Industry analyst shares how storytelling is critical to her work
Jennifer talks to IDC’s Katie Norton
Q: How did you become an industry analyst? What advice do you have for other women who may want to pursue this path?
Katie: I actually landed in this career somewhat by accident! I was an English major in college but chose to work an unrelated job managing cafeteria operations at my alma mater after graduation because I was burnt out from school. I quickly realized it was NOT what I wanted long term and started working for the university in an administrative role while I pursued my master’s in Research Administration. During that time a project fell in my boss’s lap to start up a data-informed process for vetting new degree program ideas and, because of my Master’s, he asked me to be involved. I built that program from scratch and ran it for about six years and delivered market research that really helped drive decision-making at the board level. However, public sector pay leaves something to be desired and I decided to ride the “great resignation wave,” and a recruiter at IDC reached out to me on LinkedIn to apply for the analyst role covering DevOps. At that point, I had no idea what a technology analyst was, nor what DevOps was, either! I recognized, however, that the key skills IDC was looking for - the ability to understand the competitive landscape, to write and communicate complicated topics effectively, and to conduct valuable and insightful research were all skills I possessed. So I took a shot and applied, and here I am!
My key advice to other women considering pursuing this path is that industry analysts come from all sorts of backgrounds. Clients are often shocked that I don’t have a technical background, but I am a lifelong learner and was able to put in the work to build the subject matter knowledge that is expected of an analyst. I was somewhat intimidated at first, like why are these technology industry executives going to care what I have to say?! I have learned that years of experience can certainly bring invaluable knowledge, but it can also bring bias. I now recognize clients appreciate that I am able to offer a fresh perspective that can help identify opportunities and weaknesses that may have been overlooked.
Katie Norton
Q: It’s Storytelling Week! How does storytelling factor into your work? What storytelling techniques do you use when conducting research, writing reports and/or advising clients?
Katie: Storytelling is incredibly important in my role as an analyst. To deliver impactful research, I need to be able to distill often complex data and concepts into easily understandable and compelling narratives that can speak to a readership that spans technology investors, end users and technology vendors.
A good example is in a recent presentation I did for DevOps World on Demystifying the Software Supply Chain - something that is often misunderstood or ill-defined. In the presentation, I connected the software supply chain to the supply chain of a physical product (in this case, my favorite cereal Honey Nut Cheerios). I drew up a supply chain diagram and took the audience through the analogy. The farms supplying the wheat, nut, and honey are akin to the open source you incorporate in your application; the processing facility full of machines and workers is much like your development teams working in their IDEs, etc. Setting the stage using both analogy and visualizations really helped the audience understand all the different components of the software supply chain and laid the groundwork for the rest of the presentation. In fact, throughout I referred back to that diagram and analogy to explain other concepts.
Q: As part of your job, you get to talk to startups and enterprise vendors but also enterprises seeking IT advice. You also do research and writing. What’s your favorite part of the gig and why?
Katie: There are so many things I love about being an analyst, it is hard to narrow it down to only one aspect! I would say one of my favorite things is all the different people you get to meet and talk to. Especially when I travel, I get to have conversations with everyone from users up to C-level executives. I get to build great relationships with analyst relations and public relations professionals and share both professional and personal stories. My network has expanded dramatically in the last two years!
Q: I’ve worked with IDC since it did the first-ever market sizing work for Linux. How has the role of the analyst firm changed over the last 20 years and why is it so important today?
Katie: The analyst industry today has become much more diversified and, in turn, competitive. I work at one of the “big three” firms, but there are an expanding number of smaller firms coming up with unique models and approaches. Analysts themselves have diversified, too. I am definitely atypical being early-mid career and female, but I see more and more of “me” each year.
What makes an analyst valuable is our unique vantage point. When advising a software vendor, I have likely spoken to the majority of their competitors (from startups to the “big guys”), investment firms, and end users at large enterprises that either use their solution or are looking for a solution like what they offer. I connect with individuals and communities online, and I consume a TON of information from articles, press releases, social posts and more. What makes a good analyst is the ability to synthesize all that information and share the valuable nuggets back in a way that can help shape their strategy.
“ To deliver impactful research, I need to be able to distill often complex data and concepts into easily understandable and compelling narratives that can speak to a readership that spans technology investors, end users and technology vendors. ”
Q: Your coverage area is largely DevOps and DevSecOps. What can we expect from these areas in 2024?
Katie: There is A LOT going on in these spaces and they are ever evolving. On the DevOps front, platform engineering and developer experience is a big focus. In the security world, most organizations are struggling with the prioritization and workflow of vulnerability remediation, so we are seeing a lot of vendors adding features to help with this. Securing the software supply chain also remains a significant challenge for organizations, so you will see more and more solutions looking to secure the “software factory.” Finally, of course, generative AI was the focus across all markets in 2023, and I expect that to continue into 2024. We will see features become more tuned and tailored to individual customers and focus on solving some of the real challenges application development faces on a day-to-day basis.
Q: I happen to know you love Disney after sitting next to you at a press dinner in Chicago last fall. I’m going to Disney in Orlando for a few days in March, what can I not miss?
Katie: In addition to being a Disney nerd, I am a huge Star Wars fan. Galaxy’s Edge in Hollywood Studios is just amazing. It is one of the most immersive areas in terms of theming - you can’t see anything “Disney” when you are in that part of the park. And the Rise of the Resistance is probably the best ride I have ever been on. Make sure to keep an eye out for the Storm Troopers, Kylo Ren, and even the Mandolorian and Grogu roaming the area to interact with. And grab a Ronto Wrap for lunch!
Q: Lastly, we host a popular Book Club for women in tech and women in media. What are you reading?
Katie: For pleasure, I am reading Time Shelter by Georgi Gospodinov. I focused on post-modern literature, so this International Booker Prize winner for 2023 is right up my alley. It’s non-linear, satirical and thought-provoking around the topic of memory.
For professional development, I am reading Building a Second Brain by Tiago Forte. So much of my job as an analyst is the ability to take quality notes AND be able to retrieve the information quickly. I am constantly bombarded by information and my brain just doesn’t have the capacity to remember it all, especially when stuff like remembering which day is Library Day at school and what’s on the menu for dinner are fighting for space.