In this special episode, our host Rob Ryan, and guest Frank Pathyil welcome Matthew Boyd, Head of Product Marketing at Unily. They discuss how Unily has been recognized as a leader in The Forrester Wave™: Intranet Platforms Q2 2024.

The Forrester Wave™: Intranet Platforms report is an essential guide for enterprises developing their digital workplace strategies and assessing intranet platforms. It provides an independent analysis of the intranet market, evaluating key vendors based on the strength of their strategy, current offering, and market presence.

The report is essential reading for enterprise leaders seeking to deploy best-in-class intranet technology to improve employee engagement, collaboration, and productivity across the organization.

Vendors are assessed using a 28-criterion evaluation and placed into four categories: Challengers, Contenders, Strong Performers, and Leaders.

During the episode, Matthew Boyd, Head of Product Marketing at Unily, shares his experience on the report and discusses the factors that have contributed to Unily's consistent success in a leadership position. He also highlights key trends, such as AI-driven solutions, that are shaping the industry. Take a listen.

The following has been transcribed from the original podcast interview.

[RR] Welcome to the Workgrid podcast, can you tell us a little bit about your role at Unily and really your space and profession in the digital workplace arena?

[MB] Hey Rob, it's great to be on the podcast. First and foremost, I want to thank you for the invitation. My name is Matt, and I'm the Head of Product Marketing at Unily.

I've been with the company for 11 years, and during that time, I've had various roles. I started in marketing, then spent several years in consultancy and implementation. Throughout my career, I've worked closely with customers who were looking to deploy internet solutions into their large enterprises. Eventually, I circled back to my marketing roots and joined the product marketing team.

Speaking from experience, being independent in Q2 of 2024 has been a game-changer. For those who haven't had the opportunity to work with analysts and go through the process of explaining the product, conducting demos, and unveiling the strategy, let me give you a glimpse of what it's like to be in the hot seat. It's an exciting and challenging experience.

Thanks for asking such a great question.

I think you know that the Forester wave has changed over time. It used to be a less intense experience, but now the pressure has increased significantly. Once you secure a leadership placement, the responsibility and pressure double or even triple the following year. It's a highly involved process that requires a lot of people, particularly the talented product marketing team. They play a crucial role in making it happen.

The process itself is demanding. Not only do you have to demonstrate your product in real-time, showcasing its value, but you also have to introduce the analysts to your customers. It's not just about talking the talk; you have to walk the walk and prove that your product delivers the value you claim in the market. This period of intense focus lasts for a couple of months, and then for the remaining 10 months, you have to stay up to speed on the latest technology.

Engaging with analysts and staying updated on their research and insights is crucial for staying informed about trends and the wider market. Analysts are a valuable source of knowledge in the areas they cover. Although it requires active involvement, the process is rewarding as it provides independent analysis and guidance. It allows you to assess your current position and identify opportunities for growth. By leveraging their expertise, you can take your work to the next level.

[RR] What factors do you believe led to the success of your leadership placement on the wave?

[MB] Another excellent question, I think this really kind of talks a little bit to my previous point - the position that we have in the wave today is the culmination of the hard work of hundreds of people over the course of a decade plus in the Internet space and it speaks to the fact that for you know almost 10 years just with the Unily product and all the learnings we had as a Professional Services business before that we've drawn down every insightful piece of information drawn on every experience to evolve our product in the best possible way to serve the needs of the largest most complex businesses around the world.

We've focused our entire delivery mechanism for our internet product around how do you add value in the world of digital employee experience and those scores across you know 20 plus categories really highlight that we're not only looking at that in terms of breadth of capability kind of like the classic checkbox exercise.

When it comes to XY Z, we excel in providing comprehensive solutions that go beyond the surface level. Our approach focuses on delivering end-to-end PR, scalable governance, and controls that empower individuals to implement technology in their own unique and customized way. I would like to acknowledge and express my gratitude to our dedicated engineering team of over 100 professionals for their remarkable contributions. Unfortunately, time constraints prevent me from individually recognizing each member.

Additionally, it is worth noting that there is a small gap at the top of the Forester wave. However, it is important to understand that the scoring process is conducted in isolation, without knowledge of how others have performed. Initially, this gap may have seemed significant, but upon reflection, it appears narrower. This achievement is a testament to our rich history and our current position, which is truly exciting.

[FP] Matt, I must say Unily’s position on the wave is truly impressive. I haven’t seen a position as high as yours before. Your consistent success over the years is remarkable, but in the ever-evolving world of internet solutions, it’s important to keep up with the trends.

AI is currently dominating the conversation when it comes to the culture of the Internet. With that in mind, what steps are you planning to take to meet the growing demand of AI-driven solutions?

[MB] Yeah, it's a big question as well I mean first and foremost top scores in the road map category really recognizes Unily’s commitment to constantly enhancing the product offering so you know if we're in the highest position you've seen this year maybe we can push it even higher next.

Our roadmap is always driving forward and uniquely very closely executed in combination with our customer community. I think that played a significant role because it does speak to a focus on value but you're right I mean in terms of the future of Internet Solutions internet technology AI is playing an increasingly significant and honestly pivotal role but Unily is focused around how you can get past the AI hype and move towards truly valuable implementations of AI.

If you read the Forrester Wave, there is an excellent excerpt that talks about Automation and AI and how they are rapidly rising to dominate the Internet space but they also give a warning about not being blinkered by the shiny AI features but focusing on the real tangible value. I couldn't agree more with that sentiment. In fact, our future strategy revolves around partnering with top AI solution providers that can effectively cater to the needs of large enterprises by offering governed AI capabilities.

Workgrid, for example, has a long-standing track record of delivering AI conversational assistant-based experiences for employees. Unlike traditional surface-level FAQ chatbots, Workgrid offers revolutionary transactional agent-like experiences. This means that it not only provides information and real-time insights but also guides users towards taking the next step and achieving desired outcomes. This showcases how partnerships can bring immense value in the world of AI, particularly in the context of the internet. Moving forward, this direction will play a significant role in our future plans.

[FP] We are thrilled to partner with you and are looking forward to the exciting things that will be coming out in the next few weeks as we prepare to reveal our work. You're right, we may need to transform that square wave into a rectangle to ensure proper execution. If we can achieve that, it would be fantastic.

[MB] Absolutely and for those people looking to read more, I would highly encourage you to read the Forester Wave not just because we scored well in the report but because it’s full of insights about what it means to have an excellent internet product in a day and age where you know the nature of employees has evolved to a true state of digital citizenship.

There is a deluge of information that's overwhelming our people and we're trying to make sense of all of that and increase that alignment and velocity. If you’re reading the Forrester Wave report it will give you some insights around how intranets are rising to the challenge.

[RR] Excellent and so Matt where can folks learn more about un and maybe even download that report

For those of you wanting to read the report, you may get it for free from Unily’s website. Simply go to www.unily.com and head to the Insight Center where you’ll find not only a link to download the report but also additional analysis from myself.