Gartner Inc. (NYSE: IT) is the world's largest information technology research shop, by dollars of research sold.^[1] The company's research is used by its client companies' chief information officers (CIOs) and senior staff to keep abreast of technology trends, industry benchmarking, and best practices. Gartner sells its research and consulting services, and hosts industry events, for clients in 75 countries that include 400 of the companies in the Fortune 500. The company earns the majority of its revenues selling research reports (57% of the company's total revenue for 2007). ^[2]

In 2007, Gartner's research revenue grew 18% (total revenue grew 12%) as the company increased the size of its sales force 22%, and managed to get clients to upgrade their subscriptions pricier, more specialized research such as "Gartner for Executives" and "Gartner for CIOs" from research focused on general industry topics. ^[3]

Three firms - Gartner, Forrester, and IDC - collectively account for 60% of the IT research market. ^[1] Gartner maintains a commanding 40% market share in the IT research industry. Its biggest competitor is Forrester Research (FORR). ^[4]

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