NetsEdge
Research provides marketing and strategy research reports and consulting services,
specializing in areas related to Internet infrastructure. NetsEdge offerings combine the
formidable and unique experience and perspective of the two principals: John Katsaros and Peter Christy.
John and Peter have both been active participants
in the computer and communications business for over 30 years. Both were educated as
engineers. John has spent his career in high-tech sales and marketing; Peter in product
development and strategy. Their collaboration began in 1997.
In 1993 John formed what
became the Internet Research Group, a consulting practice focused on assisting Internet
ventures. Internet Research Group developed innovative methodologies, capable of giving
actionable marketing and strategy advice within 6-8 week projects.
At the core of Internet
Research Group’s success and NetsEdge’ continuing work, is the concept and
practice of early adopter interviewing. Put simply, when trying to investigate new
opportunities in a high-reward, rapidly moving environment, nothing is better than talking
to the best experts you can find – someone doing something like it now. There is a
lot of craft in determining who to talk to, what to ask them, and how to ask it. But the
results are clear. You learn a lot more from 50 careful interviews than from a poll of
10,000 who don’t have experience with what you’re interested in.
In 1997 Peter joined with
John to extend research that Internet Research Group had done earlier in Internet caching
and they collectively produced the first comprehensive, multi-client study of the caching
market. The report utilized the Internet Research Group early adopter interview
techniques, John’s marketing insight and Peter’s background in computer systems
and networking. The result was a clear and comprehensive view of this emerging market,
with an early forecast of the significant revenue potential. As an example of how
effective the methodologies can be, going into this effort, the caching vendors believed
the primary value proposition was bandwidth cost savings, since that was the basis of
early caching use in Europe and Asia. The research clearly showed that the early adopters
in the US saw caching as a technology of fundamental value in building out and scaling IP
networks (an early view of exactly what has happened with content delivery networks).
Scaling networks is of much higher value than bandwidth cost savings. This was a key
insight into the market.
In 1998, John and Peter
followed this work with a study of "load balancing." They coined the term
"Traffic Management" to capture a broader view of the potential. Caching and
traffic management seemed highly related. For a second time, Internet
Research Group created a successful, well-timed report in an exciting
emerging market.
In late 1998, Internet
Research Group’s caching clients asked about a stealthy MIT spin-off called Akamai.
Over the next six months, Peter and John built on their background in caching and traffic
management to begin work in content delivery networks, another red-hot, emerging markets.
Later in 1999 Internet Research Group produced the early, definitive report on content
delivery and distribution.
NetsEdge Research builds
on what Internet Research Group had done (Internet Research Group was sold to Jupiter
Research in early 2000). Our assets include the Internet Research Group methodologies and
background in key Internet infrastructure areas, as well as the extensive, deep and broad
experience of Peter and John. NRG will continue to center it’s efforts in the general
area of Internet infrastructure – how do you overcome the weaknesses and liabilities
of the Internet to enable effective utilization of the potential? NRG will produce
additional research reports in important and emerging areas (beginning with a
comprehensive update of the Internet Research Group content delivery report).
Additionally, NRG will undertake strategic business and marketing consulting projects. In
both cases, NRG will utilize early adopter research methodologies, and build
on their respected position and contacts in this important industry segments
