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Book Review: UP and To the RIGHT
benrothke writes "Anyone who has worked in information technology knows of Gartner. They are one of the leading information technology research and advisory firms. Most of their clients are CIOs and senior IT leaders in corporations and government agencies, high-tech and telecom enterprises. Gartner is huge with over 5,000 associates, over 1, 200 research analysts and consultants and clients in 85 countries. Their revenue in 2011 was nearly $1.5 billion. While Gartner is the world's largest, there are over 650 independent analyst firms worldwide. Barbara French's Directory of Analysts provides a comprehensive list. With all that, very few people understand how Gartner works and what makes them tick. In UP and to the RIGHT: Strategy and Tactics of Analyst Influence: A complete guide to analyst influence, ex-Gartner analyst Richard Stiennon takes the mystery out of Gartner. In particular, a good part of the book deals with Gartner's vaunted Magic Quadrant." Read below for the rest of Ben's review.
UP and to the RIGHT: Strategy and Tactics of Analyst Influence: A complete guide to analyst influence
author
Richard Stiennon
pages
186
publisher
IT-Harvest Press
rating
9/10
reviewer
Ben Rothke
ISBN
0985460709
summary
Definitive guide on Gartner and their Magic Quadrant
The Magic Quadrant (MQ) is Gartner's proprietary research tool that according to them provide a qualitative analysis into a market and its direction, maturity and participants, thus possibly enabling a company to be a stronger competitor for that market. Every, and I mean every tech vendor strives to be recognized by Gartner be on a prominent post on the MQ.
Today there are hundreds of different MQ's for sectors from firewalls, cloud services to web hosting and everything in between.
For those not Gartner clients, buying a specific MQ can be expensive. But vendors often use the MQ to tout their product and pay to make them publicly available. Some examples of the freely-available are the MQ for:Secure Web Gateways, Security Information and Event Management and Web Fraud Detection. A Google search of the term with the PDF format will also reveal numerous free versions.
The book derives its name based on the best place for a company to be on the MQ. Up and to the right is where Gartner places market leaders which is nirvana for a tech firm. The other locations on the quadrant are: niche player, visionary and challenger. But for a tech firm, there is only one location, and that is up and to the right.
The MQ itself has two markers; completeness of vision, which defines features and innovative enhancements. The other is ability to execute, which is determined by revenue, number and quality of resellers and distributors, number of employees and their distribution between engineering, sales, and support and other business issues.
If up and to the right is the desired location, how does one get there? For many tech firms, they often are clueless. In the book, Stiennon provides clear direction on how to get there. For those looking to make the expedition to the land of Gartner; this book is a veritable Berlitz Guide on how to safely make the journey.
A Gartner myth that will never go away and that Stiennon deals with on page 2 is the notion that getting on the MQ is simply a matter of paying for the privilege. He calls the notion of MQ pay to play completely false.
Chapter 2 is The Magic of Magic Quadrants and Stiennon details what it is and why vendors aspire for placement. Irrespective of its value, he notes that every time a new MQ comes out, the vendor has an opportunity to issue a self-congratulatory press release about it.
In chapter 6, Stiennon makes the somewhat depressing observation that the senior analysts at Gartner have not had hands-on experience with products for many years. Yet these same analysts often have huge influence on the very products they often don't understand in minutia.
In some ways, the book is akin to How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. The only difference is that one is attempting to influence a Gartner analyst in the vendor's favor. In chapter 7, the book details how to find the influencers. Stiennon is a big fan of social media and gives a number of valuable methods to find the Gartner analysts in your sector.
One approach I think Stiennon is mistaken is with the use of Klout. He writes that Klout is a great tool for measuring relative influence, at least on social media of an analyst. That may be somewhat true, but for a large part is irrelevant. As I wrote in Some Observations on Klout Scores, Klout can and should be applauded for trying to measure this monstrosity called social influence; but their results of influence should in truth, carry very little influence.
I based this on the fact that Klout scores Funny One Liners and the legendary Tim O'Reilly as being equal; which is utterly absurd. You can do your own Klout analysis for similar irrelevant and meaningless Klout scores.
The MQ is not the only service Gartner offers. In chapter 8, Stiennon writes of SAS Day. SAS is the Gartner Strategic Advisory Service, where a vendor buys the services of an analyst for a day. He notes that the pay to play myth may arise from SAS; but observes that you are not buying the analyst's opinion, rather their time. Vendors can get a lot out of a SAS day, as it is a day-long bottoms-up analysis of their products, markets, sales strategies and more with an analyst who has a deep awareness of that sector.
Stiennon also provides a lot of pragmatic direction on SAS on how to prepare for the SAS day. Given the expense of the analyst and the need to have all of the key staffers there, he notes that getting an agenda planned, good conference rooms, nutritious meals and much more are key to getting the most out of the day.
Back to the MQ; Stiennon writes that every organization of size needs a dedicated analyst relations (AR) staff member. The AR person will be the conduit between the vendor and the analyst firm. While the AR person is critical, he writes that a firm should never pin the responsibility for missing a target of MQ placement on the AR person. Executing on the MQ strategy is the responsibility of the entire organization.
The book provides more pragmatic advice in chapter 12 where it details the use of Gartner conferences. Stiennon writes that firms invest huge sums to attend and sponsor Gartner conferences in the hope to get in front of and sell to leading CIO's. In many cases a single sale to a CIO that arises from a Gartner event will justify the huge expenses.
But even with that, many firms make the mistake of manning their booths at the conference with junior staffers and marketing people that can't speak to the CIO, while the CEO of the vendor firm is in the back of the booth on their cell phone. That is just one of a few major faux pas the chapter details and how then can be obviated.
The chapter also details a common sales mistake in staffing the booths with booth babes. He notes that the concept is gross and misogynistic.
Towards the end, the book closes with what not to do when dealing with Gartner. He gives two examples of firms that were on their negative side. After Oracle Under Fire was written, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison went on a tirade against Gartner.
In another case, ZL Technologies, an email archiving firm sued Gartner for over $1 billion in damages (even though it was worth a fraction of that) when an analyst said their products was not up to par.
The book closes with the observation that buyers need industry analysts, as the analysts see that changes that are coming in the industry and are able to forewarn their clients.
The book is an easy read, yet highly informative and insightful. Every chapter has Stiennon's real-world experience at Gartner and post-Gartner.
While Stiennon is ex-Gartner, never in the book does his disparage his former employer or denigrate their MQ methodology. Rather he shows ways in which the vendor can maximize the potential Gartner relationship and exposure.
Any technology executive, investor and everyone in their PR and marketing departments who are looking to be on the MQ, deal with Gartner or any advisory service, should make certain that UP and to the RIGHT: Strategy and Tactics of Analyst Influence: A complete guide to analyst influence is on their absolutely required reading list. The book provides myriad superb advice on everything you need to know about dealing with and being successful with Gartner.
Given the extraordinary costs involved with analysts and the preparation for analyst meetings, the books $22 price tag is an absolutely bargain combined with its indispensable content. Whether you are a niche player or leader, it is a book well worth reading.
Ben Rothke is the author of Computer Security: 20 Things Every Employee Should Know.
You can purchase UP and to the RIGHT: Strategy and Tactics of Analyst Influence: A complete guide to analyst influence from amazon.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.
Today there are hundreds of different MQ's for sectors from firewalls, cloud services to web hosting and everything in between.
For those not Gartner clients, buying a specific MQ can be expensive. But vendors often use the MQ to tout their product and pay to make them publicly available. Some examples of the freely-available are the MQ for:Secure Web Gateways, Security Information and Event Management and Web Fraud Detection. A Google search of the term with the PDF format will also reveal numerous free versions.
The book derives its name based on the best place for a company to be on the MQ. Up and to the right is where Gartner places market leaders which is nirvana for a tech firm. The other locations on the quadrant are: niche player, visionary and challenger. But for a tech firm, there is only one location, and that is up and to the right.
The MQ itself has two markers; completeness of vision, which defines features and innovative enhancements. The other is ability to execute, which is determined by revenue, number and quality of resellers and distributors, number of employees and their distribution between engineering, sales, and support and other business issues.
If up and to the right is the desired location, how does one get there? For many tech firms, they often are clueless. In the book, Stiennon provides clear direction on how to get there. For those looking to make the expedition to the land of Gartner; this book is a veritable Berlitz Guide on how to safely make the journey.
A Gartner myth that will never go away and that Stiennon deals with on page 2 is the notion that getting on the MQ is simply a matter of paying for the privilege. He calls the notion of MQ pay to play completely false.
Chapter 2 is The Magic of Magic Quadrants and Stiennon details what it is and why vendors aspire for placement. Irrespective of its value, he notes that every time a new MQ comes out, the vendor has an opportunity to issue a self-congratulatory press release about it.
In chapter 6, Stiennon makes the somewhat depressing observation that the senior analysts at Gartner have not had hands-on experience with products for many years. Yet these same analysts often have huge influence on the very products they often don't understand in minutia.
In some ways, the book is akin to How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. The only difference is that one is attempting to influence a Gartner analyst in the vendor's favor. In chapter 7, the book details how to find the influencers. Stiennon is a big fan of social media and gives a number of valuable methods to find the Gartner analysts in your sector.
One approach I think Stiennon is mistaken is with the use of Klout. He writes that Klout is a great tool for measuring relative influence, at least on social media of an analyst. That may be somewhat true, but for a large part is irrelevant. As I wrote in Some Observations on Klout Scores, Klout can and should be applauded for trying to measure this monstrosity called social influence; but their results of influence should in truth, carry very little influence.
I based this on the fact that Klout scores Funny One Liners and the legendary Tim O'Reilly as being equal; which is utterly absurd. You can do your own Klout analysis for similar irrelevant and meaningless Klout scores.
The MQ is not the only service Gartner offers. In chapter 8, Stiennon writes of SAS Day. SAS is the Gartner Strategic Advisory Service, where a vendor buys the services of an analyst for a day. He notes that the pay to play myth may arise from SAS; but observes that you are not buying the analyst's opinion, rather their time. Vendors can get a lot out of a SAS day, as it is a day-long bottoms-up analysis of their products, markets, sales strategies and more with an analyst who has a deep awareness of that sector.
Stiennon also provides a lot of pragmatic direction on SAS on how to prepare for the SAS day. Given the expense of the analyst and the need to have all of the key staffers there, he notes that getting an agenda planned, good conference rooms, nutritious meals and much more are key to getting the most out of the day.
Back to the MQ; Stiennon writes that every organization of size needs a dedicated analyst relations (AR) staff member. The AR person will be the conduit between the vendor and the analyst firm. While the AR person is critical, he writes that a firm should never pin the responsibility for missing a target of MQ placement on the AR person. Executing on the MQ strategy is the responsibility of the entire organization.
The book provides more pragmatic advice in chapter 12 where it details the use of Gartner conferences. Stiennon writes that firms invest huge sums to attend and sponsor Gartner conferences in the hope to get in front of and sell to leading CIO's. In many cases a single sale to a CIO that arises from a Gartner event will justify the huge expenses.
But even with that, many firms make the mistake of manning their booths at the conference with junior staffers and marketing people that can't speak to the CIO, while the CEO of the vendor firm is in the back of the booth on their cell phone. That is just one of a few major faux pas the chapter details and how then can be obviated.
The chapter also details a common sales mistake in staffing the booths with booth babes. He notes that the concept is gross and misogynistic.
Towards the end, the book closes with what not to do when dealing with Gartner. He gives two examples of firms that were on their negative side. After Oracle Under Fire was written, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison went on a tirade against Gartner.
In another case, ZL Technologies, an email archiving firm sued Gartner for over $1 billion in damages (even though it was worth a fraction of that) when an analyst said their products was not up to par.
The book closes with the observation that buyers need industry analysts, as the analysts see that changes that are coming in the industry and are able to forewarn their clients.
The book is an easy read, yet highly informative and insightful. Every chapter has Stiennon's real-world experience at Gartner and post-Gartner.
While Stiennon is ex-Gartner, never in the book does his disparage his former employer or denigrate their MQ methodology. Rather he shows ways in which the vendor can maximize the potential Gartner relationship and exposure.
Any technology executive, investor and everyone in their PR and marketing departments who are looking to be on the MQ, deal with Gartner or any advisory service, should make certain that UP and to the RIGHT: Strategy and Tactics of Analyst Influence: A complete guide to analyst influence is on their absolutely required reading list. The book provides myriad superb advice on everything you need to know about dealing with and being successful with Gartner.
Given the extraordinary costs involved with analysts and the preparation for analyst meetings, the books $22 price tag is an absolutely bargain combined with its indispensable content. Whether you are a niche player or leader, it is a book well worth reading.
Ben Rothke is the author of Computer Security: 20 Things Every Employee Should Know.
You can purchase UP and to the RIGHT: Strategy and Tactics of Analyst Influence: A complete guide to analyst influence from amazon.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Your comments reminds me of the hokey pokey!
It's staggering to think about: this company has 5000 "associates", 1200 of which are "analysts", and manages to pull in $1.5 billion a year, all while doing absolutely nothing of value to the human race.
Money... apply more of it purchasing their deluxe service package, and you'll move further up and to the right in their Magic Quadrant. Who takes these muppets analysis seriously anymore?
Requirements: ....
- three years experience in MQO
Are we sure that Gartner is an independent company?
Hello AC. You seem to be lost. Let me help you: http://www.reddit.com/
Then why does Gartner's output look like marketing drivel?
Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
For those not Gartner clients, buying a specific MQ can be expensive.
But paying clients can always seem to end up Best in Class even if the class consists of precisely themselves and carefully selected (and obviously inferior) products.
I've always felt that, like Alice's Restaurant, you can get anything you want at Gartner's Restaurant. (excepting Alice). It will have circles and arrows and color glossy charts. But I won't find any of it convincing.
I have grown suspicious of any company that advertises a Gartner award, immediately skeptical of any Gartner study, and completely discount anything they publish to bolster one trend or product over another. Maybe it's just me, but I've been bitten too many times by studies, ratings, and products carrying Gartner awards.
Sig Battery depleted. Reverting to safe mode.
So is it bad that I hadn't heard of them?
Looking over their wiki page and website, I'm sorta glad I've been spared this indignity.
I'm really more of a software developer than someone in "IT".
Back and to the right...
Anyone who has worked in information technology knows of Gartner
No. Never heard of them.
Gartner is huge with over 5,000 associates
I never work for a company that refers to its employees as 'associates'.
Drill baby drill - on Mars
Everything I've ever read from Gartner has been complete shite. I doubt that anyone in the IT community takes them seriously. Their customers are elsewhere.
name 3 reports of theirs u have read?
and what was theproblem with them?
Gartner Group crap always reminds me of scientology
Yes, their customers are the executives and management above the regular IT people. Most times if management makes a completely stupid choice about software to use or a software product to develop, you can trace that choice to a VP somewhere reading Gartner.
...which way to the cloud?
If you're too lazy to type two more bloody letters, do you really think the parent poster is going to bother responding to your question?
Why the hell should I care? This sounds like little more than Markov-chain new-agey management drivel.
This is News for Nerds, not news for "a qualitative analysis into a market and its direction, maturity and participants, thus possibly enabling a company to be a stronger competitor for that market".
#naabhaprzrag, #sverubfr-000, #agi-fcbafberq, negvpyr[pynff*=' negvpyr-ary-'] { qvfcynl: abar !vzcbegnag; }
That's where it belongs, along with other business-promotion self-wank jobs.
A long time ago, my tiny company (via a rather aggressive PR consultant) managed to convince a Gartner "analyst" to look at our email security product.
The analyst didn't really understand email and as soon as she heard our annual revenue number, she immediately discounted us and probably put us in the bottom-left of the MQ.
Ten years later, we're still around, doing fairly well (though still very small) with lots of very happy customers who obviously don't take advice from Gartner.
Why is this on the front page and not in slashBI?
Gartner is like any other consulting firm, when charging for information: "We can tell you anything you want, but then we will have to BILL you." If a company wants an independent analysis of their technology, they hire Gartner for a price, Gartner looks at how crappy the product is, then looks at what the company wants. The price is the distance between the genuine quality of the product, and what the company wants Gartner to say about the product (the bigger the gap, the higher the price). Super crappy product, raving reviews describing it as the second coming, huge price. half decent product, good review, nominal price. Of course, if there is a Gartner customer holding the "Second coming" slot, then several things happen: you can still get the premium review, provided you provide fiscal incentive to Gartner, outbid the company holding the spot, *and* continue to outbid them. Hey, $1.5 billion doesn't come all by itself.
"very few people understand how Gartner works and what makes them tick. In UP and to the RIGHT: Strategy and Tactics of Analyst Influence: A complete guide to analyst influence"
Company hires Analyst to write report on their particular sector. Analyst writes positive report on Company. Analyst writes negative report on Companys competitors.
"Friday October 23rd will see Gartner argue a motion to dismiss a complaint by ZL Technologies Inc about the famed Gartner Magic Quadrant.
According to court papers, Gartner will argue to dismiss based on First Amendment rights citing that the Magic Quadrant is not meant to represent statements of fact but is based on pure opinion".
See also: MS-Gartner in tangle over Linux-knocking reports, and 'paying the analyst tax'
AccountKiller
Funny, that was my first thought as well.
Sorry, I do not get the Oliver Stone reference...please explain.
sO YOU ARE SAYING THAT 100 CIO'S CAN'T BE WRONG?