On the Web site of mega research firm Gartner lives a section titled IT Budget Optimization, which, among other things, offers for sale 20 research papers on strategies for cutting IT expenses.

The papers cover everything from deferring PC purchases to cheap options for IP videoconferencing. But nowhere is there any advice on how buyers might cut costs on another IT expense that can easily run into six or even seven figures, a product that is Gartner's bread and butter: IT research.

There are more than 400 firms selling technology-related research, data and advice, sales of which topped US$3 billion worldwide in 2007, according to The Knowledge Capital Group (KCG), an analyst relations strategy firm.

IT departments across the country spend tens of thousands of dollars every year on IT research sold by Gartner, Forrester Research, IDC, AMR Research, Burton Group and hundreds of other companies, raising the question of how, or whether, IT buyers can cut back or at least optimize their spending on research and advisory services.