Canalys announces Candefero

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.