An Interview With Richard Stiennon

How did you come about to write “Curmudgeon: How to Succeed as an Industry Analyst?"

After a stint as CMO for a large security vendor I realized I had gained a perspective of the industry analyst business from both sides; as a Gartner analyst, and as a Gartner customer. By 2010 I was thinking I should follow the oft-repeated guidance to “write what you know.” I started to put together my thoughts on How to Succeed as an Industry Analyst. I wrote 25,000 words of the manuscript but put it away after a conversation with Gene Kim (author of The Phoenix Project). He encouraged me to write the other side: How to Influence Industry Analysts. That turned into” "UP and to the RIGHT: Strategy and Tactics of Analyst Influence” published in 2012. https://amzn.to/30khBrJ  For the next eight years I continued to collect my thoughts. The enforced quarantine of 2020 gave me the time and motivation to complete it. I am grateful to the contributors who all responded generously with their words in a short two weeks!

I tend to follow the dictate, “Write what you know.” I had the idea for “Curmudgeon” long before “UP and to the RIGHT." I even wrote 25K words for “Curmudgeon” before changing tack and writing a book for analyst relations professionals. I came back to “Curmudgeon” during the enforced lockdown. I am grateful to all the contributors for responding within two weeks to my request for their thoughts.

How long has it taken you to write "Curmudgeon?"

Eight years, although the actual writing, editing, and formatting came together quickly in March and April of 2020.

Should people who buy “Curmudgeon”, also purchase ‘UP and to the RIGHT?”

Only if you are in the analyst relations (AR) business. Curmudgeon is written for industry experts who may want to become analysts. On the other hand, AR people should definitely read Curmudgeon to get a better understanding of the analyst life and workload. I was surprised at how many analysts read UP and to the RIGHT and gave it ecstatic reviews.

If someone hasn’t read "Up and to the Right" but plans to read it and “Curmudgeon”, what should the order be?

If you are an analyst relations person at a technology vendor, read UP and to the RIGHT first. Then read Curmudgeon to get the analyst’s perspective. If you are an analyst, or interested in becoming one, read Curmudgeon first.

Do you consider “Curmudgeon” a companion piece to “Up and to the Right”?

I do. I intend to update “Up and to the Right” and publish a 2nd edition later this year.

Skinny or regular jeans?

Regular.

Sport coats or hoodies?

I tend to wear what I think of as my analyst uniform. Dockers, blue button down, and sport coat. Boring, but you never know when you will be on camera. I keep hoodies for the beach on cool Michigan nights.

What is the funniest thing that happened during a client visit?

I once visited the CISO of a large financial institution in Boston. We had a good conversation until he voiced his opinion on the idiot at Gartner who said “IDS is dead.” He misattributed that stance to another analyst! I mumbled something about that statement actually coming from Gartner PR and beat a hasty retreat.

What are the top three things it takes to become an analyst?

Expertise, a love of knowledge, and the ability to communicate. Expertise comes from years of focus in one area of industry, something I expect most of my readers to have. A love of knowledge, is the only innate trait. Either you have it or you don’t. The ability to communicate is, luckily, learnable. All it takes is practice.

Can a successful analyst be an introvert? Extrovert?

In "UP and to the RIGHT" I described analysts as introverts. They are typically geeky, professorial, and reticent to mingle at parties. As a rule, they are affable among other analysts. But they also have a lot to say, often on any subject. So, if you want an analyst to warm up to you, ask them questions. I am sure extrovert analysts exist but I cannot think of any!

Does an analyst have to be a quant?

Definitely not. Juggling numbers is a valuable skill but more important is an understanding of the underlying technology and how it serves the end user.

My writing skills will never win a Pulitzer Prize. Is there hope for me to become an analyst? How could I improve my writing?

Well, I won’t ever win a Pulitzer. I am just an engineer who likes communicating. The answer is to read and write a lot. Keep a daily journal to jot down your thoughts. Or just to record the events in your life. But write as if someone will be reading it someday. I did not realize I could tackle a book project until after several years of blogging prolifically, first on my own site, then on ZDNet, finally at forbes.com. I think I have written 560K words on various sites.

As writing becomes a daily practice it will impact your reading. You will learn to appreciate the style, voice, and technique of the authors and bloggers you follow. You may develop an interest in honing your writing craft. I include an appendix in "Curmudgeon" on resources to investigate.

Is there any sort of analyst code of ethics?

There are norms and expectations but no written code of ethics. It would be easy to write one down. It would include objectivity, honesty, and admitting when you are wrong.

Any favorite business authors?

Malcolm Gladwell and Michael Lewis. For cyber: Joseph Menn, Kim Zetter, and Andy Greenberg.

Any favorite non-business authors or books?

Nevelle Shute, C.S. Forrester, Robert Lawson, Heinlein, are my favorites. If I ever write fiction, I want to emulate their clear story telling voices.

Past or present. What three individuals would you want to have dinner and conversation with?

Robert Lewis Stevenson, Earnest Shackleton, and Michale Lewis.

It’s been a long day. What is your relaxing evening libation of choice?

Definitely single malt whisky. Preferably Islay. I actually have a palate for whisky. I can remember the taste of every whisky I have ever had. It’s weird.

Your preferred libation after whisky? 

My go to is Spanish red wine, usually Rioja.

Has any (prospective) client suggested, “We’d really like your analysis to show……?”

Not so blatantly. There is a dance. The vendor argues their perspective. If it lines up with my perspective, we have a match. I often tell them: “You cannot pay me to say your product is good.” Despite that, I recommend products all the time to end-users, although rarely in public.

How much of your work is done on planes, coffee shops, hotels?

Pre-Covid, a lot. I wrote the first Spyware Report for Webroot software in an airport. I wrote a good deal of Surviving Cyberwar in a hotel lobby in Tallinn. I do write in coffee shops, especially when I just have to hammer something out. I find it difficult to write in coach class, but on those few occasions I get bumped to first class on long flights I can be very productive.

Black Hat or RSA?

RSA all the way. I look forward every year to seeing the community and filling my head with information as I try to at least pass by every booth in the Expo.

Do you have to deal with NDA’s?

All the time. Usually when I am engaged on an extended contract with a vendor. They are all the same though and easy to approve and sign.

How has your role as an analyst changed over the years?

It seems like an analyst’s role changes day to day, but over the years the biggest transition was from a cog in Gartner’s machine to being a business owner as well as an industry analyst. After 20 years I begin to feel the responsibility of being one of the old guys in an industry that has grown sixty-fold.

I am attempting to chronicle the industry with "Security Yearbook" while sharing my analyst’s perspective. The other big change is from working with all the large vendors like Cisco, McAfee, and Symantec, to primarily working with startups. I like that, because large vendors tend to try to change your mind, while startups actually look for input.

Is there such a thing as an “Analyst School” or classes someone in college should take?

As far as I know, there is no acknowledgement of the role of industry analyst in any school. There are only 7,000 industry analysts tracked by ARinsights. I imagine there another ten thousand people who serve the role inside large companies. That is a small niche for colleges and universities to serve. That said, I would advise anyone who wants to become an analyst to take courses in writing and communication. I don’t use my aerospace engineering anymore, but I am attempting to backfill my understanding of language and writing. I am still looking for a college level course on prosody, the way words fit together.

Did you have any favorite courses at  the University of Michigan and King’s College, London where you got your MA in War in the Modern World?

My favorite course at Michigan was Orbital Mechanics taught by the famous Harm Buning. Professor Buning taught the original astronauts orbital mechanics. I remember solving the orbital rendezvous problem of the Gemini mission on my calculator. King’s was a shock to my system. I had written several books already but I struggled with the discipline required to write academic essays. My favorite course there dealt with the history of Intelligence.

How many countries have your traveled to/spoken at during your career?

I have presented in 31 countries on six continents. Only a handful more that I have not presented at but passed through. On my bucket list is to present in Antarctica so I can claim all seven continents.

How do you deal with situations where you are speaking with competitors?

The analyst community is very congenial and easy to interact with. There is a camaraderie among analysts. We tend to share what we have worked on, not what we are working on. We share the most exciting companies we have talked to recently or commiserate on the ones that are struggling to be relevant.

Can an industry analyst farm out research?

Sure, I use a team in India to track the people and news of 3,000 vendors. The one thing I have found that cannot be outsourced is determining what category a vendor belongs to. Another thing is briefings from vendors. Those have to be attended personally because that is where all the insights come from.

Are there any spots on the Meyers Brigg Type indicator that successful analysts would tend to fall into?

I imagine they are all over the place. If all analysts fell into the same category, I think it would be an advantage to be an outlier so you have a different approach, a different voice, and possibly different conclusions.

Are there any projections you have made in the past that you would like to go back in time for a do-over?

When I left Gartner I was convinced anti-spyware was the next big thing. I had surveyed all the big vendors of anti-virus and they all said that they would not identify and remove applications that a user chose to install. About six months after I joined Webroot Software McAfee flipped a switch and added spyware signatures. Of course anti-spyware was a feature in AV. So, if I could go back I wish I could have had that insight.

Are there any hot ways to perform an analysis? Are any now out of vogue?

There are a lot of ways. I like the IDC numbers driven analysis that goes into their massive spreadsheets. The MQ process is painful for the vendors with the elaborate questionnaires they have to fill out every year. Analysis is a combination of numbers, live briefings, testing results (which sadly is extremely hard to get end users to pay for), and end user surveys.