Microsoft opened its Office suite to play with other cloud services, Box debuted on Wall Street, and Google reinvented the inbox. Not even three months into 2015, and we’ve already had several interesting developments in the online collaboration software market. Here’s how these announcements fit into trends we’re seeing at Smartsheet. Consumption-Based Pricing Eats Per-User … Continue reading “Consumption Rules, E-mail Thrives, Enterprise Agreements are Dead”
Author: Brent Frei
Brent Frei is chief marketing officer and co-founder of Smartsheet.com, an online work management software company. As a trusted provider to Cisco, Google, Groupon, Bayer, HomeAway, DHL, Colliers, and more than 60,000 other organizations in 175 countries, Smartsheet is making significant strides towards becoming the global standard for how people collaborate and manage work.
Notably, Brent was the CEO of Onyx Software Corp., a Bellevue-based customer relationship management (CRM) software company he co-founded in 1994. In his 10 years as Onyx CEO, Brent oversaw the generation of $600 million in direct revenue. During his tenure, Onyx received a consistent top 5 ranking amongst CRM vendors worldwide, and the number one ranking for customer service by independent customer satisfaction surveys. He was recognized and credited for his pioneering work in the field of CRM software and services, including in 2001, at the age of 33, the Smithsonian Institute recognized Brent as a "Pioneer in Technology." Ernst and Young named him a 1997 “Entrepreneur of the Year.” In 2001, he was the sole recipient of Dartmouth College's Thayer School of Engineering Fletcher Award for lifetime achievement---the youngest recipient ever selected for this award.
Brent’s past roles include: executive vice president of Intellectual Ventures, programmer analyst with Microsoft Corporation, and a mechanical engineer at Motorola Corporation. Brent received his bachelor's degree in engineering from Dartmouth's Thayer School of Engineering, and his BA in engineering sciences from Dartmouth College.
The Truth About Innovation Resistant Companies
The bigger the company, the tougher it is to innovate. There are two main pillars to this “innovation resistance” that seem common in large, profitable organizations. 1. Fear that innovative products will cannibalize existing revenue streams. The bigger the product line revenue, the more resistant that product group is to innovation that would threaten its … Continue reading “The Truth About Innovation Resistant Companies”
Top Five Trends in the Future of Work
We are increasingly a knowledge-based economy in the U.S., and work can be delivered digitally from anywhere. Take NightHawk Radiology in Coeur d’Alene, ID, for example—they are providing radiologists to any hospital that needs real-time availability and lower costs. They work online from Switzerland and Australia, but it could just as easily be Wenatchee or … Continue reading “Top Five Trends in the Future of Work”
When Paid Crowdsourcing Hits the Mainstream: A Report and Online Panel
Sometimes the only way to flush out the truth on something is to state an opinion and spark a discussion. Using on-demand workers has been around for over 10 years, but there are precious few resources available for someone to get educated. Hopefully my report will stimulate discussion and bring a greater level of awareness … Continue reading “When Paid Crowdsourcing Hits the Mainstream: A Report and Online Panel”
Small Businesses Will Inherit the Earth
The economy is forcing companies of all sizes to do more with less. The big winners are increasingly the small businesses and specialized sole proprietors. On one hand, they provide the “just in time” component services no longer staffed at the downsized firms, and on the other, they are adept at operating with lean resources … Continue reading “Small Businesses Will Inherit the Earth”
Innovating New Winners in Established Markets
I’m attracted to the market opportunity within large, established markets. These markets already have huge spend, they have established dominant players with an inertia resistant to major change, most of the innovative talent and money is off in new market spaces, and innovation within these spaces tends to be evolutionary in nature and follow predictable … Continue reading “Innovating New Winners in Established Markets”