More revolving doors from David:
Analyst Insight: Analyst moves: FS, Mobile, Security
Forrester is now very very thin on the ground but still organised in narrow silos -they're looking for analysts to cover several segments...
Friday, 8 September 2006
Analyst Insight: Analyst moves: FS, Mobile, Security
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5 comments:
I am surprised at how weak Forrester's research is... most of it is regurgitated reports form Gartner/Yankee/AMR. Analysts are also quite disappointing. What happened to all the old Giga folks? Heard they all got pushed out by the political Forrester-freaks....
It's clearly not the case that analysts at any of the large firms are summarising the research of their competitors. Clients would see through that, but colleagues would see it firms. When I was an analyst, I was explicitly advised to not read the research of other analysts. However, what is surprising is that research doesn't have to be deep, or even insightful, to be valuable. Many buyers of research are in the 'late majority'. Other just want information that is consistently presented.
The Giga people didn't get pushed out really. Get my paper on the Giga-Forrester merger. It's free from http://www.lighthousear.com, then look at the right hand panel.
Duncan.
Duncan,
You're telling us that IDC and Forrester analysts don't leverage research from other analysts who actually talk to customers and have some real world experience? Much of IDC's research is regurgitated press releases, and Forrester's research is positioned as a cheaper alternative (and lower quality alternative) to Gartner.
On the Forrester / Giga issue, talk to any of the Giga analysts who got fired and you'll hear a very different story on what went on.
To the rather odd anon post above about reading other analysts work: Yes, we're telling you that Forr analysts don't "leverage" research from analysts at other firms. That is such a bizarre idea I don't even know where to start with it.
Equally bizarre is your suggestion that Forr analysts don't talk to customers for real world experiences and need to get such info 2nd hand. I can assure you that when they need to "actually talk to customers" and "have some real world experience" they do so 1st hand themselves -- where else do you think their data and case studies are coming from? Why (and how) on earth would *any* analyst worthy of the name get such information 2nd hand from a competitor?
Only one word for that whole post: bizarre.
Forrester certainly pushed many Giga analysts out soon after the acquisition: it cleaned out deadwood, and in cases of overlapping coverage areas, Forrester analysts always kept their jobs. That happens in every acquisition. But there has also been a steady exodus of former Giga talent since then, and a recent big spate that exceeds normal attrition. Part of this can be attributed to Forrester's notoriously highly-political internal culture, part to its longstanding MO of ejecting older, more experienced, costlier analysts and replacing them with young, up-and-coming talent. Coverage quality suffers for a couple of years while the young pup comes up to speed, but they eventually get there, and the company saves a boatload of expense in the meantime. Not great for customers; good for shareholders.
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