This IDC study introduces the vendor assessment model called IDC MarketScape. This research is a quantitative and qualitative assessment of the characteristics that explain a vendor's success in the marketplace and help anticipate its ascendancy. It presents IDC's analysis of 17 vendors' relative capabilities across 30 dimensions. It contains three sections. The first is a definition or description of what characteristics IDC analysts believe make a successful integrated talent management offering. These characteristics are based on buyer and vendor surveys and key analysts' observations of industry best practices. The second part is a visual aggregation of multiple vendors into a single bubble-chart format. This display concisely displays the observed and quantities scores of the 17 reviewed vendors. The final section briefly explains the key observations that resulted in a vendor's position in the vendor assessment graph.

"The race is on to offer a complete and deep end-to-end talent management offering. Buyers are now able to find ample entry points, and the vendors are providing a solid foundation for the future." — Lisa Rowan, program director, HR and Talent Management services research