Supporting Web Professionals

Burgess spoke with VARBusiness about his advice for solution providers, the importance of the end-user experience and the future of Macromedia.

VARBusiness: How important has the addition of Allaire been to Macromedia?
Burgess: It was a huge move for us strategically. Being able to unite the server technologies with our authoring technologies and run-time technologies is the fundamental foundation for the future here. We're totally psyched.

VB: What separates Macromedia from the competition?
Burgess: From a product perspective, our technology has gained the support of the majority of Web professionals. Allaire had invested a lot in its partners. I'm proud for them because they've done so much work before we came together. I can't really take credit for that success.

There are really a lot of synergies [between Macromedia and Allaire]. A lot of Allaire partners were also involved in the tools side, so there is a lot of crossover. Also, Macromedia has been building servers, like Generator, and new products, like Sitespring and others. Having a good channel that is already working with us is just a tremendous advantage. We've got a whole set of new solutions that we'll be introducing to the channel over the next one to two years.

VB: What advice do you have for solution providers as they head into 2002?
Burgess: I don't know if I would phrase it advice, but I think the world has significantly changed. Web projects now are going to undergo the same kind of reasonable business scrutiny that any project goes through. I think most companies are somewhat disappointed with their current Web environments, so I see the market as rich with opportunity. Companies just have to take a more pragmatic approach. Cost is going to be a huge factor, as will delivery.

VB: What key trends are you seeing in the market that will affect your business next year?
Burgess: The main trend is focus on the customer. Don't forget about the user experience on companies' Web sites, which I think is the most important thing. We're constantly competing with the user experience. In e-commerce, you are competing with a user experience that's a retail store. It's not about pleasing the CEO; it's about pleasing the customer. We're going to see a lot of really bad Web design go [away], and excellence in design and user experience will be the winning factors.

VB: What are your thoughts on the economy and its effect on IT spending?
Burgess: The technology industry has been tough all over, but I feel like we're over the hump. I don't think business is going to come bouncing back to the way it was a couple years ago, but I think it will return to reasonable levels in the near future.