Statements of Policy

We are providing these policy statements to help guide our relationships with clients and the media.  Please review them carefully, and if you believe we are not following them, let us know!

Policy on Press Releases and Vendor Briefings

If you'd like to send us press material, it must be sent in e-mail format to [email protected], or mailed to us at CIMI Corporation, P.O. Box 1290, Voorhees, NJ  08043.  No exceptions!

In most cases, we will be able to answer our questions about a new product based on the material provided us.  In a few situations, however, we may need additional material in order to properly comment to the press.  In these cases, we will work with the vendor to arrange a phone briefing.  Please note that briefings are accepted only to help us refine our understanding of the product or architecture, so that we can comment on it publicly.  There is no charge for a press briefing, but we will not provide consulting during the briefing, and briefings are accepted at our convenience, to serve our public analyst role.

We will never agree to a briefing or meeting in person except as a part of a paid consulting day.  Do not contact us to request such a briefing or meeting..  We accept phone briefings only, of no more than 30 minutes length, on new product or technology announcements that will be made to the press and public within two weeks of the briefing.  We will not accept briefings on "wins", personnel changes, or to "introduce" us to a vendor.  If you want to brief us on a product or service announcement, please follow this procedure:

• Send a draft of your press release or a clear description of what you will be announcing to [email protected], together with a request for a briefing and an indication of the proposed announcement date.
• We will review the material you provide and let you know if we want to be briefed. If a briefing is indicated, we will contact you to schedule a time.  If we do not desire a briefing, we will advise you of this. Since a half-hour briefing is our maximum; please organize your material accordingly. We reserve the right to direct the discussions to points of our interest, or to cut the discussion off if no further value can be obtained by us.
• Briefings must be conducted by an employee of the vendor/carrier, not a consultant or PR firm. We require a technically knowledgeable contact.

Where we decline to accept a briefing, the vendor may purchase phone consulting under our normal terms and conditions.

Statement of Ethics

We believe that professional ethics are a key element in a successful consulting relationship. CIMI Corporation therefore makes the following pledges:

• We will protect confidential information disclosed to us as long as it does not become public knowledge through other means, whether we are under formal non-disclosure agreement or not. We will, of course, execute formal agreements were appropriate.
• We will disclose the existence of business relationships with other firms to clients or prospective clients if there is reason to believe such relationships might create conflicts of interest.
• If the press asks us about a company, and that company is a client, we will disclose the relationship to the reporter. We will also disclose it if we hold stock in the firm.
• We will accept no form of indirect compensation; marketing fees, referral fees, compensation in stock, etc. in any area where we provide consulting.  If we have an "insider" position in any company or industry (founder share ownership, directorships, etc.), we will add it to this page by way of disclosure, and disqualify ourselves from providing consulting services in this space.  There are presently no such relationships.
• Our views are not for sale. We will never make a statement or forecast in any forum for any reason other than because it is what we believe. If you read a document we've written, attend a seminar at which we speak, or read a quote from us in a magazine or in a press release, it states our honest view, and no one has paid us to change that view.

Demand a statement of ethics from any prospective consultant.  Review the ethics policy of anyone you see quoted in the media, or hear at a trade show.  It's your only way to be sure you understand everyone's agenda.  We will provide a written and signed version of this pledge on request.