How to Cut Through Industry Analysts Opinions & Make Better Decisions: ROI

[IanInsights] – The Numbers Don’t Lie. I left IDC 17 years ago completely frustrated with the softening of industry research away from hard numbers to opinion. Worse yet, I saw major analyst firms moving toward pay-for-play models where a big investment influenced results. Vendors that increase their budget significantly magically appeared in the Leader Quadrant, while those that did not ‘contribute’ enough risked being labeled a niche player.

This practice taints the entire industry, undermining the very service we provide – objectivity. It’s like a study touting the health benefits of coffee, sponsored by Starbucks. In fact, the research may be sound, but do we really trust a coffee chain to be unbiased here?… (read more)