INDUSTRY

Rob Hailstone has taken up the position of Software Infrastructure Practice Director with Butler Group, the IT End User division of Datamonitor Plc and a leading provider of Information Technology research, analysis. Hailstone joins from IDC where as Director of its European Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) and Application Platforms service, he researched the markets for service oriented architecture, composite application platforms, business process automation and Web services. Prior to joining IDC, Hailstone spent three years as an analyst with Bloor Research, becoming the company’s research director. Meanwhile Mike Thompson, formerly Principal Research Analyst at Butler Group, has been appointed as Business Process Management (BPM) Practice Director. Butler Group has a strong background in software infrastructure research including SOA and BPM, and Hailstone and Thompson will further develop this work, including research notes, major reports, and presenting at the company’s highly-regarded Master Classes and Symposia. Commenting on Hailstone’s appointment, Tim Jennings, Research Director at Butler Group, said: “Rob has over 30 years' experience in IT and has worked in a variety of technical, managerial, and marketing roles within end-user and vendor organisations. His breadth of experience and contacts throughout the IT vendor community give him a unique perspective on the problems caused by relentless innovation in the IT industry, and of the nature of solutions to these problems. We’re delighted to welcome him on board.” Hailstone is a graduate of the Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth.