NewsForge: IT Analysts’ Influence on Open Source Adoption

“I have now attended conferences held by two major IT analyst
firms: Forrester and Gartner. While I have talked to (and quoted)
many analysts over the years, these were the first times I watched
them interact with their clients in person. Like it or not, these
firms and their competitors are major influences on enterprise IT
adoption.

“One of the most telling moments for me at the recent Gartner
conference in Orlando was when, walking the exhibit floor with
local IT consulant (and NewsForge freelancer) Rob Reilly, the
marketing v.p. of a small software company told us that he
exhibited at Gartner conferences because that got his company ‘on
Gartner’s grid…'”

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