Chris Barnard is Associate Vice President at IDC's EMEA Telecommunication and Networking Group. Based in Amsterdam, Barnard's extensive research and consulting remit specifically covers unified communications and collaboration, conferencing solutions, network channels to market, and network life-cycle services (consulting/integration, managed services, maintenance) for both the service provider and enterprise markets.

Additionally, Barnard is responsible for IDC's local telco and networking programs in the Nordics, Germany, France, Spain, Italy and the Benelux.

Barnard is the author of numerous white papers and trade press articles on convergence, IP telephony, ebusiness, infrastructure, and networking strategies. He is widely quoted in the international technology and business press. In 2010, Barnard was named telecoms analyst of the year by the IIAR (Institute of Industry Analyst Relations). He is frequently asked to speak at international industry conferences, customer events, and road shows.

Barnard joined IDC in 2000. He previously worked for three years at Montreal-based software company Essentus as special projects manager and customer support manager (Europe). Before joining this supply chain management vendor, he was employed by Fast Lane, an Oracle consultancy in the Netherlands. Barnard, who holds a master's degree (cum laude) in social sciences from Stellenbosch University, also has six years' experience as a journalist and editor at various publications.

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