Over the weekend, IBM announced that it sold the IBM SPSS Data Collection suite of tools (often referred to as Dimensions) to Unicom. This is a big development in the market research technology world as the IBM tools power some of the largest market research companies in the world. While IBM doesn’t release customer lists it is well-known that Kantar, GfK, Ipsos, ORC, LRW, Burke, and many other companies use the IBM SPSS Data Collection suite.
Who is Unicom?
In 1981, Unicom began developing server transaction software that runs on IBM mainframes. Since then, the California-based company has grown through the development of other software products that support IT operations and through acquisition of niche software products. Unicom offers enterprise IT software as well as computer hardware, IT services, and telecommunications equipment to mid-sized and large private and government customers.
The Data Collection suite will be rebranded as UNICOM Intelligence™ and will be added to Unicom’s portfolio of tools that may be of interest to market research companies. Intelligence will sit next to Unicom’s offers like a product and portfolio management tool, a software analysis tool, a financial suite designed for enterprises, and a 4GL programming language.
What does this mean for the MR industry?
Hopefully, Unicom will be more committed to the data collection suite than IBM appeared to be. IBM always seemed disinterested in the product and it wasn’t a good fit for their grander predictive analytics aspirations. The market research industry was small potatoes for the $93 billion IBM but it should be a more important market for Unicom.
In emails to current customers, Unicom announced they will develop a product road map based on their own research plus input from customers. Any public information about the direction of the Intelligence platform will be a welcome change from the notoriously secretive IBM who never hinted at any direction for the product until features were actually released.
Unicom also committed to hosting user group meetings at its California headquarters and to creating a customer advisory board. During IBM’s ownership, the MR-centric Data Collection tools were shunted over to a tiny section of their annual huge SPSS conference. The sense of a community of users that has been lost since the Quantime days could come back with some real interaction between customers and Unicom.
Without their own business intelligence (BI) platform, perhaps Unicom will finally integrate the newly-branded Intelligence suite with a leading BI tool so data collected therein can be reported directly rather than the current clunky connection to other tools. Reporting continues to be a sizable hole in this offer and market research companies are looking at other tools and industries for solutions.
One thing that probably won’t change under Unicom is the focus on mid to large enterprise customer organizations. That’s where Unicom’s experience lies so it’s natural that they will want to continue down IBM’s path. This isn’t anything new but it does mean smaller companies will probably want to look elsewhere for data collection solutions.
There are some things to be concerned about as well. Unicom has not offered solutions for the market research industry before so this industry’s idiosyncrasies will be a challenge for them. Unicom’s other products and services are targeted to the IT community. These data collection tools are typically not used and managed by IT people but by technically savvy researchers and operations teams. Unicom will need to provide more training and support than they are used to doing to ensure successful operations. Finally, Unicom is very IBM-centric so it’s unlikely that they will directly support cheaper delivery alternatives like Amazon Cloud Computing or Microsoft Azure.
Unicom will pump some much needed enthusiasm and energy into the Intelligence suite in the short-term. Whether they can create a compelling vision to compete with the burgeoning competition from a wide array of cloud-based tools coming from customer satisfaction, DIY, and self-service research products will be interesting to watch.
Who is Unicom?
In 1981, Unicom began developing server transaction software that runs on IBM mainframes. Since then, the California-based company has grown through the development of other software products that support IT operations and through acquisition of niche software products. Unicom offers enterprise IT software as well as computer hardware, IT services, and telecommunications equipment to mid-sized and large private and government customers.
The Data Collection suite will be rebranded as UNICOM Intelligence™ and will be added to Unicom’s portfolio of tools that may be of interest to market research companies. Intelligence will sit next to Unicom’s offers like a product and portfolio management tool, a software analysis tool, a financial suite designed for enterprises, and a 4GL programming language.
What does this mean for the MR industry?
Hopefully, Unicom will be more committed to the data collection suite than IBM appeared to be. IBM always seemed disinterested in the product and it wasn’t a good fit for their grander predictive analytics aspirations. The market research industry was small potatoes for the $93 billion IBM but it should be a more important market for Unicom.
In emails to current customers, Unicom announced they will develop a product road map based on their own research plus input from customers. Any public information about the direction of the Intelligence platform will be a welcome change from the notoriously secretive IBM who never hinted at any direction for the product until features were actually released.
Unicom also committed to hosting user group meetings at its California headquarters and to creating a customer advisory board. During IBM’s ownership, the MR-centric Data Collection tools were shunted over to a tiny section of their annual huge SPSS conference. The sense of a community of users that has been lost since the Quantime days could come back with some real interaction between customers and Unicom.
Without their own business intelligence (BI) platform, perhaps Unicom will finally integrate the newly-branded Intelligence suite with a leading BI tool so data collected therein can be reported directly rather than the current clunky connection to other tools. Reporting continues to be a sizable hole in this offer and market research companies are looking at other tools and industries for solutions.
One thing that probably won’t change under Unicom is the focus on mid to large enterprise customer organizations. That’s where Unicom’s experience lies so it’s natural that they will want to continue down IBM’s path. This isn’t anything new but it does mean smaller companies will probably want to look elsewhere for data collection solutions.
There are some things to be concerned about as well. Unicom has not offered solutions for the market research industry before so this industry’s idiosyncrasies will be a challenge for them. Unicom’s other products and services are targeted to the IT community. These data collection tools are typically not used and managed by IT people but by technically savvy researchers and operations teams. Unicom will need to provide more training and support than they are used to doing to ensure successful operations. Finally, Unicom is very IBM-centric so it’s unlikely that they will directly support cheaper delivery alternatives like Amazon Cloud Computing or Microsoft Azure.
Unicom will pump some much needed enthusiasm and energy into the Intelligence suite in the short-term. Whether they can create a compelling vision to compete with the burgeoning competition from a wide array of cloud-based tools coming from customer satisfaction, DIY, and self-service research products will be interesting to watch.