A New Company Dedicated to Getting Microsoft. Right.
Most of my posts are about Microsoft. This one is about a new firm that helps companies build strategies around Microsoft, and its stack. The company is called
Blue Badge Insights, and I'm proud to announce I've launched it, effective immediately.
There's been a lot that's led up to this. For over two years now, I have written the Redmond Review column for Visual Studio Magazine (VSM) and Redmond Developer News (RDN). I've had this blog longer than that, but I got a lot more serious about it when the column started, and when VSM and RDN picked the blog up as Redmond Diary on their Web sites.
I've been in the Microsoft-oriented writing/speaking world now for more than 15 years. I've been a Microsoft Regional Director for almost 10 years, and I've advised the tech press on Microsoft products, technologies and news for most of that time. Most of that has been a side line though, because I've been in the technology consulting business for over 20 years, and that's been my primary focus.
But as much as I like the technology and have enjoyed implementing it, or facilitating its implementation by others, I've started to enjoy the strategy around, and analysis of, the technology even more. So Instead of just writing about Microsoft, I've decided to take my Redmond-focused analyst and advisory activities and promote them from hobby to profession.
From our office in the Empire State Building, Blue Badge Insights has already started work for two major ISVs, a solution provider that is an established Gold Partner, a BI startup and even Microsoft itself. It's a great start, but there's a long way to go, and I hope readers here will consider telling friends, colleagues and their executives about Blue Badge Insights' services. In time, we'll be publishing a subscription-based written briefing that may be worthy of mention as well.
All that said, I must point out that Redmond Review and this blog are not going anywhere. In fact, they've just become a lot more important. What I talk about here and what I hear back in the form of reader comments is extremely important to my new business. Without the public content, there would be little credibility to our fee-based writings and services, and there would be little motivation behind them, too.
Blue Badge Insights is a new kind of business. Some people think it's a great idea. Other people think it's crazy. No matter who is correct, I have to make some noise. I hope you'll keep reading, I hope you'll keep commenting and I hope you'll grant me this one especially self-promoting post.
Posted by Andrew J. Brust on 01/24/2011