Analyst Gartenberg joining Microsoft

Longtime technology analyst Michael Gartenberg is leaving his post at JupiterResearch and joining Microsoft.

Gartenberg said on his blog Thursday that he will be an "enthusiast evangelist."

Understanding that some might not understand the term, he explained: "Our job is to find, engage and work with enthusiasts and other influencers and show them all the cool stuff that Microsoft is doing."

He compared his new role as that of a parent, while his old role was more like a babysitter. "They both take care of children," Gartenberg said. "The difference is the sitter plays with the child, gets paid for it and then at the end of the day, they hand the child back and go onto the next one."

Gartenberg said he thinks the new gig is better. "The observer might think that being the sitter is the better job," he said. "As a parent, I know better."