Fran Howarth

Principal Analyst
Quocirca

Fran Howarth focuses on emerging technologies and business models. Her main areas of coverage include enterprise applications, such as supply chain and lifecycle management, information management, security, and the convergence of physical and IT security and asset management, as well as new business models such as managed services. Her focus is on the business value created by the use of technology for facilitating streamlined business processes.

Fran has been an analyst and consultant for 20 years, most recently covering emerging technology markets from a sell-side perspective, advising technology vendors—from the largest players to emerging start-ups—on product positioning and marketing. She has conducted numerous primary research studies, covering topics as diverse as strategic sourcing, identity and access management, and enterprise security, and regularly publishes papers that explain complex technologies in layman’s terms. As a consultant, she advised end-user organisations on how technology could provide them with competitive advantage, as well as coordinating projects internationally across Europe. During the 1990s, she spent many frustrating years battling with the complexities of public key infrastructure implementations among early adopters. This breadth of experience provides her with valuable insight into the actual needs of organisations regarding the use of technology for supporting their operations—rather than a mere focus on technology for technology’s sake.

Prior to joining Quocirca, Fran has worked for the Economist Intelligence Unit, KPMG Consulting, and a number of large and small IT analysis firms, both European and US-based. She started her career in the Far East in Japan and Hong Kong, and had lived in the Netherlands since 1995 providing her with a true international focus. Fran writes regularly for InfoToday’s Security Management Practices, IT Analysis, The Register and Silicon.com, and provides comment for many IT and business publications. She has undertaken many public speaking engagements and acted as a technology judge for SIIA’s Codie awards.

Fran holds a BA (honours) in geography from UCL in the UK. As well as her commercial activities, Fran also works in a voluntary capacity at the local animal shelter. Her interests include sports and martial arts, which she studied in the Far East, and music, still regularly practising classical piano.

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