The analysts
Information on IT research providers.
 
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By ANTHEA STRATIGOS
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Stratigos is co-founder and president of Outsell, a Burlingame, Calif., research firm that focuses exclusively on the information industry. She can be contacted at astratigos@outsellinc.com
Network World, 04/17/00
The Burton Group
Butler Group
Cahners In-Stat
Current Analysis
The Dell'Oro Group
The Eastern Management Group
Forrester Research
Gartner Group
Giga Information Group
IDC
Meta Group
Probe Research
Pyramid Research
Ryan Hankin Kent
Vertical Systems Group
The Yankee Group
The Burton Group
(800) 824-9924
www.tbg.com
ATM, directories, enterprise messaging, Ethernet, IP, multicasting, network services, QoS, relational databases, security, switching, virtual private
networks (VPN), vendor strategies and XML.
Annual conference, consulting and advisory services, custom research projects, research reports, and workshops and custom training.
This specialty advisory firm has a solid
reputation.
Butler Group
+44 (0) 1482 586149
www.butlergroup.com
Application development, business processes, collaborative computing,
customer relationship management, databases, electronic trading, enterprise
resource planning, IS, middleware, networking, operating systems and
servers.
Management briefings, major reports, periodi-
cal subscriptions, technical certification, technology audits, white
papers. Offers five subscription levels; some articles and reports are also
sold individually.
This is a broad-based IT advisory firm with a European emphasis targeted at
vendors and IT professionals. The company's breadth and depth and its
geographic focus are pluses.
Cahners In-Stat
(617) 630-3900
www.instat.com
ATM and frame relay WAN equipment, home networking, hubs, modems, network
interface cards, remote access servers and concentrators, VPNs, voice over
IP, routers, switches and wireless LANs.
Articles, conferences, market research reports, newsletters/bulletins,
presentations, quarterly publications. Subscriptions include print or
electronic reports, bulletins and access to senior analysts on an unlimited
basis.
Building on its history of covering semiconductors, the firm added other technology subjects over the years. Primarily focused
on vendors, but it is considered a solid player with relatively stable
offerings.
Current Analysis
(703) 404-9200
www.currentanalysis.com
ATM, broadband, cable modems, carriers, cellular, convergence, digital
subscriber line (DSL), frame relay, IP, managed data services,
multinational services, PCS, paging, regulatory issues, voice services and
wireless.
Briefings, competitive intelligence, consulting and integration services,
daily event analysis, data architecture services, investment/financial
analysis, market assessments, RFP trackers, roundtables, vendor-specific
reports and white papers.
Earns kudos for its analysis of events in the telecom market and its
easy-to-use Web-based database. Heritage is in the vendor community, but
timely content and benchmark information make it a great choice.
The Dell'Oro Group
(650) 529-2787
www.delloro.com
Cable modems, DSL, hubs, remote access, routers, switches and WAN access
devices.
Business planning, market research, reports and strategic competitive
analysis. Subscriptions include quarterly reports, five-year forecasts and
access to analysts.
Although small, this company has an excellent reputation for reporting
statistics and market share in its areas of coverage.
The Eastern Management Group
(908) 306-8800
www.easternmanagement.com
Focused entirely on the communications industry, including ACD, CPE, IVR,
KTS/Hybrid, market revenue, PBXs, shipment data and voice messaging.
Consulting, custom research, marketing outsourcing, syndicated research and
white papers.
An early leader in the field, Eastern Management Group is well respected.
Forrester Research
(617) 497-7090
www.forrester.com
Carrier strategies, intranets, LANs, network and systems management,
network hardware, network services, operating systems, security, telecom
and WANs.
Analysis, briefings, consulting, reports and strategy workshops.
Subscriptions are sold per coverage area; access ranges from about 20
reports and 40 briefs per year to 100 reports and 150 briefs, depending on
topic area.
Known for its strategic points of view and directional insights, Forrester
is a highly respected source among Fortune 1000 companies. The firm
recently changed its pricing and packaging.
Gartner Group
(203) 316-1111
www.gartnerweb.com
E-commerce, enterprise resource planning, Internet, IT strategy, knowledge management, LANs, mobile communications, network infrastructure, network management, network services, remote access, telecom and voice systems.
Advisory services, online forums, publications and syndicated research. Research and publications may be subscribed to in part or as a whole, and subscriptions may include access to analysts. Publications are also sold individually.
Carries the most clout among users, particularly for supporting acquisition and implementation decisions. Solid benchmarking methodologies and comprehensive coverage make the firm a must-have despite complaints about pricing and sales force knowledge.
Giga Information Group
(781) 982-9500
www.gigaweb.com
Communications services, directory services, LAN/WAN hardware, network
connectivity, network management, remote communications, telecom services
and voice systems.
Advisory services, access to third-party news and content, teleconferences,
custom consulting, online forums and syndicated research reports. Giga
sells its subscription service as a whole.
Giga's third-party content is a unique feature. The company's flexible,
straightforward packaging and highly regarded interdisciplinary analysis
make it a good choice.
IDC
(508) 872-8200
www.idc.com
Data communications, distributed management systems, LANs, network
services, remote access, telecom services, and wireless and mobile
communications.
Advisory services, analysis, briefings, consulting, custom research,
multiclient studies/benchmarks, syndicated research, telebriefings and
topical periodicals. Reports are also sold individually.
IDC's historical roots are in market forecasting for vendors, although the
firm is also influential with users. Good reputation across all technology
areas, particularly for conducting quantitative studies.
Meta Group
(800) 945-6382
www.metagroup.com
Bandwidth management, carrier services, distributed systems, LAN
infrastructure, internetworking, network management, organizational issues,
security, voice, switching and wireless.
Analysis, briefings, conferences, consulting, e-mail updates, reports and
teleconferences. Subscriptions are sold to various retainer services or
areas of coverage.
Great reputation among the user community, its target market. Fairly
traditional pricing and packaging make it relatively easy to do business
with the firm.
Probe Research
(973) 285-1500
www.proberesearch.com
Carriers, Internet traffic analysis, ISPs, network management, operations
support systems, public networks, voice over IP and wireless.
Analysis, bulletins, custom consulting, forecasts, multiclient studies and
syndicated research. Subscriptions are sold individually.
Probe Research is a boutique firm with a solid reputation in its coverage
areas.
Pyramid Research
(617) 494-1515
www.pyr.com
Telecommunications and wireless.
Advisory services, briefings, consulting, forecasts, market analysis,
publications and multiclient reports.
Primarily oriented to serving vendors and has a good focus on its coverage areas.
Ryan Hankin Kent
(650) 737-9600
www.rhk.com
Cable modems, switching and routing, emerging technologies, Internet video,
loop access systems, network architecture, network management and optical networking.
Analysis, conferences, forecasts, service provider and vendor profiles, and a weekly newsletter.
One of the premier boutiques in the field and a leader in emerging technology coverage. The firm's high quality comes with a high price tag.
Vertical Systems Group
(781) 329-0900
www.verticalsystems.com
Advanced carrier systems, ATM, DSL, frame relay, IP, LAN internetworking, leased lines, SMDS, T-1/E1 multiplexing and X.25.
Briefings, consulting, custom research and market research. Subscription prices vary depending on the scope of the research.
This firm is mainly geared toward serving vendors and has a good reputation for its coverage and focus.
The Yankee Group
(617) 956-5000
www.yankeegroup.com
Data communications, e-business, enterprise applications, Internet, intranet, telecom and wireless/mobile.
Advisory services, conferences, teleconferences, briefings, consulting, syndicated research and weekly research notes. Subscriptions are packaged as more than 20 different topical planning services.
Yankee's heritage is in serving vendors, but
it has successfully branched out to users. Yankee Group analysts are highly regarded and the firm's status as a large player in a focused area makes it a good choice.
Here's what you need to consider when choosing an IT research provider.
