November 25th, 2009
Update on the Enterprise Irregulars
Long known as a diverse group of top-notch thought leaders, the Enterprise Irregulars has added three new members. Given the turmoil and change swirling around the enterprise software industry, it’s an exciting time for this group of bloggers, investors, industry veterans, consultants, analysts, journalists, and practitioners.
The Irregulars group was founded in early 2006, catalyzed by Jeff Nolan, who was an SAP executive at the time. Jeff was instrumental in bringing a small team of bloggers to SAP’s large user conference, called Sapphire; that group eventually crystallized into the Enterprise Irregulars. Today, the Irregulars group consists of about 60 members.
Many folks have heard of the Irregulars and wonder whether it’s a company, an organization, or perhaps even a sports team. In truth, it’s a loose affiliation of folks who share a common abiding interest in the broad 
world of enterprise software.
Although some members may share economic relationships, the group itself has no specific organizational structure or hierarchy. The primary criteria for membership are strong enterprise focus, experience, and capability. There’s no membership director, or any other position of authority, so the group makes decisions by consensus.
Given the diversity of members’ backgrounds and positions, it’s no surprise that informed analysis and debate rule group discussions. This debate and exchange of views yields exciting insights and deeper understanding of enterprise-relevant topics. That’s one reason why senior executives from many enterprise companies seek to brief the Irregulars.
You can see a list of participating Enterprise Irregulars on the group’s website, and I urge you to take a look. However, I do want to introduce three new members, each of whom is a leader in their respective field:
- Nenshad Bardoliwalla is an expert on enterprise performance management who wrote a 700-page book called Driven to Perform. Nenshad blogs at Strategy-Driven Execution and is also on Twitter.
- Naomi Bloom is widely recognized as a top analyst and authority on the intersection of human resources and technology. Find her blog at In Full Bloom and catch her on Twitter.
- Dennis Moore is a former senior executive at several enterprise companies, including SAP, Oracle, and other major organizations. Dennis is currently an executive at a startup operating in stealth mode. His blog is called Next Gen Enterprise and he’s also on Twitter.
Come visit the Enterprise Irregulars web site, which aggregates blog posts from members. It’s among the best enterprise content available and well worth a close read.
Update 11/29/09: I’m thrilled to announce that consummate industry analyst, Ray Wang, has become the most recent member of the Enterprise Irregulars. Ray is a partner at the Altimeter Group, previously worked at Forrester Research, and writes one of the best enterprise software blogs, called A Software Insider’s Point of View. The Institute of Industry Analyst Relations named Ray their 2009 analyst of the year. Of course, he’s also on Twitter.
On a personal note, it’s humbling to be a member among these great folks and all the other amazing Enterprise Irregulars.
Michael Krigsman is CEO of Asuret, Inc., a software and consulting company dedicated to reducing software implementation failures. Click here to discuss this post with him on Twitter. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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