Datadobi moves from product to platform with GigaOm Advisory

Context

From Product to Platform
Datadobi is a fast-growing unstructured data management software vendor, based out of Belgium. Since its origins in data migration, it expanded into data protection, then in 2022, the company broadened into data management with the introduction of its product StorageMAP. The impetus was a realization that Datadobi’s object-based data analysis and movement capabilities could be offered as a platform, to support a much wider range of services. At the same time, this meant moving into new markets, addressing different scenarios, and potentially adopting different terminology. Datadobi was an infrastructure-focused company, and needed to reflect the requirements of its customer base: this had an impact both on its roadmap, and on its go-to-market strategy.

Engagement

Value-add From The Outset
In June 2020 Datadobi worked with Touchdown PR to instigate an analyst program, speaking to a range of analysts for the first time. This included GigaOm and its category lead for data management, Enrico Signoretti. Datadobi recalls how the conversation with GigaOm was much more open than with other analyst firms – “we agreed on many things, disagreed on others,” recalls Carl DHalluin CTO, Datadobi.

Part of this conversation related to Datadobi’s planned roadmap. Enrico shared his perspectives on the market, particularly referencing a model he had created for data management, mapping infrastructure against business governance. Based on this model, Datadobi could see how to adjust the roadmap to fit with market trends around unified data management (UDM), but more than this, the company could now define how to address different and less familiar market segments.

Response

Open and Transparent Advisory
To dig deeper into these topics, Datadobi took out a GigaOm subscription which incorporated advisory time. This gave the company’s sales team a focused, compelling way of engaging with customers and prospects, in language they could understand and connect with.

More than this, the idea of Datadobi becoming primarily a universal platform came out of these conversations. In roadmap terms, this drove a need for software partnerships, with Datadobi offering an “App Store for UDM” which partners could plug into.

Outcomes

Building a Deeper Partnership
While it is always difficult to put a number on benefits, Datadobi’s relationship with GigaOm helped focus the company on a model and language that it could take to the market, around the launch of its StorageMAP product. Not only this, but GigaOm was a pleasure to work with its engineering-led, technical focus. “Enrico knows what he is talking about and always gives us valuable feedback rather than just trying to sell an offering!” says Carl.

Moving into the future, Datadobi intends to extend its platform, into financial and other areas of data manage-ment. As it does so, the company sees its partnership with GigaOm as a foundation of honesty, advice and expertise, which it can use to hone its roadmap and drive its customer conversation ever higher.