There is little doubt that 2008 was a break-through year for Longhaus in what was a tumultuous year for the global economy. As a company we are approaching 2009 with a lot of optimism which will be supported by key announcements in the first quarter. As an analyst firm we are expecting a more eventful year than 2008 despite the global downturn. Some of this we will discuss in our Longview technology trends edition due out later this month.

Firstly though, please accept a warm welcome back after the Christmas holiday break, and a quick introduction to our latest analyst (David Wang) and Longhaus' latest research tool  (the Australian Tech Index).

As of January this year our long-time Research Associate David Wang was promoted to the position of Research Analyst. As well as publishing his own self-directed research, Dave will now take on responsibility for vendor briefings in key software, services and management technology market segments including media and content management. His business card is published here for reference.

In 2008 David was kept busy in support roles for client research and advisory projects ranging from major technology vendors, universities, and government agencies. One of his additional key focuses was on developing and launching the Australian Tech Index in early 2009. And it is in this area that he will make his official published research debut for Longhaus next week; this time with Sam and myself as the bi-lines.

The launch of the Australian Tech Index comes at a key inflection point for the ICT industry the world over. It will provide both an interesting and informative measure of current industry health throughout the global downturn, as well as additional lead-indicators for future economic recovery specific to ICT in the region.