We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again … terminology matters.
In some cases, creative wording causes little or no real damage. For example, calling a solution “immersive” does not encompass any specific feature or performance promise. But that is not the case for the term “certified.”
Just a few short quarters ago, certification meant something. To get certified, solutions had to meet pre-defined functionality and interoperability criteria. Vendors worked long and hard, spent real money, and invested significant resources to achieve “certification.”
Perhaps most importantly, industry participants (e.g., end-user customers, design consultants, and even industry analysts) could minimize risk by buying or recommending certified solutions.
At Recon Research, we are firm believers in certification. We look to certified partners to care for our end-user customers, and we expect certified solutions to provide high-quality, consistent, and reliable experiences.
But alas, nothing lasts forever. Over time, the lines between certified and uncertified have blurred. Today, certification means different things to different vendors and in different situations. At times, certification means nothing at all.
