Steven Zolman

Sep. 24,2012

This month, NET(net), the market leading IT Investment Optimization firm, is celebrating its 10-year anniversary.  This is a meaningful milestone considering only 2 out of 100 companies make it to 10 years.  It all started with a simple but brilliant business model crafted by NET(net)’s Founder and CEO, Steven Zolman.  Steve’s mission for NET(net) was and is to be the premier source of IT supplier market intelligence to help our global clients optimize their IT investments, agreements, and relationships with key technology suppliers.  Reflecting on the last 10 years, it has been an amazing run advocating for our client’s needs and creating significant value in the marketplace.  Thanks to Steven Zolman for your inspiring leadership and passion in the mission of the firm.  The market, the clients, the staff, our partners, and even the forward thinking suppliers also thank you.  We look forward to the next 10 years.

--Kellsey Le, President and COO, NET(net), Inc.

Steven Zolman perspective:

It’s such a cliché, but it literally seems like yesterday that our first client called me asking me to help them navigate their way through a complex supplier renegotiation.  During that engagement, the client was  enlightened with the ability to help them navigate the complexities of the supply side of this equation with a variety of spreadsheets and variable inputs, and how scientific it really all was as opposed to the black magic art they believed it to be. Most of our good ideas come from our clients, and this was no exception as they encouraged me to start offering this service to other clients because, as they explained, clients were completely ill-equipped to deal with the complexities that the suppliers routinely exploited to claim value.  They didn’t even know what they didn’t know, and what’s worse; they had no way of knowing it.

The rest, as they say, is history.  Upon reflection, we have now served the unique and demanding needs of over 1500 global clients, have been involved in over 15,000 field engagements, and have helped our clients capture incremental value in excess of $100 billion since 2002, helping clients save 33% on average in the process.  At some point, the numbers are just staggering.  In the process, we have found that clients big and small share the same challenges.  We have helped clients in virtually all industries and all geographies, and one thing remains the same, and that is – there remains very significant opportunities to help clients capture opportunities for economic and/or strategic improvements.  This is absolutely a science, but there is an art to doing it most effectively, if that makes sense.  In addition, regardless of spend category, whether it’s SaaS, cloud, hardware, software, services, infrastructure, outsourcing, or telecommunications, we have maintained a fairly consistent savings percentage of around 33% on average.  Many of these savings result from unilateral actions that can be taken to optimize the IT landscape, and some of these savings result from suppliers who are willing to actively participate in your long term success.  What’s more, the savings are often able to be achieved whether it’s an optimization and negotiation of a new investment, or an optimization and renegotiation of an existing investment.

For the first five years of our official existence, from about 2002 – 2007, we fancied ourselves as the leader of the these small shop type companies that were part of this advisory sub-culture of companies that helped clients with actionable-intelligence to the technology supplier community to help them make better decisions regarding supplier investments.  We think we did it much better, had a better business model, had the best people, developed the best processes, and definitely demonstrated the best results.  It wasn’t until after the global financial crisis, however, that our business really went big time.  Shortly after the GFC, we started strategically partnering with the worlds’ leading private equity firms, who were keenly interested to drive operational efficiencies in the form of cost savings to increase profitability, and therefore market capitalization, and therefore balance sheet value.  After several partnerships with the most prestigious private equity firms revealed the force multiplier effect of our collaboration, we quickly emerged as the go to resource for IT optimization for supplier investments, agreements, and relationships.

In comparison to what I’ve experienced over the last 10 years, I can’t imagine a more fantastic journey; but seeing the trajectory of our business gives me every confidence that the next 10 years will make the previous 10 years pale in comparison.

In reflection, mostly, I’m incredibly thankful to the clients who believed in us in the early formative years.  I’m also incredibly humbled by the success we’ve had over the past 10 years, and extremely appreciative to our employees, our strategic channel partners, and our synergy partners for their relentless drive for truth and justice.  Finally, as I look at the trends in the industry, and the monumental challenges our clients face going forward, I’m incredibly committed to helping our clients capture even more value for the next 10 years and well into the future.

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About NET(net)
Celebrating 10 years, NET(net) is the world’s leading IT Investment Optimization firm, helping clients find, get and keep more economic and strategic value. With over 1500 clients around the world in nearly all industries and geographies, and with the experience of over 15,000 field engagements with over 250 technology suppliers in XaaS, Cloud, Hardware, Software, Services, Healthcare, Outsourcing, Infrastructure, Telecommunications, and other areas of IT spend, resulting in incremental client captured value in excess of $100 billion since 2002.  NET(net) has the expertise you need, the experience you want, and the performance you demand. Contact us today at info@netnetweb.com, visit us online at www.netnetweb.com, or call us at +1-866-2-NET-net to see if we can help you capture more value in your IT investments, agreements, and relationships.