Chris Barnard is vice president, European Telecommunications and Networking, at IDC. He is based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and is responsible for region-wide, enterprise-focused research as well as country-specific telecoms research in the Nordics, Benelux, France, Spain, and Italy.

With a personal research focus on enterprise transformation and the interaction with infrastructure and life-cycle services (consulting/integration, managed services, maintenance), Chris is the author of numerous white papers and trade press articles on professional services, convergence, unified communications, ebusiness, infrastructure, and networking strategies. He is widely quoted in the international technology and business press. In 2010, Chris was named telecoms analyst of the year by the Institute of Industry Analyst Relations (IIAR). He is frequently asked to speak at international industry conferences, customer events, and road shows.

Chris 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.

Follow Chris on Twitter @cbarnard_IDC.