 |
Canalys announces Candefero
- Channel gains access to expert analysis, opinion and market
data, free of charge
Singapore and Reading (UK) - Friday, 15 February 2008
For immediate release
Following a successful pilot programme, launched at the Canalys
Channels Forum last September, Canalys announced today the full beta
launch of Candefero, its new collaboration platform designed
exclusively for the technology channel. Through Candefero, channel
partners gain access to unique market analysis and opinion spanning
the full range of technology market sectors that Canalys covers in
its continuous research programmes. These include unified
communications, enterprise security and networking, PCs, digital
entertainment, mobility and GPS navigation. The Candefero site is
designed to support channel partners across the globe, and provides
market intelligence covering APAC, the Americas and EMEA.
Steve Brazier, Canalys president & CEO, said “From the day
Canalys was founded, our goal has been to serve the vendor community
better by leveraging the expert knowledge that we gather
continuously through our close relationships with their channel
partners. Candefero is an extension of that vision. It formalises
the existing relationships while helping to create new ones. These
relationships are not one way. Now we have a great mechanism for
giving the channel easy access to the same types of market data and
analysis we provide to the leading technology vendors to aid their
planning and marketing.”
The name Canalys is derived from the Latin for “channel” and
Candefero shares similar roots. “Candefero is about communication
with and within the channel community,” Brazier added. Resellers and
distributors are not charged for access to Candefero or for
downloading information. They earn points for communicating their
opinions via surveys and quick polls, commenting on published
analysis and participating in expert interviews. The points are then
“spent” on the Canalys proprietary market intelligence made
available through the web site. The more a channel partner
participates and communicates, the more information they can access.
They can choose to spend points immediately or save them up to spend
when they are about to embark upon major business strategy and
planning exercises.
Users are encouraged to visit Candefero regularly and give
feedback on the site as well as the content. As with all Web 2.0
initiatives, new features and content are being added continuously,
including new ways to earn points. Brazier continued: “This was
designed from the outset for the channel, and we will take it in the
direction that best serves them. For example, we are already able to
publish all our reports and webcasts on Candefero at the same time
as they are delivered to vendors through our client web site, but we
have had a lot of requests for access to the quarterly market share
data that is so important in guiding business planning. We are
pleased to announce that, effective immediately, country-level PC
shipment estimates by vendor for EMEA can be obtained from the site.
Shipment data for all the other technology markets we track will
follow in the coming weeks and will be updated on a quarterly basis,
giving the channel access to the most up-to-date market trends
information possible.”
Canalys has consolidated all its channel survey programmes around
the Candefero engine and is able to use it to conduct research in
whatever languages are required. Resellers and distributors that
were members of the Canalys Channel Panel have been migrated to
Candefero and each user can store their company profile information
with their account details, removing the need to repeatedly answer
the same dull introductory questions about which products they sell
every time they want to participate in a survey. When they submit
this profile information, not only are they helping to ensure that
the site presents them with relevant material in the future, but
they are also rewarded with bonus points.
With around 1,000 users already set up during the pilot programme
this new channels community is off to a flying start. Effective
immediately, new resellers and distributors may now register to join
and can expect to be set up within 24 hours once Canalys has
qualified their eligibility. Every new user is credited with points
so they can start downloading market intelligence right away.
Existing users can also earn points by using the new refer-a-friend
feature to introduce colleagues and industry peers to the site.
Canalys expects many more channel partners to sign up following
today’s announcement of Candefero moving to full beta status.
Alan Cardy, VP of business development at Canalys, said, “As the
community builds you will see many more exciting developments for
Candefero. This is just the start and we expect it to build momentum
very quickly. This is a ground-breaking new initiative for Canalys,
the vendors and their channels. We believe it will bring the
different parts of the technology industry closer together, promote
better understanding of their different needs and issues, and
ultimately take industry communications to a higher level.”
Please visit Candefero
for more information.
About Canalys
Canalys specialises in delivering high quality market data,
analysis and advice to the world’s leading technology vendors. It is
recognised as a key provider of continuous advisory services and
confidential custom projects for marketing managers and strategists
within blue-chip IT, telecoms, navigation and consumer electronics
companies. It has unrivalled expertise in routes to market for all
kinds of high technology products and services in the consumer, SMB
and large enterprise segments, and provides worldwide market data
and trends analysis.
Receiving updates
To receive future Canalys press releases
directly, please e-mail a request with your details to press@canalys.com
or complete this form
specifying the technology market topics in which you are most
interested.
|
|
