Competitive Intelligence
Aggregate product attributes for one or more competitors into a Feature Comparison Matrix (FCM), leveraging both public and non-public sources, to fuel accurate competitive sales tools and training materials and to inspire new product roadmap enhancements.
Having full visibility into how your company’s products and/or services compare to those of your key competitors is absolutely mission critical. To aid in this endeavor, CyberEdge can help you compile a Feature Comparison Matrix (FCM). Think of an FCM as an Excel spreadsheet with up to 75 rows. Each row is a comparison data point, such as a feature, product attribute, service attribute, or company attribute. The first column depicts your company’s responses. Subsequent columns depict responses for your competitors.
CyberEdge customizes the FCM template for each product and/or service category. Then after you’ve populated your column for your company (which helps to give your consultant a frame of reference for the type of response you’re looking for), your consultant will populate as many competitor cells as possible using publicly available information, such as product brochures, white papers, webinar recordings, and third-party information. Typically, 20% of the competitor cells remain blank. Then your consultant will source subject matter experts (SMEs) and interview them, while compensating the SMEs for their time. At no time will your CyberEdge consultant divulge the name of their client to SMEs who they interview.
Once you’ve reviewed and approved your finished FCM, you’ll be able to leverage it in the following ways:
- Ensure that your competitive sales tools, such as competitor battlecards and competitive white papers, are completely accurate.
- Ensure that your competitive sales training materials are completely accurate.
- Perform a gap analysis against your competitors, helping to influence your company’s product roadmap(s).
Your FCM is a “living record of truth.” It’s important to keep your FCM up to date as your company and your competitors add new product functionality and/or service capabilities. Thus, CyberEdge offers an optional annual subscription where your FCM (and competitor battlecards, if applicable) is updated once per quarter, as necessary.
There are many vendors out there who offer competitive intelligence services. What makes CyberEdge different? We’re glad you asked.
Laser Focused on Cybersecurity
Unlike our competitors who may serve airlines, banks, and restaurant chains, CyberEdge is 100% dedicated to serving cybersecurity vendors. Our consultants average 15-20 years of cybersecurity industry experience with subject matter expertise across virtually all cybersecurity industry segments, including network security, endpoint security, cloud security, identity and access management, security operations, and more.
Strong Technical Foundations
Our competitive analysis consultants have technical backgrounds as IT practitioners and/or as consultants serving cybersecurity vendors for a couple of decades. Unlike many our competitors, our consultants have the technical chops to do deep-dive analyses of your closest competitors.
Need help with other competitive analysis initiatives? Click on any of these related CyberEdge services to learn more:
“I’ve worked with CyberEdge since it was founded. Over the years, I’ve relied on CyberEdge for custom books and eBooks, white papers, competitive analysis, custom research, messaging and position, and website design and development. I’ve never encountered a marketing firm with so much expertise. CyberEdge is more than a vendor to me – they’re a strategic marketing partner.”
~ John Vecchi, CMO, Anitian
