Magic Quadrant
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The Gartner Magic Quadrant (MQ) is a proprietary research tool developed by Gartner Inc., a US based research and advisory firm. According to Gartner, the Magic Quadrant aims to provide a qualitative analysis into a market and its direction, maturity and participants, thus possibly enabling a company to be a stronger competitor for that market[1].
Their analyses are conducted for several specific technical industries and are updated every 1 – 2 years.
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[edit] Rating
Gartner rates vendors upon two criteria: completeness of vision and ability to execute. Using different qualifiers per criteria for the varying industries, the Magic Quadrant then rates the participants along each of these parameters. Gartner does not share these component scores with the participant. Then, using a methodology which Gartner does not disclose, these component scores lead to a vendor position in one of four quadrants:
Leaders
Challengers
Visionaries
Niche Players
Leaders score higher on both criteria; the ability to execute and completeness of vision. Typically larger industry developed businesses with vision and potential for expansion
Challengers score higher the ability to execute and lower on the completeness of vision. Typically larger, settled businesses with minimal future plans for that industry
Visionaries score lower on the ability to execute and higher on the completeness of vision. Typically smaller companies that are unloading their planned potential
Niche players score lower on both criteria: the ability to execute and completeness of vision. Typically market fledglings
[edit] Criticism
It has been pointed out that the criteria for the Magic Quadrant cater more towards investors and large vendors than towards buyers[2].
Much of the criticism is focused on the lack of disclosure of the moneys received from the vendors it rates, raising conflict of interest issues. Also a source of criticism is the lack of disclosure on the vendor's component scores and the lack of transparency in Gartner's methodology used to derive the vendor's position on the MQ map.
Another criticism is that open source vendors are not considered sufficiently by analysts like Gartner, as has been published in an unusual online discussion between a VP from Talend and a German Research VP from Gartner[3].
Gartner is the currently the target of a federal lawsuit (filed May 29, 2009) from software vendor, ZL Technologies, challenging the “legitimacy” of Gartner’s Magic Quadrant rating system. Gartner filed a motion to dismiss by claiming First Amendment protection since it contends that its MQ reports contain "pure opinion," which legally means opinions which are not based on fact. [4]
The court threw out the ZL case because it lacked a specific complaint, but the judge opened the door for the company to resubmit, which it plans to do shortly. [5]
[edit] Analyzed markets
Analyzed markets include:[6]
| Magic Quadrant Name | External Link | Published | Link Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Application Infrastructure for Backend Integration Projects | [1] | 19 Dec 2008 | 08 Aug 2009 |
| Application Infrastructure for New Systematic SOA Application Projects | [2] | 19 Dec 2008 | 08 Aug 2009 |
| Business Intelligence Platforms | [3][dead link] | 22 Sep 2008 | 08 Aug 2009 |
| Business Process Management | [4] | 18 Feb 2009 | 08 Aug 2009 |
| Corporate Performance Management Suites | [5] | 30 Apr 2009 | 08 Aug 2009 |
| Corporate Telephony | [6] | 08 Aug 2008 | 08 Aug 2009 |
| CRM Customer Service Contact Center | [7] | 03 Apr 2009 | 08 Aug 2009 |
| CRM Multichannel Campaign Management | [8] | 24 Apr 2009 | 08 Aug 2009 |
| Data Integration Tools | [9] | 16 Jan 2009 | 08 Aug 2009 |
| Data Quality Tools | [10] | 09 Jun 2009 | 08 Aug 2009 |
| Data Warehouse Database Management Systems | [11] | 23 Dec 2008 | 08 Aug 2009 |
| Desktop Outsourcing Services, North America | [12] | 02 Mar 2009 | 08 Aug 2009 |
| E-Mail Security Boundary (see: E-mail fraud) | |||
| Enterprise Content Management | [13] | 23 Sep 2008 | 08 Aug 2009 |
| Enterprise LAN | [14] | 30 Apr 2009 | 08 Aug 2009 |
| Enterprise Marketing Management | [15] | 15 Jul 2009 | 08 Aug 2009 |
| Enterprise Single Sign-On | [16][dead link] | 18 Sep 2008 | 08 Aug 2009 |
| Enterprise Wireless E-Mail Software Market | [17] | 27 May 2009 | 08 Aug 2009 |
| Field Service Management | [18] | 5 May 2009 | 08 Aug 2009 |
| Global Network Service Providers | [19] | 23 Jan 2009 | 08 Aug 2009 |
| Help Desk Outsourcing, North America | [20] | 04 Mar 2009 | 08 Aug 2009 |
| Help Desk Outsourcing, Western Europe | [21] | 18 May 2009 | 08 Aug 2009 |
| Horizontal Portal Products | [22] | 12 Sep 2008 | 08 Aug 2009 |
| Integrated SOA Governance Technology Sets | [23] | 31 Mar 2009 | 08 Aug 2009 |
| IT Event Correlation and Analysis | [24] | 29 Jul 2009 | 08 Aug 2009 |
| IT Project and Portfolio Management | [25] | 02 Jun 2009 | 08 Aug 2009 |
| Job scheduling | [26] | 28 Apr 2009 | 08 Aug 2009 |
| Life Science Clinical Study Automation and Management Applications | |||
| Managed File Transfer | [27] | 18 Sept 2009 | 22 Sept 2009 |
| Managed Security Service Providers, North America | [28] | 16 Apr 2009 | 08 Aug 2009 |
| Master Data Management for Customer Data | [29] | 16 Jun 2009 | 08 Aug 2009 |
| Master Data Management for Product Data | [30] | 09 Jul 2009 | 08 Aug 2009 |
| MFPs and Printers | [31] | 09 Dec 2008 | 08 Aug 2009 |
| Midmarket and Tier 2-Oriented ERP for Product-Centric Companies | [32] | 04 Jun 2009 | 08 Aug 2009 |
| Network Access Control | [33] | 27 Mar 2009 | 08 Aug 2009 |
| Network Configuration and Change Management | |||
| Network Intrusion-prevention system | [34] | 04 Apr 2009 | 08 Aug 2009 |
| Outage Management Systems | [35] | 08 Jun 2009 | 08 Aug 2009 |
| Product Information Management | |||
| Ruggedized Handheld-Computer | |||
| Sales Force Automation | [36] | 22 Jul 2009 | 08 Aug 2009 |
| Security Information and Event Management | [37] | 29 May 2009 | 08 Aug 2009 |
| SMB Multifunction Firewalls | [38] | 10 Jul 2009 | 08 Aug 2009 |
| Social Software | [39] | 31 Oct 2008 | 08 Aug 2009 |
| Softswitch Architecture | |||
| Software Change & Configuration Management (Distributed Platforms) | [40] | 26 Mar 2009 | 08 Aug 2009 |
| SSL VPNs | [41] | 11 Dec 2008 | 08 Aug 2009 |
| Transportation Management Systems | [42] | 06 Apr 2009 | 08 Aug 2009 |
| Unified Communications | [43] | 12 Sep 2008 | 08 Aug 2009 |
| Utilities Customer Information Systems | [44] | 15 Jun 2009 | 08 Aug 2009 |
| User Provisioning | [45] | 15 Aug 2008 | 08 Aug 2009 |
| Video Telepresence Solutions | |||
| WAN Optimization Controllers | [46] | 30 Jun 2009 | 08 Aug 2009 |
| Warehouse Management Systems | [47] | 06 Apr 2009 | 08 Aug 2009 |
| Web Conferencing | |||
| Web Content Management | [48] | 05 Aug 2009 | 08 Aug 2009 |
| Web Hosting and Hosted Cloud System Infrastructure Services (On Demand) | [49] | 02 Jul 2009 | 08 Aug 2009 |
| Wireless LAN Infrastructure | [50] | 26 Nov 2008 | 08 Aug 2009 |
[edit] References
- ^ "Magic Quadrants and MarketScopes: How Gartner Evaluates Vendors Within a Market". Gartner. 02/2008. http://www.gartner.com/DisplayDocument?doc_cd=131166. Retrieved 2009-07-27.
- ^ "Looking beyond the magic quadrant to find the nitty-gritty". CMS Watch. 2009-08-07. http://www.cmswatch.com/Trends/1660-Assessing-WCM-vendors. Retrieved 2009-08-08.
- ^ "Vendor complains in a very public blog post about Gartner's Data Integration Magic Quadrant". sagecircle. 2009-12-29. http://sagecircle.wordpress.com/2008/12/29/vendor-complains-in-a-very-public-blog-post-about-gartners-data-integration-magic-quadrant/. Retrieved 2009-08-08.
- ^ ZL Technologies Lawsuit http://www.scribd.com/doc/21393241/ZL-v-Gartner-Complaint
- ^ http://www.enterprisestorageforum.com/continuity/features/article.php/3848461
- ^ "Magic Quadrants and MarketScopes". Gartner. 2009-08-03. http://www.gartner.com/it/products/mq/mq_ms.jsp. Retrieved 2009-08-08.
[edit] External links
- The Register Article showing blind spots and alternate presentations
- E-Commerce Times Problems with Magic Quadrant
- Piecing together The CPM results Interpreting the diagram
- Magic Quadrant plays it safe Question usefulness of diagram vs writeup
- Demystifying the Magic Quadrant Review of oddities in MQ for ECM
- Federal Computer Week IG criticizes over-reliance of Magic Quadrant for US Government contract
- Gartner Magick Quadrante Parody website (on how to get in the upper right quadrant)
