2012 Unisphere Research Social Media and Business Intelligence Research Findings to be Unveiled at SHARE in Atlanta - MarketWatch

ATLANTA, Mar 12, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- 75% of organizations are not collecting data from their social media networks. That is the top-line finding of a new Unisphere Research study being presented at the 2012 SHARE ExecuForum March 12-13 in conjunction with SHARE in Atlanta this week.

A deeper look, though, reveals that this does not signal a bleak day for social media data collection. While adoption rates for measurement of Social Media Networks appear low today, organizations plan to begin monitoring and analyzing this data over the next one to five years. Planned investments in this area continue to trend upward year over year. Such a trend signals that the social media business intelligence market is still in an "early adopter" phase, but is rapidly growing in relevance. Organizations are planning to collect and analyze data from both proprietary and open (think Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) Social Media Networks.

"Social media monitoring and data collection will be one of the fastest growth areas for business intelligence vendors over the next several years as companies try to gain competitive advantage by getting closer to their customers," says to Peter Auditore, Principal at Asteria Research, "This represents not only a new IT discipline, but a great opportunity for vendors to create and deliver products, services, thought leadership and best practices for conducting Social CRM."

The study, a joint effort of SHARE and GUIDE SHARE EUROPE, is based on a global sample of 711 total respondents comprised primarily of North American respondents (62%) with another 30% coming from Europe-Middle East-African countries. The majority of the respondents (65%) are IT professionals with the balance representing line-of-business, management and other business functions.

Unisphere President Thomas J. Wilson will present the findings on Tuesday, March 13 at the SHARE ExecuForum hosted this week in conjunction with SHARE in Atlanta. As the world's first and largest independent association of computing professionals, these meetings are among the industry's pre-eminent gatherings of technology professionals, hosting over 500 technical sessions addressing the latest topics in enterprise technology computing. The SHARE ExecuForum, in its second year, is a two-day leadership forum designed for IT leaders to discuss the industry's most top-of-mind business issues. To download the study, visit http://www.share.org/research .

About SHARE

SHARE is an independent, volunteer-run association providing IBM customers with user-focused education, professional networking and a forum to influence the information technology industry. Since 1955, SHARE has enabled IT professionals to achieve business results through a combination of credible, relevant programs and peer opportunities. SHARE currently counts nearly 2,000 organizations among its active member ranks.

About Unisphere Research

Unisphere Research, a division of Unisphere Media, conducts proprietary and custom research projects in conjunction with the top data management and IT user groups, as well as with other leading-industry communities. Unisphere has pioneered user group-based research and has built its editorial products in conjunction with its user community-based market insight. Over 500 IT-oriented companies have chosen Unisphere as a marketing partner, and the company has grown from one print magazine to an integrated media company with 15 vehicles serving the IT universe.

SOURCE: SHARE

MEDIA CONTACTS:  Thomas J. Wilson  President  Unisphere Media  Phone: 908-795-3701  Email: tom@dbta.com  or  Colleen Copple  Marketing & Communications Manager  SHARE Inc.  Phone: 312-673-4741  Email: ccopple@share.org

Copyright Business Wire 2012

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