We need businesses to support us. To have faith & confidence in us as a community of experts - not as a bunch of geeks with a grudge.

We need to polish our messages - not to go “corporate”, but talk to them as peers. To engage in a dialog that they understand and feel welcomed by.

With the support of the non-technical sides of the business - so we get more involved. Our status as trusted advisors that we *really* looking out for their interests - not to fleece them via quasi-legal lock-ins.

That requires us all to invest in learning how to present ourselves. A “commercial” & a “community” website along side materials, webinars, demos and fully-enabled professional partner programmes to support the delivery of quality services - globally.

We need to compete head-to-head with HP, BMC, CA, EMC, IBM and the mid-tier too. We need to give those engineers that want to deploy our solutions the tools to be agents of change. They need business cases, support packages, structured professional services - they need the experience they receive from the traditional proprietary channel.

That’s a long way from where we are today - but at least the software is already there.

I’m hoping to have the pleasure to collaborate with them on an interesting project. They have worked enormously hard to deliver a great software product and develop their expertise.

We’ve chosen to work with OpenNMS and invest in further development because of their product - and their quality service. Well done Tarus, Jeff, David and the rest of the crew.

Of course, a little marketing polish wouldn’t hurt - as long as you understand it to mean -> engaging in a meaningful two-dialog with everyone involved in the process - budget holders, managers, engineers.

Just wanted to know your take on OpenNMS is appreciated, and I’m glad you “get it” — this is exactly the kind of experience we’re trying to make sure all of our customers and users get.