IDC employs a number of assets that set us apart from other market research firms. Our comprehensive coverage promotes understanding of multiple industries. Additionally, our "glocal" research model, which is our study of both local and regional markets "on the ground," helps us to understand the nuances of local country markets while improving our global coverage. By promoting research standards and methodologies worldwide, we ensure forecast and analysis consistency across a wide range of geographies and coverage areas.

Our market contact demonstrates that unlike most of our competitors, we conduct a significant amount of primary demand–side research to bulwark our analysis. Our analyst tools make our analysts' forecasts and analyses more systematic. And, our foundation research developed in the areas of hardware, software, services and internet penetration acts as a reference for all IDC analysts.

Any one IDC research area uses an interlocking web of tools and methodologies to support its analysis of the future. They vary by area, but the principles are the same. They include research, hypothesis, refinement, and documentation. It is our analysts and the research methodologies they employ that set IDC apart.

IDC has developed a set of standards to guide analysts. These standards consist of the documentation of methodologies used and forecast assumptions, projections from only surveys that are statistically sound to ensure only objective and accurate data is used, validation and "sanity checks" to help provide boundary conditions for major forecasts, implementation of standard definitions across geographies and coverage areas, and the use of common analytical tools to ensure consistency.

Although IDC maintains a philosophy of fitting the methodology to the market segment, all of our studies share a core set of methodological elements and approaches. These elements consist of demand-side data, data integrity cross-checks, global data collection and analysis at regional and local levels, verification and updating of segmentation, supplier models, distribution channel models, analysis of external drivers and linkages, and vision of the future.

IDC takes pride in the amount of demand-side surveys we conduct to support our supply-side research with vendors and the channel. IDC's Global Research Organization oversees a network of over 40 demand-side research specialists in all major regions. Demand-side survey techniques include traditional random-digit-dial phone surveys, web–based and email surveys, cluster and factor analysis, lead user research, focus groups and mall intercepts, interactive polling, personal interviews, conjoint studies, and diary studies. While we are not a "survey house" per se, we do believe we set the standard for integrating demand-side research into normal analytical processes.

IDC MarketScape criteria selection, weightings, and vendor scores represent well-researched IDC judgment about the market and specific vendors. IDC analysts tailor the range of standard characteristics by which vendors are measured through structured discussions, surveys, and interviews with market leaders, participants and end users. Market weightings are based on user interviews, buyer surveys and the input of a review board of IDC experts in each market. IDC analysts base individual vendor scores, and ultimately vendor positions on the IDC MarketScape, on detailed surveys and interviews with the vendors, publicly available information and end-user experiences in an effort to provide an accurate and consistent assessment of each vendor's characteristics, behavior and capability.

In our core areas, we have developed five major pieces of foundation research that go to the heart of much of our market analysis. These research tools are IDC's trackers (quarterly views of shipments and market share), IDC's software market forecaster database (a compilation of revenue estimates for over 1000 software companies worldwide), IDC's services spending model (a classification and methodology for sizing services markets in countries and regions), the IDC Worldwide Digital Marketplace Model and Forecast (a model of global ad spending, Internet usage, commerce, and devices), and the IDC Worldwide Black Book (a roll-up of IDC market and service forecasts across 58 geographic territories in 30 technology and service categories).

IDC's most fundamental research mission is to accurately assess and forecast the size and shape of the key IT market segments. The first step in market sizing and forecasting is data collection. IDC uses a variety of primary and secondary sources for sizing and forecasting markets including, but not limited to, interviews with IT vendors, public financial records, historic market data, and user surveys. The next step is the entry of demand- and supply-side data into proprietary models of market segments in order to generate IDC market data and forecasts. Then, the preliminary values in the market model are validated using a number of different procedures. And lastly, the market models are adjusted accordingly.

Each IDC market database is fed by real-world data and benefits from our unique worldwide data collection and surveying capabilities. Field data is then processed through a proprietary operational model of the market segment. The components of a typical model include: market segmentation, pricing and transaction model, distribution model, vendor business and revenue model, forecast of market trends, linked and driving markets, demand-side spending, and expanding/contracting applications of technology.

IDC endeavors to document the assumptions behind each of our forecasts. We have developed an internal tool called the IDC Assumption Builder. Key to the IDC Assumption Builder is the development of a mental model of the market being forecast, which includes assumptions about the economy, supply, the labor force, etc. The IDC Assumption Builder makes it easy for an analyst to document his or her assumptions in each sector of the mental model, determine those that actually drive the forecast, and highlight the assumptions that have the power to radically alter a forecast if expectations change.

For all the strength of our analytical tools, research methods and standards, and foundation research, it is our analysts that will put it all to work analyzing the future on behalf of our clients. We have made major investments in analyst training and in tools to facilitate collaboration and research. Our analysts, our methodologies, our tools, and our processes are the elements behind our claim to help clients "analyze the future."