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Q&A with Jay Gaines, CMO at Forrester

Q&A with Jay Gaines
Jay Gaines, CMO at Forrester has over 20 years of experience in organizational design and leadership, marketing strategy and planning, marketing budget and operations management, demand creation, sales and marketing alignment, and digital strategy in a variety of b-to-b industries.   

In this Q&A, Jay shares insightful thoughts about the audience-centric approach at SiriusDecisions and what marketing means to him.

MEDIA 7: How old were you when you had your first paying job?
JAY GAINES: I was 10 years old! I delivered newspapers in my neighborhood on my bike five days a week after school.

M7: You have been recognized as one of the top 10 CMOs in 2019 by The Silicon Review. What skills have enabled you to become a marketing industry leader?
JG: In my time at SiriusDecisions, I’ve had the good fortune to work closely with many amazing CMOs. That work provided me great insight into what makes for a highly effective and successful marketing leader. There are three primary skills that I think have helped me the most; first, to be a business leader and then a marketing leader. This means focusing on, being accountable for, and consistently reporting on marketing’s contribution to the same business goals that the CEO, CFO, board of directors and head of sales care about most. It also means always speaking the language of business, and avoiding marketing jargon when communicating with my colleagues outside of marketing. Second, is just being a good leader for my team by providing structure and clear goals, defending their focus, and promoting a culture of experimentation and rigor. Third, is constantly staying curious. Marketing is evolving so rapidly in terms of strategies, approaches, technologies, and measurement that part of any leader's job must be keeping up what’s new without chasing every new shiny object.

"Marketing is evolving so rapidly in terms of strategies, approaches, technologies and measurement that part of any leader's job must be keeping up what’s new without chasing every new shiny object."



M7: How impactful are the leadership summits from a marketing outreach perspective, and how significantly have they enabled SiriusDecisions to push towards the forefront as an industry leader?
JG: Our summits are a key driver of growth for us. We put a huge amount of effort into them and they have become a primary brand experience for our customers and other audiences. We attract thousands of B2B marketing, sales and product leaders to these events and use them to release our latest research, data and insights. Especially as SiriusDecisions has expanded into new geographies (Europe and Asia) and new verticals (healthcare, financial services, etc.) our events have enabled us to quickly establish presence, acquire audiences and build positive perception.

M7: You have been leading marketing initiatives for SiriusDecisions across various geographies including North America, EMEA and APAC. In your experience, how does the approach to marketing strategy vary based on different regions?
JG: At SiriusDecisions we take a very audience-centric approach in how we go to market through the use of audience frameworks and personas. We typically create personas centrally and then adapt them for geos and vertical industries. Most of the important differences we see are in persona preferences, in how they want to be contacted and engaged, how they consume information, and what their trusted sources of information are. So, while our campaign and program themes remain largely consistent globally the assets, tactics, and channels we utilize vary widely across geographies. For example, in Asia we’ve had great success and lean more heavily on mobile-specific strategies as well as a higher volume of smaller local events.


"Most of the important differences we see are in persona preferences, in how they want to be contacted and engaged, how they consume information, and what their trusted sources of information are."


M7: From a little cottage in Southport, Connecticut to a global leader in B2B marketing solutions, what has been the main force behind the overwhelming success of SiriusDecisions?
JG: By far the main driving force for SiriusDecisions has been our relationships with our clients and our commitment to their success. We have a deep culture of customer-centricity and helpfulness that permeates everything we do. For example, every piece of research we produce must pass the test of being supported by data and evidence, and also must include details about how to actually do whatever it is we’re recommending. Unlike many other firms similar to us, we also consider our work with clients to be collaborative. All of our research is based on our work with our clients and our ability to observe and measure what actually works and what doesn’t. This means we learn as much from them as they do from us and their success is our success.


"All of our research is based on our work with our clients and our ability to observe and measure what actually works and what doesn’t."

M7: What is Marketing to you?
JG: To me marketing is the art and science of engaging target audiences through the delivery of value in order to achieve specific business outcomes. Value can be delivered in any number of ways including information, entertainment and purpose, and business outcomes can span everything from customer acquisition to retention to advocacy.

ABOUT SIRIUSDECISIONS

SiriusDecisions® is the leading global b-to-b research and advisory firm. We deliver actionable intelligence, strategic and operational frameworks, and personal guidance from experienced practitioners.

Sales, marketing and product executives rely on SiriusDecisions® to contextualize problems and bring to light opportunities to drive sustainable growth. Our holistic solutions are founded on proprietary research, a deep understanding of b-to-b complexities, and the tenet that organizational alignment brings better outcomes.

SiriusDecisions was acquired by Forrester (NASD: FORR) in January of 2019.

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Thentia now working with AWS to drive innovation in the public sector

PR Newswire | January 20, 2024

Thentia, a leading innovator in regulatory technology, is pleased to announce that it is now working with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to drive continued innovation in the public sector. Thentia is empowering regulators to seamlessly tap into the company's comprehensive regulatory assurance Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform, Thentia Cloud, powered by AWS, fortifying the landscape of regulatory oversight. "We are thrilled to be working with AWS as we persist in our commitment to deliver an enhanced experience for government agencies and regulatory entities globally." says Julian Cardarelli, CEO, Thentia. "By leveraging the power of AWS, we solidify our position as a clear leader and a versatile multi-cloud provider in our category, affirming our commitment to ongoing excellence." Cardarelli adds, "With our world-class, fully integrated regulatory assurance platform now accessible on AWS, we strengthen our commitment to empower the public sector with sophisticated tools for unparalleled efficiency in fulfilling their mandate of public protection." Other key benefits of Thentia's relationship with AWS include working with AWS engineers and architects to optimize Thentia Cloud's performance, security, compliance, and reliability. Partnering with AWS also helps ensure that Thentia Cloud remains at the forefront of the latest advances in cloud computing. Designed for regulators by regulators, Thentia Cloud digitizes, streamlines, and consolidates all essential regulatory functions within a single and secure cloud-based environment. The platform is designed to empower regulators with a comprehensive 360-degree view of all licensee activities, giving them a much more modern, streamlined, and efficient way to work and ultimately meet their regulatory obligation to safeguard the public. Trusted by millions of licensed professionals, businesses, and entities globally, Thentia has been recognized by regulators worldwide for its enhanced blend of technological innovation and regulatory proficiency. In addition to AWS, Thentia Cloud is available on other cloud providers including Google Cloud, IBM Cloud, and Microsoft Azure. About Thentia Thoughtfully built for regulators, by regulators, Thentia is driving regulatory transformation for hundreds of regulators and regulatory agencies worldwide with a platform that handles all key department functions including licensing, investigations, enforcement, fitness to practise, quality assurance, scope of practise, continuing education, board management, data analysis, and more. Thentia Cloud empowers regulators to transcend the constraints of legacy processes, custom-built solutions, and a web of disparate applications with a single unified 360-degree platform, setting new standards in efficiency and effectiveness. Thentia Cloud is available on all major cloud providers, including Google Cloud, Amazon Web Services (AWS), IBM Cloud, and Microsoft Azure.

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Government Business, Cybersecurity

Synack earns FedRAMP Moderate Authorized status to extend leadership in public sector security testing

PR Newswire | January 04, 2024

Synack has achieved the Moderate "Authorized" designation from the U.S. Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP), demonstrating Synack's premier security testing platform meets the cloud compliance framework's rigorous requirements at the Moderate level. The milestone approval means additional U.S. agencies can deploy Synack's best-in-class penetration testing and vulnerability management solutions – even in systems that process Controlled Unclassified Information and other official or sensitive data. "This achievement is a gamechanger for our federal clients," said Dr. Mark Kuhr, Synack CTO and co-founder. "It also sends a clear message to all our customers: You can trust Synack to keep your data secure as we deliver pentesting of the highest caliber." The Government Accountability Office has warned that "malicious actors are becoming more willing and capable of carrying out cyberattacks" on federal targets, with the potential to seriously harm national security. FedRAMP is a cornerstone of the U.S. government's efforts to realize that vision and combat threats as agencies continue to shift critical data to the cloud. Additionally, White House requirements such as Memorandum 22-09 require agencies to adopt a zero trust architecture strategy by September 2024. Operating dedicated application security testing programs is a critical component of a zero trust strategy, and Synack proudly empowers agencies to conduct such services in a FedRAMP Moderate Authorized environment. "This FedRAMP designation clears the way for Synack's premier security testing platform to protect more government systems," said Synack vice president for public sector Catherine Bowen. "We are doubling down on our goal to improve the security posture of agencies and companies handling mission-critical government applications, internally and externally." To qualify as Moderate Authorized from FedRAMP, Synack successfully enforced 325 security controls and underwent extensive third-party vetting of its security infrastructure. Achieving full authorization reflects Synack's ongoing commitment to making the world more secure by providing on-demand access to the Synack security testing platform and the 1,500-plus vetted security researchers who make up the global Synack Red Team. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) sponsored Synack's successful bid for FedRAMP authorization. Today's announcement builds on Synack's FedRAMP Moderate "In Process" designation achieved in 2022, when Synack was first listed on the FedRAMP marketplace. Synack has worked with HHS and dozens of other federal agencies to test internal assets and elevate their security postures. The company participated in the Defense Department's inaugural "Hack the Pentagon" program in 2016, helping find and fix high-impact vulnerabilities in a range of military networks. DoD would go on to host a follow-up initiative featuring Synack, aimed at normalizing a trusted, crowdsourced approach to security testing. ABOUT SYNACK: Synack's premier on-demand security testing platform harnesses a talented, vetted community of security researchers and smart technology to deliver continuous penetration testing and vulnerability management, with actionable results. We are committed to making the world more secure by closing the cybersecurity skills gap, giving organizations on-demand access to the most trusted security researchers in the world. Headquartered in Silicon Valley with regional teams around the world, Synack protects federal agencies and a growing list of Global 2000 customers, uncovering over 13,000 vulnerabilities for clients in 2023 alone.

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