Research Methodologies

At IDC, we recognize our obligation to maintain objectivity, integrity, and independence in all of our research and analysis. Our analysts employ rigorous methodologies to ensure consistency and accuracy across our research products, coverage areas, and geographies.

Tech Buyer Methodologies

Our research methodologies empower the Tech Buyer community to make informed decisions that minimize risk and reduce implementation time while staying on top of critical trends. Explore our Tech Buyer research documents below.

Explore

Align

Engage

Monitor

Understand Business Requirements and Technology Options

Track the adoption of emerging technologies and their projected impact on tech buyer strategies.

IDC FutureScape

Top 10 worldwide technology predictions over the next three years in a given research area.

The IDC FutureScape, which describes the magnitude of predictions and the timeframe in which changes will impact enterprises, is a valuable framework for assessing the value of IT initiatives to business strategies.

IDC TechBrief

Analysis of six critical areas for technology areas.

IDC TechBriefs provides technology and business leaders with insight into technology areas, looking at:

  • Adoption
  • Benefits
  • Risks
  • Critical Success Factors
  • Investment
IDC TechScape

Examines a technology adoption curve and classifies it as transformational, incremental, or opportunistic.

Predicts when a technology will reach peak adoption, which helps IT leaders align strategic plans with risk tolerance.

Create Strategy for Technology Initiative

Assess organizational maturity and readiness for technology initiatives with guidance on business cases and IT investments.

IDC PlanScape

Identifies key players, critical success factors, risks and actions for a technology or business area.

Helps technology buyers mitigate risk and ensure business value through better planning that considers key players, critical success factors, and business outcomes.

IDC MaturityScape

Examines the five stages of maturity for a technology area.

Helps technology buyers assess their organization’s maturity and readiness for a technology initiative.

IDC MaturityScape Benchmark

Offers quantitative, survey-driven insight into a technology initiative across the five stages of maturity presented in the related IDC MaturityScape.

Helps enterprises benchmark their maturity against peers, develop business cases for tech initiatives, and build consensus about where to direct critical IT investments.

Implement a Technology Initiative and Optimize

Examine how tech buyer organizations are implementing technology initiatives with insight into use cases and best practices.

IDC Innovator

Identifies a group of vendors in a specific market that offers innovative new technologies, groundbreaking approaches, or compelling new business models.

Helps tech buyer organizations with technology planning and implementation by providing examples of innovative approaches.

IDC MarketScape

An objective assessment of suppliers in a technology area, looking at offerings, strategies, capabilities, and other critical factors.

Helps tech buyers mitigate supplier risk with a transparent, fact-based methodology.

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IDC PeerScape

Highlights use cases and identifies best (and worst) practices that impact the success of technology or business initiatives.

Helps technology buyers improve the likelihood of a technology initiative’s success by providing insight into use cases and best practices.

Track Enterprise Strategy and Technology Initiatives

Track technology trends and their impact on tech buyer planning and strategy.

IDC Perspective

Identifies the impact of technology and business trends, best practices, and technology innovations on technology supplier offerings.

Helps inform tech buyer strategy planning and technology initiatives.

Tech Buyer Presentation

Content that may have been delivered at public forums, such as conferences and events, or for client presentations.

Insights into tech buyer strategy planning and technology initiatives.

Tech Supplier Methodologies

IDC’s unique research model captures the nuances of local and regional markets while adhering to a consistent set of methodologies that strengthen and differentiate our global coverage. Explore our Tech Supplier research documents below.

Plan

Compete

Monitor

Identify Technology Trends and Market Opportunities

Optimize decision making with insights into technology trends, buyer intention, market size, and competitive landscape.

IDC Survey

Survey-driven analysis of technology, business, and market trends.

Provides technology suppliers with survey-based insights and actionable advice to better inform decision making.

IDC Survey Spotlight

Succinct, data-driven insight and analysis of technology and business trends.

Helps inform and improve tech supplier planning by providing critical and timely insights into technology and business trends.

Market Analysis Perspective (MAP)

Concise technology market views complemented by analyst insight into the impact of future trends.

Helps tech suppliers better:

  • Assess market opportunities
  • Identify competitive landscapes
  • Optimize go-to-market strategies
  • Define market strategies and road maps
  • Analyze leading market indicators
Market Forecast

Forecast of a single market or group of related markets.

Helps tech suppliers identify future opportunities and build growth plans by providing insight into:

  • Market size
  • Market drivers
  • Leading market indicators
Market Presentation

Content that may have been delivered at public forums, such as conferences and events, or for client presentations.

Insights into tech buyer strategy planning and technology initiatives.

Taxonomy

Taxonomy that identifies industry terms and tracks, segments, and forecasts technology markets.

Helps tech suppliers identify opportunities and refine strategies by providing a comprehensive view of a technology marketplace.

Understand the Competitive Landscape

Improve competitive position with detailed insight into market share and competitive positioning.

IDC Market Glance

View of tech market landscapes that includes competitive positioning, adjacent segments, and potential partner opportunities.

Helps technology suppliers assess market opportunities and identify where their organizations fit into the competitive landscape.

Market Share

Market size, regional allocations, platform split, and summaries of vendor shares for the recently completed period.

Helps technology suppliers analyze competitors and promote market leadership.

Technology Assessment

Analysis of an emerging or established technology.

Insight into the potential impact of emerging or established technologies on products and markets.

Vendor Profile

In-depth analysis of a single company, a group of companies, or a company division focused on a particular market.

Provides tech suppliers with insight into other companies’ product or service offerings, go-to-market strategies, business performance, market positioning, and future opportunities and challenges.

Track and React to Evolving Market Trends

Stay on top of technology and industry developments to continually refine market strategies.

IDC Link & IDC Blink

IDC Links offer timely insight into important market trends and events in short opinion pieces. IDC Blinks offer shorter written content, accompanied by a two-minute analyst audio opinion.

Helps tech suppliers adjust and refine business decisions based on IDC’s analysis of product and financial announcements, mergers and acquisitions, and other impactful events.

Market Note

Analysis of an industry event, new product or service, company announcement, development or fast breaking news.

Helps tech suppliers anticipate and plan for the business and market impacts of industry developments.

Market Perspective

Analysis of key market developments.

Provides tech suppliers with insight into key issues and topics, including:

  • Competitive environments
  • New business models
  • Partner and channel strategy
  • Innovation and market opportunity
  • Enterprise strategies
  • Regulation
  • Socioeconomics

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