Buell Duncan

The ability to develop and nurture strategic partnerships can make the difference between success and failure in the high-tech industry. Just ask independent software vendors (ISVs), a segment of the industry that earns more than 40% of its revenue through successful partnering. ISVs have created an entire "ecosystem" of partners that opens up new opportunities and revenue streams. The pace of innovation today is too fast for any single IT company to be all things to all customers. Last year alone the U.S. patent office awarded more than 16,000 patents to the top 10 global high-tech companies. Even a brief look at the industry's history reveals a graveyard of once-successful companies that failed to adapt fast enough to industry changes. Despite its long record of success, IBM suffered a near-death experience in the early '90s. New leadership and a new strategy wer... (more)