Through her direct and channel marketing experience at HP, ComputerLand, Techmart, Sun, and Informix, Ruth Ann Barrett saw billions being spent on high-tech products and services. But there was a minimum of objective information available to decision-makers, especially at the non-technical, executive level.

These executives were essentially buying blind, and many suffered disruptions of mission-critical operations for having listened solely to vendor sales and marketing messages.

The little objective information that did exist wasn't widely distributed, nor was it based on input from customers, who should be the final arbiter of what's good and what's not.

So, in 1994, she founded RED Direct — to provide high tech clients with objective, relevant information for their executive level prospects.

It wouldn't make the decision for them, but it would sure make their decision more well-informed. And it made them prime prospects for RED Direct clients.