Great AR people: A priceless asset

ARena: Customers – a priceless asset

Tim Brook ran a really good event last week. Now if he can just let me know beforehand if he changes the location next time, we’ll be really be cooking.

What was so good about the event? It was just customer presentations. That was it. The customers were happy to talk about what they were doing.

Tim didn’t play a support role, it was very much his gig. There was a lovely moment when a nicely-suited Adobe rep, evidently tasked with “vertical go-to-market solutions” or something corporate – leaned over and asked one of the customers – how do we find you/what are you doing here? The answer – a swift nod to Tim. “He asked us”.

What I am saying is that Tim is building relations with customers and ISVs not just the analyst community. He is being active in engaging with customers, without waiting for Corporate to bring him some content on a plate. One implication of that is in some cases the reference may something that makes the corporation squirm just a little bit- but that is as it should be.

One area Adobe needs to work on- is its ISV developer program. I suggest Ben Watson contacts me about this – I have some ideas for the program, not least in working more closely with INPS, which could prove to be your best ever enterprisey Flex reference. Flash front ends for tens of thousands of UK health professionals, as part of the biggest single IT project in the world – does that sound good? Simon Fanthorpe is the man…

This was an event where real work got done. Adobe Macromedia may be a work in progress, but the natural assets are very healthy, notably in terms of customer relationships.

Who knew Glaxo SmithKline was such as avid customer, using Adobe for label compliance internationally. That means Adobe is in a strong position when it comes to RFID strategies at one of the largest pharma companies in the world. Not bad for the “Acrobat company”. Maybe we need to start thinking about Adobe as the talking endpoint company…

If you are an industry analyst I suggest you contact Tim to ask to follow up these references. They are outstanding. But only analysts – that’s his proviso. If you’re an enterprisey blogger who knows- he might also make an exception. What am I doing putting my peers onto these references? Being more competitve by being less competitive.

Anyway – thanks Tim. Don’t forget to set me up with Ben. And thanks Adrian, Paul, Simon and William for making the time to come and talk to us.

Adobe is a client.
Note to IBM- you must improve your referencing for analysts – especially at the local UK level.