How to Navigate RFI Dashboard?

  • RFI Title Column – Shows RFI project titles
    Each title can be clicked to open the RFI and enter responses. Only incomplete RFIs can be opened. Once submitted, the title remains in the list but it cannot be accessed again.
  • Colleagues Column – Will contain a clickable blue icon when given RFI project has collaborators When clicked, it brings up a list of the collaborators together with information on their progress
  • Due Date Column – Shows the due date for a given RFI project
    When the date is 3 days away or less the color changes to orange and when the project is due or past due the color changes to red.
  • Progress Column – Shows how many of the total questions have been completed for given RFI project
  • Status Column – Shows whether the given RFI is still “In Progress” or has been “Sent to IDC”
  • The dashboard displays all RFIs assigned to a Main Contact user. These may not be all RFIs currently assigned to your company.

  • More than 1 Main Contact can be assigned to the RFI – coordinate with the analyst or project coordinator to register other users to manage the RFI and send back the data to IDC.

Having Trouble?

Download a copy of the RFI

  1. Click on Actions to open the menu
  2. Click “Export to PDF” to download a copy in PDF format
  3. Click “Export to Excel” to download a copy in spreadsheet format

After clicking the export option, the browser would initiate the download sequence and the file would be saved to the default location for downloaded files.

Both file types generate editable versions of the RFI.

Exporting a copy will include any draft or confirmed answers entered in the RFI.

These files could be transmitted via other file-sharing channels for easier collaboration.

Having Trouble?

How to Navigate RFI Details?

How to Navigate RFI Details? Elements on the RFI Tool can be categorized based on its function:

Elements that display information

  1. IDC MarketScape Title

    The title also serves as the working title for the subsequent IDC MarketScape publication

  2. Progress Bar and Due Date

    Questions only count when they are moved to the “Completed” tab; color of the Due Date changes as it approaches the deadline

  3. RFI Description

    Click on the icon to toggle between hiding or displaying text

  4. Section Title and Description

    Questions in the RFI are categorized under different parts; the description sections can contain important information or instructions that apply specifically to the questions in that grouping

Elements that execute actions

  1. Save and Close Button

    Allows users to save draft answers which would be retained until the next session

  2. Actions Menu

    Explore additional functions of the RFI Tool

  3. Share Section Button*

    Share all questions in the To Do tab under this section with selected Collaborator(s); questions in the Completed and Shared tabs are excluded

  4. Share Question Button*

    Assign a question to share with selected Collaborator(s)

  5. Answer Button

    Any data saved as a response to the question is confirmed and moved to the Completed tab

Elements that help navigate

  1. Tabs with Grouped Questions

    Various “tabs” display questions based on the following groupings:

    • “To Do” – View unanswered questions
    • “Completed” – View saved question responses
    • “Shared” – View all shared questions with Collaborators*
    • Numbers on the tab labels indicate the number of questions in each group
  2. List of Sections in the RFI

    • Click the labels to go to the questions
    • Under the “Shared” tab, the list of Collaborators are also displayed and clicking on their labels will display the questions shared with that specific user
  3. Summary of the Questions in Each Section

    • Click on each label to go to the location of the questions
    • Numbers on the tab labels indicate the number of questions in each group

Having Trouble?

How to Navigate Question Tabs?

Questions on the RFI is segregated across three different tabs: To Do, Completed, and Shared. The numbers on the tab labels indicate the number of questions contained in each group. Depending on the location of the question, actions may be limited.

View unanswered questions

  • This serves as default view upon opening the RFI
  • Questions may already contain data:
    • Draft answers saved by Main Contact
    • Collaborators may have clicked “Submit to Main Contact“, labelled as: “Done” or “Question Unanswered”
    • Answers submitted on a prior RFI, labelled as “Historical”
  • On this view, questions may contain different tags indicating important information:
    • Conditional:Additional questions will be displayed depending on the answer provided
    • Historical:Any answers previously submitted by your colleague in a prior RFI
    • Done: Hover above this label to view the email address of the person (Collaborator/Topic Expert) who responded
    • Question Unanswered:Collaborator/Topic Expert returned the question without providing any answers

View unanswered questions

  • This tab only contains questions that have been marked as “Answered” by the Main Contact
  • If a question has been moved into the Completed tab, it cannot be returned back to the To Do tab or shared with other users
  • If a wrong response was submitted, users with Main Contact access must:
    • Click on the “Update Answer” button
    • Amend the response
    • Click on “Save New Answer” button
  • The question tags are no longer visible in this tab

Displays questions assigned to Collaborators*

Shared questions will not be accessible to the Main Contact or Topic Expert who shared the question

  • Main Contact/Topic Expert needs to click “Return to To Do” to be able to respond to a shared question; doing this will cut-off Collaborator access
  • Data contained in the questions reflects the draft answers saved by the Collaborator
  • When Collaborators submit their responses, questions get automatically moved from “Shared” to the “To Do” tab
  • The left panel will display navigation links for grouped questions (according to “Sections” and “Shared with”)

* This function is only available to the Main Contact

Having Trouble?

Using the IDC MarketScape RFI Tool

Watch video to learn how IDC's RFI Tool can improve your IDC MarketScape experience.

How Can We Help You?

Find the guidance that fits your needs.

  • RFI Tool User Roles

    • Main Contact
      (Primary contact for the project; submits the final version to IDC; can delegate or assign tasks to others.)
    • Topic Expert
      (Has full access to the RFI; no login required; can assign Collaborators but cannot submit to IDC.)
    • Collaborator
      (Access limited to specific sections/questions of the RFI; no login required.)
  • Navigating the RFI Tool

    There are three main parts: Dashboard, RFI Details and Tabs. However, access and functionalities are determined by the type of user role accessing the RFI Tool.

  • Other Useful Links

    RFI Manual

    Download the complete RFI Manual.


    Other Actions


    Having trouble?

    We remain open to receiving any feedback about your experience with using the RFI Tool.

VMware Uses Third-Party Data To Tell Their Customer Value Story

Gain customer trust and show the value of your solution with independent third-party assets that frame your solution in the context of your industry.

The Situation

 

VMWare was looking to elevate the awareness, positioning and compelling value of their solutions, with sales and marketing material that was grounded in data. The challenge was they lacked credible, third-party data that could serve as a story to customers about the undeniable value of their product. Also, without research focused on the business value of cloud economics, especially as it related to their product, they did not have a point of view on the market, and their position in it, from a customer perspective.

The company had two objectives: 1. Establish a library of independent third-party research, that conveyed customer success insights and evidenced how successful their new VM cloud product is. 2. Create assets from the research that could be used by Sales and Marketing to elevate the brand’s market position.

The Solution

  • Business Value White Paper. IDC conducted an in-depth ROI and business value analysis of VMWare’s offerings, based on in-depth interviews of their end-user base. We worked closely with VMWare to create valuable content showing the positive impact of running applications on VMware Cloud on AWS in VMware-based hybrid cloud environments.
  • Business Value Snapshot. A data visualization of the efficiencies realized with VM Cloud on AWS, compared to competitors. It provides an easy-to-digest, Sales- and Marketing-friendly distribution asset, with proof points grounded in data.

“The IDC [Business Value] report is one of our most frequently relied-upon pieces of collateral. It provides clear substantiated numbers that shows the value of our product. The IDC team has been great about giving us a quick turn around on our reference requests. I plan to work on similar projects with IDC in the future.”

Bill Roth – Director of Cloud Economics
VMWare

The Results

  • An effective lead generation tool that is the most highly distributed collateral for the entire product.

  • The ability for the Marketing team to generate targeted campaigns focused on the business outcomes of their personas.

  • Data-rich sales tools to help the team clearly demonstrate the ROI of VMWare’s product.

Partner with an IDC analyst to help you with your business challenges

Informed Sales Teams Shorten Sales Cycles by Focusing on Customer Value

How IDC’s sales enablement training program helped a world leader in enterprise open-source solutions better resonate with their customers.

The Situation

One IDC client, a world leader in enterprise open-source solutions, needed an industry-specific sales enablement program that would provide their Sales support team the resources they needed to hold credible, informed sales conversations with educated buyers. The current territory representatives were not industry experts; they lacked the understanding of buyer needs, priorities and certainly couldn’t speak their language.

The Solution

  • IDC created a curriculum of two learning tracks for each industry – Foundational learning track – 101” and “Expert learning track – 201. The learning tracks included a series of five short IDC CSP-led prerecorded videos, with quizzes, per industry.
  • IDC Insight CSPs conducted 90-minute workshops, both in-person and virtually, on a regional scale for our client’s Annual Global Sales Kick-off meetings.

The Results

  • Industry-specific insights and training created a motivated and educated sales team, who were better able to seek, and qualify, the right buyers.

  • Sales reps began to adopt a value selling approach, which focused on improving the business outcomes of their buyers and resulted in a shortened sales cycle for this client.

Partner with an IDC analyst to help you with your business challenges

Increase Business Value with Sustainable Strategies

Beyond ESG Reporting: Creating Business Value Through Sustainability

Sustainable strategies and technologies play an increasing role in business operations, helping organizations achieve greater efficiency and resiliency, while also boosting competitive differentiation and value creation. Let us help you increase your operational and financial performance through technology-enabled sustainable transformation.

IDC’s sustainability research helps organizations:

  • Understand the competitive environment for sustainable and sustainability-enabling IT products and services.
  • Understand IT buyer demand and vendor perception.
  • Demonstrate the sustainability/ESG related business and economic impact that their solutions have.

IDC’s Sustainability Framework

The Framework for our approach encompasses the upstream sustainability impact of IT and operations (e.g., impact assessments, vendor indices), downstream aspects tied to sustainable products and services (e.g., end-user surveys, IDC MarketScapes), and strategic approaches toward selling and buying sustainable and sustainability-enabling technology.

 

Laggards

Customer Demand

 

The pull effect triggered by customer demand and their requirements.

Slow Adopters

Efficiencies and cost savings

 

Improved profitability through greater efficiency and cost reduction

Mainstreamers

Value creation and brand reputation

 

Business factors (i.e., value creation via sustainable products, operational efficiency, and brand reputation)

Frontrunners

Supply chain and access to capital

 

Sustainability aligned and integrated in the supply chain, lowering cost of capital

Visionaries

Business value via sustainable products

 

Sustainable products and services as a source of revenue, hire & retain, mitigation of business risks

IDC Sustainability Readiness Framework and Maturity Index

  • Identify pain points, IT product and services demand, budgets and buyers by maturity segment
  • Let customers assess their maturity and readiness through customized tools to drive demand for your solutions

IDC helps organizations:

  • Understand the competitive landscape and market size for sustainable and sustainability-enabling IT products and services through forecasts, perception data, and vendor assessments.
  • Gain insight on IT buyer demand and vendor perception through global end-user surveys that focus on different industries, personas/functions, and geographies.
  • Create effective sales enablement and messaging around the sustainability related impact of their technologies and professional services, e.g., through ESG business value studies and economic impact models/functions, and geographies.
  • Assess maturity levels of organizational approaches and IT solutions related to sustainable transformation.
  • Create effective sustainable business and IT strategies to address a changing regulatory environment, customer and consumer demand, and investor pressure.

Custom Solutions

Focus on how your solutions aid clients’ ESG goals and transform operations. IDC Custom Solutions analyzes market opportunities, measures impact & showcases value to customers.

Learn more about IDC’s sustainability research

Transform Your Business With AI-Powered Solutions

Discover how generative AI is revolutionizing enterprises by driving efficiency, innovation, and growth.

Unlock The Potential Of GenAI Use Cases Across Your Enterprise

Explore cutting-edge AI use cases tailored to enhance operations, elevate customer experiences, and secure your digital assets.

Dedicated to Helping Our Customers Meet the AI Moment

With more than 100 analysts from around the world dedicated to understanding your unique questions and needs, IDC empowers you to bring the digital business impact of AI to market. We offer the most comprehensive AI research on the market, with themes including infrastructure, platforms and models, security, applications and services, plus extensive industry and regional coverage.

Unlock the latest in AI use cases, deployment best practices, spending guides and trackers through our Subscription Research Services and Custom Solutions, plus get access to our team of global analysts for guidance along the way. Wherever you are on your AI journey, IDC will help navigate your roadmap to AI Everywhere.

IDC Use Case Offerings

Ready to accelerate your AI journey? IDC’s Use Case Solutions will help you achieve your goals.

  • TRACK SPEND

    Explore AI and GenAI Market Size and Spend

    How will customers spend their AI dollars? Dive into opportunity size and spending forecasts by geography, industry, use case, and more with IDC’s AI and GenAI Spending Guide.

  • CONNECT WITH ANALYSTS

    Unleash the Full Business Potential of AI

    Ready to harness AI’s full potential in your business? Subscribe to IDC’s Research and get access to a team of expert analysts ready to help you find the best AI use case for your business.

  • Prioritize Use Cases

    Understand and Align to Customer Priorities

    Need to align customer KPIs with effective strategies? Use IDC’s GenAI Use Case Discovery Tool to guide your approach and truly resonate with your market.

  • Access Data

    Fuel Go-To-Market and Investment Roadmaps

    Need data to guide and action your commercial AI strategies? Gain the context for critical decision-making with IDC’s Data & Analytics for AI and GenAI.

Discover how IDC can help with your AI transformation journey.

AI everywhere

The advent of generative AI has democratized innovation, allowing businesses of all sizes to harness its power. We believe that the winners and losers for the next decade of this era of AI Everywhere will be defined in the next 12 months.

Our AI research is here to guide you through this unique market shift.

25% of businesses are already investing significantly in GenAI and have an established spending plan for the next 18 months.

By 2026, GenAI will assume 42% of traditional marketing’s mundane tasks such as SEO, content, and website optimization.

We predict that by 2027, 40% of current job roles will be redefined or eliminated across G2000 organizations.

By 2026, enterprises will leverage GenAI and automation technologies to drive $1T in productivity gains.

36% of companies fear that AI training on false or incorrect information is becoming a major data quality issue

Source: IDC FutureScapes, 2024

Six stages of your AI transformation journey

Navigate the entire AI adoption journey with clarity. Explore our actionable guides covering every stage – from readiness assessment to responsible AI operationalization. Gain the insights to drive innovation and successful AI implementation by exploring the six stages below.

Transform Your Business With Generative AI

GenAI is poised to transform the digital business world. But is your enterprise prepared? Our eBook will help you assess your readiness level.

Transform Your Business With AI-Powered Solutions

Discover how generative AI is revolutionizing enterprises by driving efficiency, innovation, and growth.

The Impact Of GenAI On Skills Training

Explore how technology leaders are using AI to close the gap of the widening IT skills shortage.

Featured webinars

Explore our latest webinars covering essential topics and strategies to enhance your GenAI knowledge and implementation. Join us to stay ahead in the world of AI.

Driving GenAI Value: Navigating the Build vs. Buy Decision

GenAI represents a significant shift in workloads, demanding fresh perspectives on how organizations approach these crucial decisions.

Watch

CEO Perspectives: Leading In The Age Of AI Everywhere

How do organizations accelerate their journey to deliver business value in the age of GenAI?

Watch

Unlocking Customer Value With Experience-Orchestrated GenAI Apps

The next phase of digital business transition towards AI Everywhere will focus on delivering quantifiable business impact

Watch

For our customers

We are excited to offer our subscription customers free access to selected GenAI research. Stay informed and ahead with exclusive insights and cutting-edge developments in the field of generative AI.

Discover how IDC can help with your AI transformation journey.