Vendors target vertical markets
Firms cater to customers through wares tailored for specific audiences.
By Phil Hochmuth, Network World
While most IT vendors do not tailor-make servers, switches, security and storage gear for specific businesses, some purveyors of high-tech wares are starting to focus more closely on specific vertical customer segments.
For years, businesses in the manufacturing, healthcare, retail and financial markets have worked with vendors to mold products for wide, horizontally focused markets and customize them for tasks unique to specific industries. In response to this, large vendors such as IBM and Cisco have created vertical-focused marketing, support and services groups to act as liaisons among users with specialized requirements and the engineers and product managers designing the gear.
While Easton uses products from Cisco and IBM, its niche products, such as Actio's software, are often key components in a vertical businesses IT infrastructure, says Michael Mendoza, environmental health and safety coordinator at Easton Sports.
Mendoza says this type of application is too specialized for big software vendors with a broader focus.
