San Ramon, Calif. – October 24, 2011 –The Institute of Industry Analyst Relations (IIAR) has named Mark Smith, CEO and Chief Research Officer at Ventana Research as its top 2011 Software Industry Analyst of the Year (http://analystrelations.org/2011/10/21/iiar-analyst-of-the-year-winners-2011-announced/#more-3306). Smith was nominated by analyst and influencer relations and marketing professionals across the industry, placing him ahead of analysts from industry giants such as Gartner, Inc. and Forrester Research, Inc. IIAR also named Smith the third-ranked industry analyst overall across broader industry categories.

Smith is responsible for the overall business and research direction of Ventana Research and drives the global research agenda covering both business and technology areas. He defined the blueprint and methodology for improving business by using benchmark research to provide guidance across people, processes, information and technology. Smith started Ventana Research more than a decade ago; he has worked in the software industry for 25 years leading innovations in research and technology that are advancing the industry.

“It’s an honor to receive this award from IIAR, which has been guiding the industry in the assessment and tracking of industry analysts and their respective firms,” Smith said. “More importantly, to have the community of professionals recognize my leadership and work in the software category underscores the effectiveness of our team and the success of the firm that I represent to the industry. Our focus on providing the industry’s best research and education in an in-depth and timely manner to buyers and suppliers in open collaboration across the community and social media clearly is working, and it provides me great satisfaction that our work over the last decade has been recognized.”

With its razor-sharp focus on benchmark research and advising business buyers on the effective choice and use of software, Ventana Research has been leading the research and analyst industry. The Ventana Research community has more than 245,000 members and the company partners with leading association and media brands to extend its syndication and participation in its research across finance, human resources, customer, sales, operations, manufacturing, supply chain, marketing and IT departments across more than 25 industries. Its vendor and product assessment research, the Ventana Research Value Index, is re-establishing trust in analyst guidance and quickly replacing outdated dots-on-matrixes charts that fail to provide reliable quantified guidance on the application of software to business processes. Rather than focusing exclusively on IT organizations as other analyst firms do, Ventana Research focuses on the business and technology buyers who are driving the adoption of cloud computing, mobility, collaboration, social media and analytics software – trends that more than ever before are changing the way benchmark research and education around its findings are impacting the industry.

Those interested in learning more about Smith’s work can view his blog at http://marksmith.ventanaresearch.com and find him on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/markallensmith and Twitter http://www.twitter.com/marksmithvr where he is daily educating the market through his technology observations and findings. More information about Ventana Research and its community or research and analysts can be found at http://www.ventanaresearch.com. Ventana Research provides guidance to buyers and suppliers in business and IT through its Ventana OnDemand (http://www.ventanaresearch.com/ondemand) and with its assessment and educational services offerings. (http://www.ventanaresearch.com/services/)

About Ventana Research  

Ventana Research is the most authoritative and respected benchmark business technology research and advisory services firm. We provide insight and expert guidance on mainstream and disruptive technologies through a unique set of research-based offerings including benchmark research and technology evaluation assessments, education workshops and our research and advisory services, Ventana OnDemand. Our unparalleled understanding of the role of technology in optimizing business processes and performance and our best practices guidance are rooted in our rigorous research-based benchmarking of people, processes, information and technology across business and IT functions in every industry. This benchmark research plus our market coverage and in-depth knowledge of hundreds of technology providers means we can deliver education and expertise to our clients to increase the value they derive from technology investments while reducing time, cost and risk.

Ventana Research provides the most comprehensive analyst and research coverage in the industry; business and IT professionals worldwide are members of our community and benefit from Ventana Research’s insights, as do highly regarded media and association partners around the globe. Our views and analyses are distributed daily through blogs and social media channels including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Business Week’s Business Exchange.

To learn how Ventana Research advances the maturity of organizations’ use of information and technology through benchmark research, education and advisory services, visit www.ventanaresearch.com.

Media: Copies of benchmark research report and interviews are available upon request.

Media Contact:

Bailey Donoghue

(925) 242-2412/

marketing@ventanaresearch.com