Research spending optimized

When working with analysts, IT buyers should follow these guidelines to ensure they're getting the most value for their analyst dollar.

Target accurately: Organize your technology initiatives and figure out which analysts and research firms cover those areas with the greatest depth. KCG's England recommends that buyers assess an analyst's value based on the quality of his insight. Talk to peers or execute a simple Web search to look at that analyst's published papers, speeches, moderated panels and quotes in the press. Even nonsubscribers can often read short, bylined research abstracts on the firms' sites.

Remember, the top analyst in a given specialty may not work for one of the top firms, which means companies should ...

Shop around: Gartner and Forrester have the brand recognition, but smaller boutique firms also offer solid research and analysis, often for less. Duncan Chapple, managing director of the consultancy Lighthouse Analyst Relations, which coaches tech companies on how to manage their advisory services, offers Burton Group as an example. "They have five or six specialties. A company could give up just one Gartner seat, buy one whole technology practice from Burton" and share that data across the entire company, he suggests.

Consider research-only deals: Outsell's Garnett says that IT buyers get the most value out of contracts that include analyst engagement, but if you really just need the data and don't require a deeper dive with an analyst, you can save thousands by buying research only.

Become a case study: If you offer to give an analyst case-history evidence of a particular technology deployment within your company, you can usually bank that in goodwill. It helps in building a long-term relationship in which the analyst may offer you a disproportionate amount of his time, or offer to let you call him directly with inquiries rather than go through the firm's inquiry service and wait a week or more for an appointment.

Truly engage with your analyst: IT research buyers are responsible for understanding the roles and responsibilities of all those involved in the contract. You cannot monopolize an analyst's time, but you have the right to pick his brain, so make the most of your subscription and use all the resources you're paying for. "It's a shared responsibility," says Forrester's Rutstein. "If clients don't engage with us, two things will happen: They won't get a lot of value and they won't renew." Engagement, he says, should include inquiry, events, teleconferences and consulting.

Use data wisely: Gartner's and Forrester's subscriptions are priced per-seat, which makes sharing information throughout an organization expensive. Other firms have enterprisewide contracts where clients are free to distribute research in-house.

In each case, savvy research buyers should have a firm understanding of the roles within their IT organization to ensure that the right people have access to the right information.

For example, someone tasked with tracking business intelligence won't likely have much use for down-and-dirty data on virtualization. Similarly, top-level research on broad technological trends should be channeled to executives in the corner office rather than specialists in the field.

Don't be afraid to cut: Research buyers should take a pragmatic rather than emotional approach to their research spending and their analyst relationships. "Analysts can be very useful and valuable," says Massie, the IT director who dropped his Gartner subscription, "but they're not sacrosanct when it comes to budgeting."