Migrated from eDJGroupInc.com. Author: Barry Murphy. Published: 2013-01-24 09:00:36 With Legal Tech New York 2013 right around the corner, it is a good time to explain what an industry analyst looks for at a show as big as LTNY. To level-set, an industry analyst performs “primary and secondary market research within an industry such as information technology, consulting or insurance. Analysts assess sector trends, create segment taxonomies, size markets, prepare forecasts, and develop industry models. Industry analysts usually work for research and advisory services firms, and some analysts also perform advisory (consulting) services.” (Thanks to Wikipedia for this definition).A large event like LTNY provides the opportunity for an analyst to get a pulse for the industry. The likely hot topics for the year become evident in vendor tag-lines and in educational sessions. Typically, a few topics will make the most noise (last year, the biggest noise was around the role of services in eDiscovery, predictive coding, and The Cloud). It is not only the marketing messages of vendors, however, that indicates what will be hot in the coming year. Rather, LTNY presents the chance to talk with a very large of amount of eDiscovery professionals – folks who are dealing with real issues. Listening to the priorities of these practitioners allows an analyst to juxtapose forward-looking marketing messages with a more pragmatic perspective. Somewhere in between is where the real market activity will be as the year goes on.Because of the opportunity to hear the strategic messages of vendors and to closely interact with eDiscovery professionals, LTNY is an important show for eDJ Group. Following is a list of what we are looking to do (and, in some cases, not looking to do) at the show:
- We do want to meet briefly with vendors to understand strategic priorities for 2013. We do not want to conduct in-depth product briefings or demos; that is for the weeks before or after the show. During LTNY, there is so much information coming at an analyst that processing and retaining in-depth product details is virtually impossible.
- We do want to wander the floor and get a sense of where booth traffic is heavy and what types of vendors are exhibiting at the show.
- We do want to mingle with eDiscovery professionals and hear about the issues that are most important to them. Specifically, we want to hear anecdotes about what gives them heartburn and what would make them sleep better at night. This is a chance for us to get anecdotal evidence about eDiscovery maturity.
- We do want to monitor the track sessions to see which topics are pulling a big audience and to hear what other industry luminaries see as the big issues in 2013.
- We do want to remind vendors to update listings in the eDiscoveryMatrix. This is a free resource for vendors and end-users alike (with additional content for research subscribers). And, we want eDiscovery professionals to tell us about their experiences with vendors so that we can add that perspective to the eDiscoveryMatrix via the analyst note functionality.
- We want to hear from everyone (vendors and end-users alike) what eDJ Group can do to provide the best service to the community in 2013. You tell us what is most helpful – more research reports, more webinars, more in-depth instruction on specific topics, more surveys and data…you name it.
LTNY 2013 will be a whirlwind, but it will be an important week for us as analysts. We look forward to seeing everyone at the show and welcome any feedback you may have for us as a company.eDiscoveryJournal Contributor and eDJ Group Lead Analyst – Barry Murphy