Tekrati reports today that IDC is using its successful Insights Services to target IT users:
IDC Launches Insights Advisory Service for IT Executives Tekrati Analyst Firm News
By the look of it (see the un-edited press release here), they seem en route to eating some of the IT user RAS pie enjoyed by Gartner, Forrester, Ovum, AMR and the local boutiques.
ARmadgeddon's take: although their analyst line-up currently only covers North-America, it is an interesting move. All three analysts listed have experience with RAS firms: Melinda Carol-Ballou at META, Stephen Elliot at Forrester+Hurwitz and Joseph Pucciarelli at Gartner. Although today it almost exclusively serves IT vendors, IDC enjoys a great brand recognition and global footprint with offices almost everywhere noteworthy. However, its management is conservative and they have been very slow to move out of their comfort zone. If they can successfully leverage those assets to target the IT buyers they might well become a credible alternative to Gartner in the long run. We would suggest them to stick to those vertical markets they cover well through their Insights programme and focus on emerging countries where the Gartner Borg Empire is not an oppressing force.
Update: Tekrati also posted this release about 3 more analysts joining IDC:
IDC Fortifies Software Research and Advisory Capabilities in EMEA Tekrati Analyst Firm News
They are:
- Alys Woodward, ex-Ovum, for Business Intelligence and Analytics research in Europe
- Jonathan Share, ex-Citiwire, in the consulting group (really?)
- Eric Domage, now head of security solutions research in Europe for IDC
- Erik Bruin, changing focus from IT services solutions to enterprise applications
Finally, there are recent comments from Han Honimous below and on this other post... someone out there must not like IDC very much. We thought of them they as genteel and harmless...
3 comments:
IDC will never break into the user space, and has repeatedly failed to do so for 40 years now. It tracks shipments of boxes, software lisences and printers and produces terrible market size data on services. This is only of use to vendors. If IDC wants to build any semblance of a user business it needs to invest in quality analysts and pay them reasonable wages. Their Financial Insights is a start in the right direction as it actually focuses on some user issues, but the quality is nowhere near CEB, Gartner, or even Forrester. I hope for their sake their Financial Insights is more successful than their failed attempt at entering Life Sciences.
It seems likely that the success of IDC's 2007 IT user event will indicate how much traction IDC is getting in this end user space. Of course, that's only if you want to believe that IDC will remain a completely separate business from the rest of IDG... interesting take on the analyst/media blur by Mike Rothman at his Security Incite blog, post = "Big media comes to research land".
As an ex-IDCer, I've seen this org from the inside. Its biggest success in the user market to date has been through consulting, not through the Insights businesses, which continue to struggle.
IDC has some smart analysts - smarter than their output might suggest. But they are constrained by the bsuiness model and the pathological and cultural inability to express an opinion or offer advice.
They'll need to hire new people - people that can advise - if they're to successful in the user market.
Ref IDC/IDG, they'll leave IDC alone if they have any sense. IDC makes the profit for the IDG group, and props up the failing media businesses that are dependent on diminishing advertising revenues.
Post a Comment