Gartner buys Burton Group in further consolidation of IT analysis market

Gartner previously purchased AMR Research

Gartner has purchased the Burton Group, its second acquisition in a month, expanding the firm's already massive presence in the IT analysis market.

Gartner on Tuesday said it acquired the Burton Group for $56 million in cash on Dec. 30. Just a month ago, Gartner announced a $64 million deal to purchase AMR research. 

Take a look back at 2009's biggest tech M&A deals

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Gartner has purchased the Burton Group, its second acquisition in a month, expanding the firm's already massive presence in the IT analysis market.

Gartner on Tuesday said it acquired the Burton Group for $56 million in cash on Dec. 30. Just a month ago, Gartner announced a $64 million deal to purchase AMR research. 

Take a look back at 2009's biggest tech M&A deals

Based in Midvale, Utah, the Burton Group has 41 research analysts and annual revenue of $30 million. Gartner, based in Stamford, Conn., has 1,200 research analysts and consultants on staff.

Burton Group CEO Jamie Lewis promised clients that the acquisition will not change the services provided to them, but said the deal will allow his firm to reach a broader set of customers.

"The majority of our clients currently use Gartner services as well as ours because they see our offerings as highly complementary and best-in-class for the IT roles and functions we both support," Lewis said in an announcement.
Gartner will retain "almost all" of Burton Group's employees, including all of its research and consulting staff, he said.

According to Gartner CEO Gene Hall, "Gartner has traditionally focused on providing strategic insight to CIOs and senior IT executives, while Burton Group has built a leading niche providing practical, how-to advice to front-line IT professionals."

The Burton Group, founded in 1990, says its customers are mainly user organizations in the Fortune 500 and Global 2000. Gartner, founded in 1979, hosts numerous industry conferences around the world and is known partly for its "Magic Quadrant" rankings, which grade vendors in many different IT sectors.

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