I have been traveling to different areas of the US lately and in each region the TV is full of ads for local candidates campaigning for election to ranks below the presidency. A strategy for many of these folks is to align themselves with one of the presidential candidates (and respective political party). They pick a position salient to the area voters and then pin their hopes of winning based on the voters’ presidential choice. This strategy is commonly used to help the ‘little’ guy win by riding the ’coattails‘ of the major figure. The only problem is that if you don’t have a strategy of your own, your success is shallow and usually short lived.

The competitive climate of companies in the marketplace share many similarities with election year politics. For the sake of discussion, let’s compare the race of Ascential and Informatica to this election - Republicans and Democrats racing to be the business leader in the data integration industry. Both leaders understand that marketshare is critical to the public’s continued acceptance of their products and services. Both leaders understand that sacrifices have to be made in small battles to maintain overall strength and dominance in the industry. Both leaders understand the importance of ‘putting on a good face’ regardless of the concerns of the moment. The company that is more effective in communicating its message will generate momentum that persuades prospects and customers to ‘get on the bandwagon’ and ride with a winner. This momentum can make a huge difference on revenue and ultimately profit. As a result many current and future partners are in a position to help and be helped by the direction of either of these companies.

Our position at the DSX is to do all we can to help Ascential continue its marketplace dominance. We not only strive to be diligent in proclaiming the advantages of the Ascential product suite, but we also align ourselves with companies committed to extending the playing field. Our new partner, Strategies2Integrate (S2I), seeks to extend Ascential solutions into brand new markets through unique offerings. To find out more take a moment to read our interview with Andy Sorrell, the president of S2I.

As a community we all work together with DataStage and its suite of complementary products. We are very much ‘riding the coattails’ of Ascential’s dominance in the marketplace. But we must avoid the error of the ‘little’ politician who doesn’t have a personal mission or direction. It’s important for those in the trenches to give feedback and help shape the overall direction of the ‘party’. In this case, the ‘party’s’ annual convention is a great place to share concerns and innovations to help the leader remain the leader. In October, Ascential gathers its best-of-the-best to meet with the industry’s movers and shakers… and you. Yes, this is where you can collectively impact the direction and strategy of the product that is paying your bills.

The DSX and its family of partners have been invited to be a silver sponsor at this year’s AscentialWorld at the end of October. This is our second consecutive year and we hope to further our collective mission of making Ascential the market leader and top software provider in data integration. Last year at this time, we were barely 1500 members. One year later, we boast over 5,000 strong supporters. The point is, this is your chance to make a difference. When deciding whether or not you can afford to take the time to go to this year’s convention and voice your opinions or concerns, remember you can’t afford not to help keep Ascential in the driver’s seat. Ascential is driving your bus and the money you spend to go could have very long lasting paybacks. We believe so much in the event that we have put our own skin in the game. Check out our offers and incentive and see why seeing you in Las Vegas is very important to all of us. Just register with our code DSX24 and you will be automatically registered to win some of our cool prizes. You might even get a free flight to Las Vegas.

It’s okay to ride the coattails of a winner so long as you make sure you have a strategy for success of your own!

See you in Vegas!