The VDC Research family is broken-hearted after hearing of the passing of former colleague Chris Lanfear on February 4th of a brain aneurysm. Chris joined VDC Research in 1999 and spent almost eight years with the firm. His contributions to VDC during his tenure were immeasurable, many of which are still felt today. He helped cement VDC as the go-to research and advisory resource for the embedded software community. Deeply respected by his clients, he brought a very creative yet actionable approach to his interactions, fostering relationships that endured. Always accessible to his colleagues, he challenged us not to conform and to find the implications that really mattered to our clients. Passionate about marketing, he was quick to realize the potential of new mediums and launched VDC's inaugural blog, On Target: Embedded Systems. 

A testament of his value to his clients, Chris left VDC in 2007 to join one of his clients, ENEA, spending five years with them in various senior marketing roles. He ultimately decided to return to the analyst ranks, joining the TBR team last summer, covering digital marketing technologies. 

Our deepest sympathies go out to his wife, Laura and two daughters Julia and Tessa. The family has requested that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in Chris' name to The Brain Aneurysm Foundation, 269 Hanover Street, Building 3, Hanover, MA, 02339. www.bafound.org/donate. 

Chris, you will be missed. 

View the 2017 Enterprise Mobility & Connected Devices Research Outline to learn more.