Adapting
products to an ever-changing market and developing a partner ecosystem
from which to expand and grow are among the qualities inherent in the
10 emerging Canadian software companies identified by IDC Canada.
The Toronto, Ont.-based research firm's report recently identified
these picks as having the potential to make an impact in the
information and communications technology (ICT) market.
Having a strong customer base upon which to grow, clarity of vision,
and the ability to compete on a global scale are other qualities these
local companies possess.
"They are addressing the changing market dynamics and adapting their
products to keep up with what's going on in the industry, whether those
are small enhancements to their technologies or significant changes to
their entire platform," said the report's co-author Krista Collins,
analyst for Canadian IT innovation and export. IDC
further identified the companies by measuring the technologies they
delve in against the firm's global forecast numbers for these
technologies, said co-author Joel Martin, vice-president of IDC's
software practice.
"It's a great example of the kind of innovation across a variety of
areas that Canada should be recognized for," Martin said. Best
practices that other companies should take away from the report, said
the IDC analyst, include the importance of Canadian ICT associations in
helping companies network and get access to industry events. Such
associations are a great opportunity to network with industry
professionals and learn of new trends, said Chris Norris, product
manager at Apparent Networks, a Vancouver-based provider of network
diagnostics and analytics systems. Apparent Networks is among the 10
firms listed in IDC's report. "It really gets us closer to the workings and the problems people are experiencing," said Norris. Another
company, Idée Inc., a Toronto-based provider of image recognition and
visual search software, prefers a non-traditional approach by attending
'unconferences', a less formal gathering of emerging companies that
share ideas and successes, said the company's CEO, Leila Boujnane. Developing
emerging technologies, she said, means "breaking traditional
industries", which requires leveraging technology, tools and people.
"It's hard to do that and network in an environment that's fairly
established." According
to IDC, it's also essential to increase the visibility of products via
non-expensive channels, like whitepapers, Web sites, case studies, and
hosted Webinars. The
biggest challenge for a company without a brand, or with a limited
brand, is figuring out activities to get some mindshare, said David
Levy, CEO of Objectworld Communications Corp., an Ottawa-based provider
of Windows-based unified communications software. Objectworld
Communications, he said, actively interacts with customers and channel
partners, does it's best to win awards, takes advantage of customer
references, and spends a lot of effort making the Web site "sticky". Boujnane
agrees such practices are very cost effective and can be put together
fairly quickly and efficiently, adding "incredible" ROI has been reaped
from Web demo showcases of the company's services. | 
QUICKLINK number to go directly to that article.
icon.
