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Publishing, Information Industry, and Information Management

What Is Good Performance in 2009?In the midst of an unprecedented economic downturn, information industry leaders want to know: How is the industry faring? What are other leaders doing to confront the issues the downturn presents? What is good performance in 2009? What does a "growth company" look like this year? This report addresses these questions and updates our 2009 information industry forecast to assist leaders in managing expectations for what their businesses can do this year.

Vendor Analysis: ProQuestIn the current economic climate, information and portfolio managers are under duress to make the right decisions about spending what is often a shrinking budget. To that end, savvy content portfolio managers are keen to understand the strategies, competitive environment, and outlook for key information providers across the industry. ProQuest is one of the industry's oldest brands and largest database aggregators. This report explores the company that is ProQuest today, detailing its strategy and offerings. It introduces vendor portfolio managers to the new owners of Dialog and serves to inform and guide those who are making buying decisions in the content aggregation space.

Human Resources Compliance Information Services: Market Size, Share & Forecast ReportCompliance covers a wide range of activities in which corporations may face regulation: Governance, accounting and financial practices, health and safety, HR, and environmental compliance are among the most universal. This report outlines some of the contours and trends in the overall compliance information market, focusing particularly on the players in the HR field. HR provides a good lens on the trends and market dynamics that are shaping the overall compliance information space. In particular, the report describes the changing competitive environment, where specialization, new technologies, the availability of open source information, and customer interest in workflow solutions are opening the door to competition from a number of new directions.

Social Platforms for Publishers: Monetizing the Social GraphSocial networking is one of the top "must-master" initiatives for publishers. It's not a fad, but a new way that most readers will incorporate in their news and information habits. The companies featured in this report have seen this publishing opportunity and moved on it. While there are literally dozens of social network platform providers out there, this report focuses on the six that we believe are the most important providers of social networking platforms to publishers: Jive Software, KickApps, Mzinga, Ning, Pluck, and ThePort.

The Research and Advisory Model Mirrors Turbulent EconomyThis report analyzes data from Outsell's latest annual end-user study gauging budgets, value proposition, and comparative value of the products that fall under the research and advisory business model. This model is essentially a subscription that includes written materials, databases, and maybe an event seat, but its primary differentiator is that subscribers have direct access to communicate with analysts. In 2006 and 2007, the model was doing well in spite of competition from free sources on the web. However, this year 44% of buyers indicated an average budget reduction of 25% for research and advisory services, and there is a perception that their value has diminished. It is too soon to tell whether this is just an ebbing tide that will pick up again or whether fundamental structural issues are surfacing.

Tech Tune-up Tips for Tough TimesTechnology represents a significant expenditure for most modern publishers and information providers. When times are tough it is easier for business executives to look at their technology organizations as money-sucking sinkholes than as engines of growth. However, we would counsel against this view. In Outsell's opinion, now is a good opportunity for publishing executives to step back and look hard at their technology organizations: the people, processes, and technologies that fuel the development and management of digital products of all stripes. This report is a primer for executives on how to view and better manage their technology organizations within the context of their business.

Infotrieve: A Case Study in Market Alignment and Positioning for GrowthInfotrieve, with roots in document delivery, has recently undergone a significant transformation that has put it on a new path for success. From the company's keen understanding of its own target market to offerings that take advantage of its customers' focus on operational excellence, Infotrieve embodies all five themes that make up Outsell's key mantra for the information industry in 2009: "No guts, no glory." While the company's transformation is still in the early stages, it is already clear that Infotrieve is doing the right things to position itself well for future growth.

Workflow: Information’s New Field of Dreams?Since the launch of the IBM PC in 1981, when computing power came out of the air-conditioned closet and onto the desktop, content providers (aka "publishers" or "information service providers") have wondered and philosophized about the contribution of their content to the working lives of business and professional people. This report examines the current "workflow solutions" landscape, still in its very early stages, and scenarios for workflow-solution evolution and adoption. It emphasizes the importance for content providers of analyzing customer needs as opposed to simply publishing information and hoping "they will come" a la Field of Dreams.

Social Media in STM Part 2: Social Publishing – Usage and AbusageThis report focuses on social publishing behaviors and tools, such as wikis and blogs, which empower all STM professionals to create and share content free and without publisher input. It follows on from Outsell's report "Social Media in STM Part 1: Social Networking" (December 16, 2008), which examined the social networking, community sites, and venues for social media in STM. This report "Part 2" offers a comprehensive study of the usage patterns of social publishing tools. It looks at the new workflow practices that are beginning to emerge and provides essential insight and recommendations about the opportunities and challenges social publishing creates for scholarly and commercial publishers in STM.

ANGEL Learning: A Case Study in Winning through Customer ServiceANGEL Learning is an example of a product company that truly understands service. It is a global company that develops and markets web-based teaching and learning tools for sale to institutions and organizations. ANGEL understands its users and target markets and knows what matters to them, and it is winning new accounts away from currently installed suppliers, even in this competitive market and this economy. This report takes an in-depth look at ANGEL Learning and presents it as an example for other companies to compare how they are providing products and services, particularly in the current economy.