Austin, Texas, United States
Iโm Craig Durr, Chief Analyst and Founder of The Collab Collective. My career has always been about one thing: ๐บ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ณ๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ ๐ผ๐ป. I research and analyze the technologies, services, and strategies shaping how people connect, whether through devices in a meeting room, the platforms teams use to communicate, or the workflows that tie it all together. But I donโt just follow the tech. I study the ๐ต๐๐บ๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ - how expectations, culture, and behavior influence the tools we adopt and the strategies that succeed. My work spans several areas that define the modern workplace: โข ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐น๐น๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป โข ๐๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ โข ๐๐๐๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ โข ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ณ๐น๐ผ๐๐ โข ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ The audiences I serve are twofold. On one side are leaders shaping the office of today and tomorrow, spanning technology, HR, facilities, corporate real estate, and workplace strategy. They decide how employees engage, how spaces are designed, and how organizations create environments where people and businesses thrive. On the other side are the technology companies building the platforms and solutions that power these experiences. My role is to bridge the two, providing clarity and credibility for buyers while equipping vendors with insights into how their innovations connect to real-world needs. I spent over five years as an industry analyst before launching The Collab Collective, building expertise in market sizing, technology evaluation, and strategic advisory. Prior to that, I held leadership roles at Poly, Dell, Microsoft, and IBM. Experiences that gave me both research rigor and the perspective of working inside the companies driving change. The Collab Collective is more than my own voice. It is a ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐, ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต๐ ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ working together under a shared ethos of collaboration. This spirit is not only how we operate internally, but also how we engage with clients; as partners who bring diverse perspectives to solve challenges and share insights. Weโve built The Collab Collective as a platform for thought leadership, storytelling, and mediaโfrom research reports and frameworks to video series like Collaboration Cafรฉ and Direct from the Expo. The goal is not just to analyze trends but to equip leaders with frameworks and language that make the complex simple and actionable.
AVIXA Foundation provides access to quality skills education, builds career pathways, and fosters valuable hands-on experiences to inspire the next generation of leaders in the audiovisual industry. AV is for Everyone.
The Collab Collective is a premier industry analyst and research firm that provides comprehensive insights and strategic guidance across various technology sectors. We are a trusted partner for leading technology firms and IT buyers, guiding them through the rapidly changing world of workplace collaboration. Our collaborative approach ensures you stay ahead. Let's Work Together.
Promoted to Practice Lead for Workplace Collaboration
I work as a Research Director for The Futurum Group and lead the Workplace Collaboration practice, focusing on the services, technologies, and devices that empower seamless connections between businesses, employees, and customers. With the privilege of collaborating with industry leaders like Microsoft, Zoom, Cisco, Google, Poly, Jabra, Logitech, and more, my insights help shape today's modern work experience. My expertise encompasses comprehensive market analysis, sizing projections, product evaluations, emerging trends, and end-user and buyer expectations. In addition to following the technology, I also study the human elements of work - organizing his findings into the workforce, the workplace, and the workflows โ and charting how these variables influence technologies and business strategies.
Senior Analyst with a research focus on Meeting Room Collaboration technologies and solutions. I provide research on market sizing and forecasts, product and service evaluations, market trends, and end user & buyer expectations. I also provide consulting to industry vendors, the financial community, and end user organizations on workplace communication and collaboration strategies, product & portfolio offerings, sales enablement and customer value propositions.
I manage a globally distributed product planning team responsible for 8 product lines, 30+ accessories, and various recurring revenue software options. My team and our products are at the epicenter of where SaaS, cloud-enabled devices and mobility touch the enterprise. Our portfolio contributes ~$450M in annual revenue making my group Polycomโs largest P&L. I am responsible for strategic planning and business management, including developing and implementing the annual 3-year strategic plan, utilizing various frameworks to assess technology developments, competitor activities, consumer trends, and internal capabilities to develop a long-range plan. Beyond the previous work performed as Director, I also took on responsibility for additional product lines including - โข Polycom Pano, our entry in to the new market of content collaboration. Activities included reevaluation of initial strategy and updating positioning and business model to reflect lessons learned in market. After adjusting the product roadmap to better serve desired customer segments, Pano sales growth went from a 3% Q/Q to 10% Q/Q within the year. โข The role also consolidated the management of the mature product lines of Immersive Telepresence (ITP) in to a single org. structure, driving better alignment of product roadmaps and resources.