to subscribe to be notified quarterly when the next issue comes out.
Maple Report - May 2021 Edition
May 2021 Welcome to our second edition of The Maple Report. This quarterly newsletter is designed to keep Canadian technology executives updated on the latest trends, market research, events and valuable resources from IDC Canada's expert analysts. In this edition, we want to show you how IDC can help Canadian executives like yourself make important technology decisions. We also want to invite you to our upcoming events and give you a sample of some of our thought leadership through our IDC blog. We hope you find these insights practical to help propel your business into a more resilient digital enterprise. Trust IDC to be your research partner in 2021. We welcome your thoughts about this newsletter. Please send them to askIDC@idccanada.com. HOW CAN IDC HELP YOU? IDC PeerScapes – Helping You Find Technology Best Practices An IDC PeerScape minimizes your missteps by identifying peer business practices worthy of emulating or avoiding, increasing the likelihood of positive impacts from a technology initiative. To assist your organization finding technology best practices, IDC publishes dozens of IDC PeerScape reports. Similar to IDC MarketScapes that we explored in the last edition of The Maple Report, IDC PeerScapes sit on the Engage part of our IDC DecisionScape framework , and include reports to help you launch, evaluate and optimize new technology initiatives. The report outlines key challenges your peers encountered when implementing a specific technology initiative, as well as key insights your peers learned along the way. IDC PeerScapes help you to increase the likelihood of a tech initiative’s success by giving you insight into best practices (and practices to avoid) through specific use case examples implemented by your peers who have already led a similar technology initiative. These documents can help your organization recreate successful implementations of technology and help you mitigate risk. To help you understand the value of these reports, we have included here our IDC PeerScape: Practices for Including Cloud Services into Outsourcing Contracts in Canada report. In it, you'll find Best practices from three areas of cloud adoption are discussed in the document: security, cost management, and skills gap. Companies created security checklists to mitigate security risks and retain control of security when working with external vendors. They also filled the skills gap and minimized cost unpredictability by collaborating with their outsourcing service providers. VIRTUAL EVENTS FOR IT EXECUTIVES IDC Fireside Chat | Content Cloud as a Critical Component of Virtual Work May 19, 2021 | 2:00 pm ET Does your organization have a holistic view of your customers when they contact you for assistance? Are your security protocols on your content systems up to snuff with your virtual workforce? Is your content customized for the different employee roles? If any of these content challenges sound familiar to your organization, then you need to attend this webinar to provide a seamless content experience for your customers and your employees. On our next webinar for Canadian technology executives on May 19th at 2pm ET, we'll hear how ATB Financial's Barry Hensch conquered multiple content management challenges to provide seamless experiences in its virtual workplace during a fireside chat with IDC's Megha Kumar. Walk away with a better understanding of what Cloud Content Management entails, why it's important to manage your content effectively and how you can leverage it to prosper in the digital future. Confirmed Speakers: Megha Kumar: Director, Software & Cloud Services, IDC Canada Barry Hensch: SVP & Head of Technology Enablement, ATB Financial Varun Parmar: SVP & Chief Product Officer, Box IDC CIO Panel Series | Accelerate & Simplify Your Canadian Digital Transformation Journey June 16, 2021 | 2:00pm ET Our IDC Canada research indicates that many Canadian organizations are not where they need to be yet to thrive in the digital economy. If you think your organization could benefit from simplifying and accelerating your digital transformation efforts, then you need to attend this upcoming webinar on June 16 at 2pm ET. Join this virtual webinar to understand where Canadian organizations are on their respective digital transformation journeys, what types of projects were accelerated as a result of the pandemic and what impact it had on Canadian industries. Then hear from our all-Canadian CIO panel on how they've stickhandled the impact of the pandemic at their organizations to set themselves up for future success in the digital economy. Learn what you need from your peers to get your organization moving in the right direction. Confirmed Speakers: Tony Olvet: Group VP, Research, IDC Canada Nigel Wallis: Research VP, IoT & Industries, IDC Canada Catherine Chick: SVP, IT, Canada Goose Pamela Pelletier: Canada Country Manager, Dell Technologies IDC THOUGHT LEADERSHIP HIGHLIGHTS DID YOU KNOW? You Can Get Actionable Research, KPIs, Benchmarks & Best Practices with IDC IDC Canada's IT Executive Programs (IEP) make it easy to access the relevant technology research and advice you need to make data-driven decisions as you lead your organization into the digital future. Get in touch today to learn more or visit our IT Executive Portal to learn more. IT EXECUTIVE RESOURCES Set Your Future IT Roadmap with IDC IT leaders need to rethink what is critical and evaluate where the organization stands as they manage complex changes. For strategies on transforming your organization's IT, read the new eBook from IDC: Future IT: Operating System of the Future Enterprise.
With 2018 in full swing there’s no sign that the issue of fake news is going away. In fact, it continues to plague major social platforms such as Facebook as well as the traditional media players. This erosion of trust begs the question – how can we ensure the right experts on important topics are at the center of the conversation? If your organization has experts, there is a silver lining. There has never been a more important time for experts – the real ones – not the “fake it till you make it” collection of posers and promoters that have read a blog on personal branding. We’re talking about the people who have put in their 10,000 hours of researching, building and publishing. Presenting your top people in a more visible, engaging and approachable way presents huge opportunities for you to build trust and deepen relationships with a variety of audiences, including customers and partners – not just the media. However, to really capitalize, you have to look closely at how audiences interact with your expert content. Based on our work with thousands of experts and their organizations, we’ve prepared a list of key trends and predictions you need to watch if you’re a communications and digital media professional. Trend 1: Organizations are measuring their “Internal Bench Strength”. The power behind any organization is its people, but many organizations fall short in taking stock of their roster of experts who are capable of building voice and reputation with key audiences. Communicators are increasingly turning to internal pulse surveys and annual assessments that better identify competencies, professional interests and attitudes across the organization. Smart organizations are using surveys to create an efficient roster of internal experts and match them to the news cycle. Identifying a “core group” of go-to experts who will best benefit from programs such as media training and carefully mapping key topics to experts will ensure the organization is aligned to support communications objectives – both for proactive story development and responding quickly to breaking news opportunities. Trend 2: Organizations are starting to function more like newsrooms. As newsrooms in the print and broadcast world continue to be streamlined and downsized, organizations can play a key role in helping journalists by making relevant content and credible sources more accessible. Incorporating better search features that allow journalists to quickly find experts using simple keyword searches is an important starting point. Showcasing experts in the context of key news events in a content hub with interesting story angles are increasing in popularity Trend 3: Next generation newsroom platforms will change how media find expert sources. Journalists have a challenging role today amidst a backdrop of fake news and increasing cynicism about the credibility and sources of information. They still have the same day deadlines, but with an increased responsibility to get the story right, so reliable sources are critical to their success. So it’s not surprising that journalists, television bookers and producers are gravitating to solutions that make it easier for them to discover, evaluate and connect with expert sources. We recently integrated our ExpertFile global directory into the Associated Press newsroom software which is used by thousands of print, broadcast and digital newsrooms around the world. The AP, as the world’s leading news organization, recognizes the pressures that publishers and broadcasters are under. They are committed to technology advances that help news organizations. Few journalists have the time to rummage around in poorly designed corporate websites and university faculty directories looking for the best expert. And if you think it’s just junior reporters using these online tools think again. We’re seeing seasoned journalists from top media outlets including The New York Times, CNN, Time Magazine, NBC, The Washington Post, the BBC, NPR Radio and the CBC making regular use of the ExpertFile platform. The bottom line: If you aren’t thinking about broader distribution of your expert content beyond your website you are missing out. Trend 4: New search technologies are helping organizations cut through the content clutter. Searching for the right person based on attributes such as key topics, publications, or geography inside an organization remains a challenge – even for those organizations that have invested heavily in content management solutions and intranet platforms. The organic and onsite search user experience has become a top issue for marketing and IT teams. Audiences who have been spoiled by “Google-like simplicity” expect to find relevant information, or they’re gone within seconds. That’s why many organizations are investing in new search technologies powered by machine learning to provide faster discovery and connections with their subject-matter experts. Last year we built Elasticsearch features right into our platform to save our clients the time and money of doing this for themselves. Search remains one of the biggest opportunities to quickly drive more market attention and audience engagement, as well as to improve internal collaboration between experts. Trend 5: Video will continue to outperform all other forms of content. There’s nothing quite like video to drive the value of owned content. But remember that video is becoming essential to boosting earned media. We’re continually impressed by the new research that continues to emerge on the power of video content. Last fall, LinkedIn reported audience engagement numbers for its new video feed feature that showed 20 times more engagement for video vs. all other forms of content on its platform. As more audiences demand video content, so does the demand in television newsrooms for broadcast-ready experts. That’s why we also partnered with Dejero to help broadcasters who use their platform to search for experts suitable for interviews. If you are looking to get more television coverage, then you have to invest some of your budget on video to showcase your experts. We predict that the most successful organizations will adopt a video-centric approach to storytelling, creating snackable multimedia content that connects with a range of audiences. Many marketers are overthinking video as something requiring a massive production with a big annual shoot”. That doesn’t work for audiences such as journalists who are feeding a real-time news cycle. Our simple advice – look carefully at your video strategy and identify opportunities to use video across your digital properties in areas such as your homepage, media room and even landing pages. We’re interested to hear how your organization is capitalizing on these trends to better promote your experts to key audiences. For more information on how ExpertFile can help your organization incorporate the latest software and services innovations into your thought leadership and expert marketing strategies please drop us a line at dtaenzer@expertfile.com.
Next Level Thought Leadership and Content Marketing
We are entering an era of elevated thought leadership. Thought Leadership often focuses on a select few in an organization and misses opportunities to showcase everything your organization has to offer. It’s rarely scalable, often expensive and almost always wagers on a small pool of topics in any given quarter. The fact is that you have more expertise operating behind the scenes than you’re showing off. Enter Expertise Marketing, the next generation of content marketing. Opening up a world of new opportunities, here is how Expertise Marketing stacks up against more traditional thought leadership programs. SCOPE Inclusive vs Exclusive Expertise Marketing is designed to engage a diverse set of experts throughout the organization. It focuses on broader coverage of relevant topics that engage a wider variety of audiences and expand your opportunities for valuable connections. Thought Leadership programs tends to focus on fewer select experts. Often designed as a bespoke program aimed at involving only senior executives. TIMING Sustained vs Campaign Focussed Expertise Marketing creates a sustained digital presence that leverages the content that experts are producing across the organization and distributes it across a range of channels. Most Thought Leadership programs tend to align with a specific event (such as a product launch, industry conference or social cause) that maps to a defined budget and timeframe. STRUCTURE Agile vs Controlled The agile nature of good Expertise Marketing provides the ability to quickly mobilize experts to position their expertise in the context of breaking news to create higher engagement with audiences such as the media. This compares to the more controlled approach of a traditional Though Leadership programs that requires careful planning to ensure alignment with corporate strategy and messaging - often missing time-sensitive opportunities. COST Low vs High Expertise Marketing can efficiently leverage client or agency resources and services through technology versus Thought Leadership programs that are often structured as long-term projects that require specialized resources in agencies. Take the steps to transform your content marketing overnight. Download the Expertise Marketing whitepaper or talk to us about how you can evolve quicker and generate a new competitive edge. About ExpertFile For a comprehensive look at how expertise marketing benefits the entire organization and drives measurable return on investment, follow the link below to download an industry-focussed copy of ExpertFile’s Complete Guide to Expertise Marketing: The Next Wave in Digital Strategy.
Top 9 ROI Metrics for Expertise Marketing
When it comes to digital marketing, organizations are looking for data-driven solutions that are proven to support their bottom line. Here are 9 families of quantitative and qualitative metrics that will help you measure and track the success of your organization’s Expertise Marketing. (Taken from Chapter 5 of Expertise Marketing Whitepaper: Next Wave in Digital Strategy) REPUTATION Move Brand Metrics - Position research, client work, thought leadership perspectives and achievements in the context of relevant topics in the news. MARKET AWARENESS Move Search Metrics - Boost search-engine rankings and increase overall breath of search results. LEAD GENERATION Grow Inbound Leads - Increase the number of direct lead inquiries from the following audiences: Customers | Students | Patients | Donors | Patients | Media | Recruits | Conferences | Partners | Alumni | & More... AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT Drive Engagement Metrics - A single familiar digital touchpoint provides access to all content marketing assets and encourages enhanced content browsing. Download our Free Whitepaper Expertise Marketing: The Next Wave in Digital Strategy TALENT DEVELOPMENT Boost People Performance - Better engage stakeholders, researchers & subject-matter experts in the development and distribution of content. INTERNAL COLLABORATION Improve Teamwork & Internal Efficiency - Better coordinate the knowledge and resources across internal communications teams and other departments as they engage experts. Provide a faster, more efficient way to generate content for breaking news and events. CONTENT CONTRIBUTION Expand Reach - Increase the size of the organization’s digital footprint by aggregating more content and distributing it contextually to multiple websites and third-party databases. EFFICIENCY Deliver More with Less - Help employees get their jobs done faster and more efficiently. Enable them to find information faster, speed up internal processes and foster collaboration among people in multiple locations. LEVERAGE CURRENT & FUTURE INFRASTRUCTURE Extract More Value From Existing Investments - Properly integrated, new technology investments should integrate seamlessly to leverage existing/proposed infrastructure such as content management systems (CMS). What’s most important to you? Get in touch with Deanne and start the conversation about how ExpertFile can begin moving that dial within 6 weeks. Get Your Copy and Get Started Expertise Marketing: The Next Wave in Digital Strategy About ExpertFile ExpertFile is the world’s first Expertise Marketing Platform that helps organizations solve the challenge of creating, managing and amplifying expert content. Our software platform and services help you showcase your people and their insights to the audiences that matter across a range of channels including distribution through the Associated Press to over 15,000 newsrooms. Learn more about ExpertFile.