This report covers vendors which are, from the KuppingerCole perspective, Hidden Gems in the mar-kets which we are analyzing. The “Hidden Gems” are vendors which are
• relatively small and
• innovative
They might be established in a specific country (being sort of “world famous in Italy”) but not that visible beyond that country. They might be successful only in a specific industry but provide products and services that are of value for many other industries. But all of them have a clear unique selling proposition and are definitely innovative. And all of them provide solutions which provide, from the KuppingerCole perspective, real business value also from a mid- and long-term perspective.
Thus, they are worth to look at when looking for solutions in the respective area, e.g. Identity and Access Management with its many sub-segments, GRC (Governance, Risk Management, Compliance), or Cloud Computing. In the latter area, there are many interesting companies but currently there are few which are as well unique and small while providing products and services with a long-term potential. We expect that many of the solutions in that area will change significantly over time, thus there are more meteoroids than really Hidden Gems.
There are many other interesting innovations by more established vendors. Microsoft’s U-Prove, HID on the desktop, and many other new ideas and concepts we definitely like. However, this report covers the vendors which are not yet stars in the worldwide IAM, GRC, and Cloud markets but have the potential to gain that status in the foreseeable future.
It is in the nature of grinding Hidden Gems that some will not become the sparkling diamonds we expect today. Some will become acquired. However, there are strong opportunities in selecting products and services of innovative, young vendors – of the Hidden Gems. And, notably, some of the vendors have a significant customer base in their market segments or are even amongst the market leaders in some industries or countries.
