Introducing the HfS Hot Vendors

What are the HfS Hot Vendors?

The HfS Hot Vendors are an exclusive group of emerging players with a differentiated value proposition for the Digital OneOffice™.

Exhibit 1: The Digital OneOffice Organization

We designate a select group as the HfS Hot Vendors based on their offerings’ distinctiveness, ecosystem robustness, client impact, financial position, and the impact in our OneOffice Framework. The HfS Hot Vendors may not have the scale and size to be featured in our Blueprint reports, but they have the vision and strategy to impact and disrupt the market.

Why should we care about the HfS Hot Vendors? 

In the rapidly changing space of digital operations, enterprises realize they cannot be everything to everyone. Whether you are an enterprise consuming third-party services, a service provider, or a technology provider, you will need a smart ecosystem to succeed and survive the future. HfS Hot Vendors are service and technology providers hand-picked by our analysts to help you flesh out your smart ecosystem with offerings that solve today’s complex business problems and exploit market opportunities. In this increasingly “me too” world, HfS Hot Vendors display truly differentiated offerings and out-of-the-box thinking that can be both inspiring and useful.

How does my company become an HfS Hot Vendor?

HfS Hot Vendors undergo a straightforward but rigorous five-step assessment: 

1. Pre-selection. We do not consider a player a potential Hot Vendor if it qualifies for any of our Blueprint Reports. Our Blueprint Reports feature the major and established players across every dimension of the Digital OneOffice.
2. Analyst briefing. The process starts with a briefing during which we ask vendors to share their story with our analysts. We typically ask questions around value proposition, potential distinctiveness, solution details, financial position, and client impact.
3. Client reference. If the HfS analyst sees potential after the briefing, we ask the vendor for a couple of client references so that we can speak directly with clients. The client conversations help us understand what is real and what is just marketing spiel. Note that we do not divulge any client details and these calls are kept strictly confidential.
4. HfS selection. HfS analysts recommend their potential Hot Vendor to the selection committee (comprising CEO Phil Fersht, Chief Strategy Office Saurabh Gupta, and Chief Data Officer Jamie Snowdon), which determines if the vendor brings forth a differentiated value proposition for the Digital OneOffice. We publish the selected vendors on our website.
5. We expect some of the HfS Hot Vendors to progress over time to get featured in Blueprint Reports, be acquired, or change strategic direction. Consequently, we award the HfS Hot Vendor designation for one year and follow the same process for renewing a vendor’s place on the HfS Hot Vendors list.

If you think you deserve to be an HfS Hot Vendor, please click here to schedule a briefing.