Last chance to vote for your analyst of the year!

Posted on Monday 28th April 2008 by Duncan Chapple

The Institute of Industry Analyst Relations closes the Analyst of the Year survey at 10:00 p.m. BST on Wednesday April 30. To vote, go to http://snipurl.com/23gv1. In exchange for sharing your opinion, you’ll get a summary of the results next month.

The IIAR is a not-for-profit organization established to raise industry awareness of the value of analyst relations, promote and share best practice in AR, and give opportunities for AR professionals to meet and network with their industry peers. Members can participate in regular events and teleconferences, gain access to a growing online library of AR tools and resources, and contribute and share experiences with other AR professionals through working parties.

To find out more, visit the IIAR website at www.analystrelations.org.

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Around Josh Krischer from Josh Krischer & Associates in 12 questions

Posted on Sunday 27th April 2008 by hkirkman

Josh KrischerThis week, in our continuing series of analyst interviews, Josh Krischer, founder and principal analyst with Josh Krischer & Associates, shares his insight on the IT analysis market.

  1. What are your coverage areas?
    I cover Mainframes, high-end computing, storage, disaster recovery techniques and data center consolidation.

  2. What are your opinions of the IT Analysis Marketplace and where do you see it going?
    Vendors, in particular large companies, tend to devote too much attention to analyst firms rather than to individual analysts. Much bigger spending with the large companies and not enough support for the small, independent shops.IBM EMEA, for example range the analysts according to their influence and reputation and not for which company they work. For example, despite being a “small shop” I evaluated last year several RFPs among them most likely the largest storage RFP in EMEA (two digit million EUR)
    Some time ago, giving interview to a German journalist I was asked what is the difference between the services which a small company (like mine) can give in comparison to the large players. My answer was that in analogy it is like the differences between a department store and a boutique. I can tailor my services better to customers’ needs.
  3. What’s your typical day like?
    Every day is different; emails, projects, meetings, admin , marketing, vendor briefings, writing, etc. Storage is very dynamic industry, with constant flow of news on announcements, acquisitions and new innovations therefore I spent a lot of time on self-study and research.
    For example an excerpt from a proposal for RFP evaluation:

    Scope of the Work
    To fulfil the above obligation, the Service Provider will provide the Client with the Service provider who shall perform the following tasks:

    1. Prepare validity proof of the vendors’ claims.

    2. Set decision criteria matrix and assign weights for each proposal according to this matrix.

    3. Verification of the assessment prepared by the procurement team.

    4. Prepare numerical and graphical presentation of each vendor proposal.

    5. Prepare price comparisons (against the prices obtained in other, especially European, countries) and suggestions for the negotiations with the vendors.

    6. Deliver arguments for negotiations and support during the negotiations with the vendors

    7. Comparisons of the proposals from the strategic point of view and according to bank requirements

    8. Prepare management summary and recommendations.

    9. PowerPoint presentation of points 1-7

    10. Two days discussions with technical and management staff in xxxx .

    Depends on the RFP size such evaluation will take from 3 to 10 days to complete. In my previous life, working for a large analyst company the output was usually 30 minutes conference call sometimes followed by an email.

  4. Now, c’mon, tell me an AR horror story?
    Too many; all the vendors which „danced around me“ when I was VP research in Gartner but disappeared since I left.
    A funny AR story (not bizarre) on NDA and confidential information:     Being a new analyst I called Steve Bardige (AR manager EMC) and ask him about a project with code name „calypso“. After asking the question I could hear Steve fainting on the other side of the Atlantic. After few second he answered; „Josh, you are not supposed to know about this project and not to mention even this code name, how did you find about it?“ I answered, „it was easy, one of EMC marketing guys in Germany made a presentation about Calypso on GUIDE/SHARE (IBM users forum) meeting in Hamburg.
    The morals of the story are: 1) that in some companies the AR are too paranoid in relation to secrecy 2) Giving information to customers before telling it to analysts may put analysts ( who the users expect to know everything) in inconvenient situations 3) sometimes an analyst may know more than you may expect.
  5. How do you position your firm? What is your business model? (where are your revenues coming from, mix between users and vendors?)
    In 2007, about 60% of my turnover came from IT end users: I work with them on various projects, including RFP evaluations. With vendors, I author positioning papers, technical white-papers and carry-out sales training.
  6. What is your research methodology, in 255 characters or less? (primary research, F2F or phone, secondary only, etc…)
    Trying to attend any vendor briefing which I can (and trying to stay awake), speaking with customers and trying to learn from their experience. Trying to listen and to ask as many questions as possible. Searching daily for new information and evaluating it. Usually have more value speaking with CTOs or product managers than with CEOs.
  7. Any favourite AR professional you’d like to mention? And why?
    Hans-Jürgen Rehm IBM Germany, Bill Reed of IBM EMEA, Ludovic Leforestier of Oracle (ex-IBM EMEA), Steven Zivanic of DataDirect (ex-HDS US) – always very helpful in good times and bad times.]
  8. Tell us about one good AR practice you’ve experienced or one good AR event you’ve attended.
    Never lie to analyst and try not to waste his time
  9. What are your offerings and key deliverables?
    RFP evaluations, Assistance with RFP preparations, Pricing evaluations & negotiations with vendors, Strategy development, Proofs of concept, Refresh of knowledge.
    Competitive analysis, SWOT analysis,Operations management & engineering
    Presentation preparation & delivery, Market analysis & business development
    Pre-sales consulting, Authoring & education, Keynote speeches, Revitalizing and motivating sales organizations, Sales training, New product opportunity – research and introduction ,Major account development and management, Marketing communications planning
  10. Any hobbies or favourite restaurant / food that you’d like to share?Gardening, carpentry. Any food ( with the exception of English) which is “dead” in particular Thai, Lebanese and Italian]
  11. What is your biggest challenges for the upcoming 6 months? And for the next 30 mn?
    To be the best analyst in the areas which I cover
  12. Is there another analyst (a peer in your firm or with another firm) whose work you rate highly?
    Dave Russell, Gartner – professional, fair and modest

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Around Ray Wang from Forrester in 10 questions

Posted on Saturday 19th April 2008 by Ludovic Leforestier

Ray WangThis week we have the pleasure of interviewing R “Ray” Wang from Forrester Research. In his spare time, he also contributes to the insightful Software Insiders blog. Thanks to Ray for his insights on the Software industry and also some thought provoking views on the IT Analysis industry too.

  1. What are your coverage areas?
    Research agendas for the business process and applications role focus on sustainable enterprise application strategies that include areas such as organizational readiness, vendor selection, software licensing and pricing, contract negotiations, instance consolidation, and SOA strategies for packaged apps such as ERP, Order Hubs, and Project Based Solutions. In addition, research focuses on business processes such as the order management cycle and continuous customer management, and I look at functional areas such as customer data integration and the impact of service-oriented architecture (SOA) on packaged applications. From a technology strategy perspective, I spend time evaluating the the emerging area of software ecosystems for SI’s and ISV’s.
  2. What are your opinions of the IT Analysis Marketplace and where do you see it going?
    There is a real concern that analysts no longer make the tough calls and that overall analyst quality has declined. Analyst firm business models continue to shy away from star analysts who bring charisma, real world experience, and an ethos of quality. The trend forces many firms towards a lower cost Accenture and Corporate Executive Board model that is the antithesis of a McKinsey or the original intent of Gartner, Meta, and Giga. There is hope though, as end user clients and vendor firms can push for analysts with deeper knowledge and expertise. Also, new models are emerging in which end users can engage analysts with new Web 2.0 collaboration technologies. A focus on roles makes sense but must account for the fact that some job titles span multiple roles.
  3. What’s your typical day like?
    I serve our global clients so it’s typical to have 1 or 2 early morning inquiries, followed by a few briefings. By afternoon, the focus is on research projects and advisory work for clients. Late in the evening I am on scoping calls and inquiry with our APAC and EMEA clients. Somewhere in between, I get the kids to school and make a few meals for myself. It’s fast paced and more importantly fun.
  4. What is your research methodology, in 255 characters or less? (primary research, F2F or phone, secondary only, etc…)
    Forrester focuses on role based research and I serve the business process and applications role. I try to focus on best practices, strategy, and product evaluations backed by some of our deep Forrester survey data and data panels. Primary research and phone interviews drive what we do and I often seek a lot of input from our end user clients.
  5. Any favourite AR professional you’d like to mention? Any why?
    Allysa Mack when she was at Ariba was very responsive, energetic, and collaborative in the AR community. Carolyn Layne at Comergent (now Sterling Commerce) when she was the CMO always kept the analyst abreast of customer wins and product direction. She had that special relationship touch that’s often missing in AR programs. Mitchell Nitzan at Oracle before he left for Information Builders, was quick to respond, invested in the relationships, and cared enough to ask the right questions. Moreover, he wasn’t afraid to challenge an assumption in a very polite manner.
  6. Tell us about one good AR practice you’ve experienced or one good AR event you’ve atttended.
    Lawson Software always has the most entertaining end user events with their executives role playing a theme and story. It’s frankly the best key notes on the AR circuit for software, especially now that Shai has left SAP. Oracle and Microsoft have done good jobs about regular briefings looking at the key areas of product updates, customer wins, go-lives, organizational updates, and partner updates.
  7. What are your offerings and key deliverables?
    I handle about 95% of all the SAP and Oracle contract negotiations, focus a lot on vendor selection, and spend considerable time on packaged application strategies for our end user clients. What’s really fun are speaking engagements that interact with end users.
  8. Any hobbies or favourite restaurant / food that you’d like to share?
    Great sushi always hits the stomach, but I’m a fan of regional home style cooking. Whether it’s french countryside or soul food from the south, I enjoy the food experience each micro culture brings. Now there are a few things off limits like any animal blood, bizarre internal organs, etc…
  9. What is your biggest challenges for the upcoming 6 months? And for the next 30 mn?
    The challenge as an analyst is the balance between time management and thought provoking research. While today’s business models may seem to favor vanilla and boring research delivered by kids coming off a school bus facilitating “sessions” and then writing about it, there’s still a lot of great analysts out there from analyst who bring 20 to 30 years of experience to the table. These analysts serve as great role models because they still call it like it is, are not susceptible to vendor smoke screens, and are true artisans. My challenge is to figure out how to learn from the masters, break the current analyst mode, collaborate, and write what end user clients truly care about…despite what new fads emerge, trends management teams impose, or TLA’s the business world comes up with.

  10. Is there another analyst (a peer in your firm or with another firm) whose work you rate highly?
    I’ve always been a fan of Bruce Richardson’s work at AMR. With his breadth and decades of experience in AR, he’s the AR equivalent of Helen Thomas. As many of you might know Helen Thomas is a world renown white house press corp correspondent that has covered ever president since John F. Kennedy. Another analyst I’ve always admired has been John Rymer at Forrester. As a client of Giga, we always found him to have the right balance of experience, perspective, and integrity. As a colleague, it rings even more true today.

Filed under: Forrester, IIAR, IIAR Around In 10 Questions | Tagged: , , | 3 Comments »

Around Rüdiger Spies from IDC in 9 Questions

Posted on Wednesday 16th April 2008 by mariusjosthfn

R SpiesThe IIAR has started a series of email interviews, where analysts from around the world are presented. We have talked to Rüdiger Spies from IDC . Thanks again fo him for the time he spent to give us some insight about IDC and the industry.

 

 

1. What are your coverage areas?

A) It’s pretty broad – basically Enterprise Applications (ERP, CRM, SCM, DW / BI, etc.) combined with architectures (SOA), integration technologies and related applications (i.e., BPM, workflow, mashups, social computing). As enterprises tend more and more to establish a common platform as their backbone system, integration among the different pieces becomes more weight than pure point to point approaches technologies. Seamless integration and cross system, cross dependent and cross enterprise workflows become paramount to success in multi-enterprise business networks.

B) A second focus area is intellectual property (i.e. patents, trademarks, IP portfolios, licensing). I am working with the patent law firm DHS in Munich, Germany and focus on the high-tech industry.

 

2. What are your opinions of the IT Analysis Marketplace and where do you see it going?

The market has matured and will continue to do so. A number of niche and boutique firms have grown under the price umbrella of the three big players. Computer technologies will continue to need advice at management level, however required skill levels and visible engagement of solid analysts will continue to increase. Lightweight analysis is in many instances already available on the internet. I think also the
requirement to think across technologies, across vendors and across subject area will increase.

 

3. What’s your typical day like?

Well, in the morning I get up, have my tea and start to work. That might be in Munich, Paris, London or in Boston or wherever our services are required.

 

4. Now, c’mon, tell me an AR horror story?

The day before the official analyst conference started the vendor had organized some outdoor activities. Unfortunately, two of my colleagues got seriously hurt during the outdoor activities. That was not a good
start to the conference.

 

5. How do you position your firm? What is your business model?

We are global IT and related industries market and trend watchers with the longest successful track record in the IT analyst market.

 

6. What is your research methodology, in 255 characters or less?

The research is going into many dimensions. There are ongoing market development studies that are based on a globally integrated model.
There are region or country specific studies and there are studies that are developed as part of special interest groups. All quantitative results and qualitative trends are based on primary industry research. In the vertical industries we rely on a team of experienced industry professionals. Overall the approach is structured and consistent – the best results combining a top down and a bottom up approach.

 

7. Tell us about one good AR practice you’ve experienced or one good AR event you’ve attended.

Good events respect the time constraints of analysts and care about travel convenience. Don’t choose strange locations. And the best AR people should work in a similar manner as analyst do. This way vendors are able to coordinate AR work on a global level.

8. What are your offerings and key deliverables?

 

In a nutshell – on one hand everything vendors need to know to make future oriented strategy decisions … and on the other hand everything required to tactically address specific markets. End users get the best insight into trends and mid to longer term developments in the industry that is influencing their ability to operate

9. Do you have any hobbies or favourite restaurants / food that you’d like to share with us?

 

Analysts are in many instances social people, however they still care about their privacy.

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Blog readership continues to double

Posted on Sunday 13th April 2008 by Duncan Chapple

IIAR blog readership continues to rise Readership of the IIAR’s blog has continued to rise over the last few months. In fact, the number of visitors doubled in February, March and April.

David’s post on Ethics and Independence Among Industry Analysts has caught huge attention, as has Jonny’s Analyst of the year survey.

The next most-read article was about our 2007 survey which showed that IIAR members felt Forrester rose in influence. Ludovic’s post our dream for a collaborative AR platform was also popular.

Of course the readership of the blog also reflects the IIAR’s growing audience. 150 people have joined us on Yahoo, 33 on LinkedIn, and even 32 hipsters on Facebook. There are also 18 on the German-language list. To find our more, visit us at analystrelations.org.

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Analyst of the year

Posted on Tuesday 8th April 2008 by Jonny Bentwood

IIAR Analyst of the Year

Do you want your favourite analyst to be recognised?

Do you feel that enough recognition is given to your preferred analyst house?

If you have answered ‘yes’ to any of the above questions – please fill in the analyst of the year survey now. This survey is open to everyone who works in AR. Send the link to your colleagues in the industry and make sure your voice counts.

… don’t delay though as the deadline for the survey is rapidly approaching (end of April 2008).

To take part in the survey please click here.

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Around Ben Wood from CCS Insight in 11 Questions

Posted on Tuesday 8th April 2008 by David R

ben Wood matrix Today we hear from Ben Wood who is a director at CCS Insight and one of the best known analysts in the mobile world. He and others in the CCS Insight team can be found blogging here.

What are your coverage areas?

CCS Insight specialises in research about the mobile and wireless industry — but we have a diverse range of customers from all sectors, because mobile is on the agenda of almost every company these days. Personally, I’m best known for my knowledge of mobile devices and everything that is associated with them — applications, services and so on.

What are your opinions of the IT analysis marketplace and where do you see it going?

The world is going mobile — and, as you can imagine, we’re very excited about that. Our business is growing very quickly and much of the growth is coming from companies outside the traditional mobile space who want mobility to be part of their strategy. Whether you are an IT specialist looking to mobilise your business or a consumer brand trying to engage with your consumers, it’s a technology you can’t ignore.

What’s your typical day like?

One thing is for sure: no day is ever the same and that’s one of the things I love about my job. I’m not great at getting out of bed, but I always try to be at my desk by 9 am. That gives me a chance to catch up with 5:30 am e-mails from one of my colleagues, who is a serious early riser!

Once I’ve got on top of my e-mail (sadly, a never-ending task) I usually spend a bit of time catching up on the latest news via my trusty RSS reader and then get on the phone or IM to the team to catch up on work in progress.

I spend as much time out on the road seeing clients as I do at my desk. It’s something we really encourage at CCS Insight, because it means you’re very aware of what clients want and what’s going on in the market. This means I spend a lot of time in the car, most of which is spent talking on the phone (on a full Parrot Bluetooth car kit, in case anyone is wondering).

Depending on what written material we have to get completed, I’ll be back at my desk in the evening — sometimes supporting our North American clients, many of whom are on the West Coast.

Now, c’mon, tell me an AR horror story?

Now you’ve put me on the spot… I guess for me the biggest horror story is sitting in briefing sessions with other analyst firms and having someone asking ill-informed questions or, worse still, being aggressive and arrogant. This means everyone in the analyst community gets tarred with the same brush and makes it hard for the AR folks to set up meetings with senior people in companies again. You’ll see me squirming in my seat when this happens.

As for more humorous stories… they usually revolve around equipment not working, screens, drinks or people falling over, or meeting small companies with products so bizarre they belong on a cringe-worthy episode of Dragons’ Den. I’m not going to name names, though.

How do you position your firm? What is your business model? (Where are your revenues coming from, mix between users and vendors?)

Our goal is to be the “eyes and ears” of our customers in the mobile and wireless space. We have a diverse range of customers, both vendors and users, and the list is growing rapidly — hopefully, this is a reflection that we’re giving clients what they want.

We see ourselves as offering a different service to the big analyst firms. We aim to make our research concise, hard hitting and delivered in a timely manner.

Over 80 percent of our revenue comes from outside the UK. Most of our business comes from on-going research agreements with our customers, although we do have a consulting practice which works on a project-by-project basis.

What is your research methodology, in 255 characters or less? (Primary research, F2F or phone, secondary only, etc…)

We base our research on lots of inputs, but the industry contacts we’ve built up over many years are the most important sources. And we have a team of researchers in the UK and the Far East, who support our analysts with factual and statistical research. (And that’s 254 characters.)

Any favourite AR professional you’d like to mention? And why?

I’m not going to name any names, but the AR professionals I rate highest are the ones that understand our business and what the individual members of the team do. There’s nothing worse than getting spammed with releases that are not relevant to our coverage areas. Another great trait is being able to respond quickly or let us know about breaking news as it happens, even if it’s just a quick text message.

What are your offerings and key deliverables?

We have a wide range of products, a few of which I’ve highlighted below:

· Weekly research (the CCS Insight Hotline): incisive and opinionated analysis of the latest mobile and wireless news

· Quarterly reports: focus on a broad range of topics, from devices and pricing to mobile network operators and services

· Event reports: cover key industry events and analyse the highlights

· Industry access: we respond to clients’ questions by e-mail or on the phone

· Presentations: regular face-to-face updates on topics relevant to clients or defined by them

Any hobbies or favourite restaurant / food that you’d like to share?

Anyone that knows me will be aware that mobile phones are more than just work. I have a collection of over 400 mobile phones, some dating back to the 1980s. They chart the history of our industry, and I’m happy to accept donations if anyone has an unused phone hiding in the back of a drawer.

Another hobby is taking pictures (of everything) and then blogging them. Over the last two years I’ve uploaded more than 10,000 pictures to my photo-sharing site — most of them taken on mobile phones.

My other obsession — Formula 1 motor-racing — is a passion I share with colleagues at CCS Insight. During Grand Prix races in Asia, we’re often online in the middle of the night, exchanging thoughts on the progress of the race.

What are your biggest challenges for the upcoming six months? And for the next 30 minutes?

Growing the business is the biggest challenge in the near term. We’re signing up more clients, and to maintain the high-touch model we pride ourselves on, we need great people in the team. Undoubtedly, this means we’ll expand internationally, too. As for the next 30 minutes — whether my laptop battery will last as I head back to the office on the train.

Is there another analyst (a peer in your firm or with another firm) whose work you rate highly?

I’m afraid I’m not going to tell you that. The people I rate are the people I want to hire — some of them know who they are…

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Around R. David Hofferberth of Service Performance Insight in 12 questions

Posted on Friday 4th April 2008 by hkirkman

R. David HofferberthContinuing our series of analyst interviews, next into the hotseat is David Hofferberth, from Service Performance Insights, one of the few analysts covering the Professional Services market -a huge but little spoken about industry.

  1. What are your coverage areas?
    I cover business applications that are used in the professional services sector. Traditionally, these have boiled down to include Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Professional Services Automation (PSA). However, now I am also beginning to review other applications that include Human Capital Management (HCM), Procurement and Business Intelligence (BI) The lines have begun to blur as more product-driven organizations realize services will become one of their core differentiators going forward, I am now actually spending more time now talking to the professional services divisions of these companies.
  2. What are your opinions of the IT Analysis Marketplace and where do you see it going?
    There are obviously fewer major analyst firms than there were a decade ago, similar to what I have seen in the business application market. I would expect there will always be three to five large IT analyst firms to keep the market competitive and provide different points of view. However, I have seen a number of analysts, including myself, who have ventured out on their own. This independence has allowed us to focus on specific areas of interest, without the need to change our area focus every time some new supposed “breakthrough technology” comes along.
  3. What’s your typical day like?
    I have a long but enjoyable day typically. My commute is very short, as I only have to walk up one floor to my office. That is when I am not traveling. I begin each morning scanning the e-mail I received overnight as well as the headlines from the various technology and business-related periodicals. In the morning I normally interact with people over in Europe, while later in the day I speak with people on the West Coast and Far East when necessary. I try to deliver any information that is asked of me in the morning, as I prefer to spend my afternoons conducting research and writing.

  4. Now, c’mon, tell me an AR horror story?
    I have only had two AR interactions that went a poorly in my ten years of being an analyst. The sessions were argumentative and not very productive for either me or the company I interviewed. Ironically, neither of these two organizations lasted six months after my meeting with them. It probably came down to their ego in trying to tell me how the world has changed, and my disagreement that what they were doing was really world-changing.
  5. How do you position your firm? What is your business model? (where are your revenues coming from, mix between users and vendors?)
    I established my firm so that I could continue my research into workforce productivity through the use of information technology. Ideally, I conduct research in the professional services sector and how they use technology, then publish the research and sell it on my website. From time to time I do consulting with end-user organizations when they have a specific need such as an independent opinion of their application infrastructure and where they should go ahead going forward. I also give speeches at a number of software conferences as well as other independent conferences focused on specific topics that interest me. These conferences generally bring leads for additional work, as well as provide me contact information on organizations that I eventually survey. Currently my revenue is approximately 75% from end-user organizations and 25% from independent software vendors.
  6. What is your research methodology, in 255 characters or less? (primary research, F2F or phone, secondary only, etc…)
    I conduct primary research via surveys, by phone, or in person. I believe that primary research is fundamental to my ongoing success.
  7. Any favourite AR professional you’d like to mention? And why?
    I will say a Ludovic Leforestier of Oracle because he is the one who introduced me to this Blog. Most of the AR staffs that I have met with keep me informed on a regular basis. However, Ludovic does a better job than most of keeping the current with Oracle’s activities.
  8. Tell us about one good AR practice you’ve experienced or one good AR event you’ve attended.
    The larger software firms typically have the most seasoned and polished AR practices. They understand the importance of keeping analysts informed in a timely manner. Analysts don’t like to be caught off guard when announcements are made. I especially like it when they provide me with concise information on current announcements in a book or PDF format, so that I can keep it and review as needed. I also like when these organizations provide me with a CD or thumb-drive with all of the relevant presentations on them that I can use as needed.
  9. What are your offerings and key deliverables?
    My firm has a number of offerings: from marketing strategy, to solution development, to presentations to reports. Each of the offerings have key deliverables that range from a one page a write up of the meeting that I attended to more customized research and analysis, which ultimately leads to presentation slides.
  10. Any hobbies or favourite restaurant / food that you’d like to share?
    One of the great things about being an analyst is that during your travels you have the opportunity to eat at many great restaurants. Currently, my favorite restaurant is Boulevard in San Francisco. However, it is always nice to stop at a Wolfgang Puck restaurant during my travels. In London, my favorite restaurant is the Bleeding Heart, which combines excellent food and an intriguing atmosphere.
  11. What is your biggest challenges for the upcoming 6 months? And for the next 30 mn?
    When I became an analyst again two years ago I thought that I would be spending a majority of my time covering the PSA market, as that is where I gained market credibility a decade ago. However the ERP solution market has begun to make significant inroads in the professional services sector. I must continue to research the ERP solutions, as they are much more complex than the PSA solutions I spent most of the last decade covering. It is important for me to understand each of the vendors’ integration strategy, and how that will improve performance going forward. I suppose for the next 30 minutes I must work hard to get this document completed, as well as handle a number of phone calls that continue to interrupt me.
  12. Is there another analyst (a peer in your firm or with another firm) whose work you rate highly?
    There aren’t many analysts who cover business solutions for the services. I would suppose that I always had a lot of respect for Matt Light at Gartner Group who occasionally ventures into this area.

Filed under: IIAR Around In 10 Questions, SPI | Leave a Comment »

IDG to merge IDC with Gartner?

Posted on Tuesday 1st April 2008 by Duncan Chapple

We have heard today (from three sources) that IDG, the parent of IDC, intends to buy Silver Lake Partners’ share in Gartner and the holdings of CEO Eugene Hall. As part of the deal Neil Bradford, former head of Forrester Americas, and Anthony Parslow, until recently head of Datamonitor, will replace Gene Hall as co-CEOs. Bradford will direct the US business; Parslow (who serves on IDG’s board) will head Gartner’s troubled operations outside the Americas. This is obviously news that will shape the industry – you have seen it first here!

Generally speaking, this isn’t a surprise.

- Silver Lake was, for a long time, the largest shareholder in Gartner. As the firm’s stock price rose it aimed to cash in its gains. Despite a large share buy-back by Gartner, the value of the shares has now fallen. Silver Lake is looking for opportunities to exit. IDG will pay a 7% premium over the current Gartner stock price.

- IDG has a strategic orientation towards expanding its share of the analyst industry. It narrowly lost out to Gartner in bidding for META Group. It sees the possibility for a roll-up spanning different price points across the value chain. IDC’s end-user Insights businesses could gain from the custom-consulting and mid-market work that Gartner cannot do economically. The businesses could also benefit from common base data, as the Datamonitor companies do.

- Gene Hall has revolutionised Gartner, and taken it to a new level. It’s a good time for him to cash in and move on.

However, we are skeptical of claims that IDG will merge IDC and Gartner. There are two strong brands with different positions. The main opportunity in the closer co-operation is for IDG’s non-IDC services to reuse and promote Gartner research, and to use IDG’s events business to rebuild Gartner’s now-sold vision events business.

To see a copy of IDG’s statement, please click here:
http://tinyurl.com/2q9j9y

Filed under: Gartner, IDC, IT Analysis Firms | 9 Comments »

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