TriGeoSphere

It’s no surprise that many enterprise-focused companies are making mid-market product announcements. What we hear is that the air is getting a little thin in the Fortune 500 and Global 2000 markets as major public companies battle in the streets for every dollar.

The vast midmarket potential must seem like rivers overflowing with gold or perhaps just a last hope for those organizations unable gain traction and reach profitability targeting the enterprise. (I had an analyst say to me recently that just because a technology wasn’t successful selling to the enterprise, doesn’t make it a mid-market product.)

The harsh reality is that while the marketing plan looks good on paper, many of these companies simply fail to understand the needs of smaller sized businesses. At a recent security conference, I spoke with a somewhat-competitive, enterprise-focused vendor. He made an interesting observation that years ago some folks in the industry, I suspect including him, questioned our exclusive focus on the midmarket. He mentioned that many felt we’d never survive, but that today we look like visionaries…

OK maybe those weren’t his “exact” words but the sentiment was clear: our focus on the midmarket was successful and something that others want to emulate. The following week his company announced a mid-market product line….

Is this good news for midmarket organizations? Absolutely.

These announcements bring attention to this critical market segment. The midmarket boosts the economy by generating jobs and delivering services that we need. Conservative estimates place the U.S. market alone in the neighborhood of over one million businesses, and these organizations face the same challenges as their larger counterparts but with far fewer resources – making every purchase decision absolutely critical.

I’ve been selling and developing technology for midmarket organizations for almost 20 years and I can tell you that we recognize the sophistication of the midmarket today more than ever. As one company described it, “We’re sick of these large companies trying to jam their enterprise products down our throats.” Another midmarket company added that “Enterprise companies date their vendors. We marry them.”