[captain_perl]

Gartner is helpful to 3 groups:

1) If you're a business manager who doesn't live and breathe IT, then their opinion is a good sign-post.

2) If you need "proof" to backup your purchase position, then it can serve as ammunition.

3) If you're a marketer, their blessing is priceless.

However, if you're an IT expert, then their reports may be missing subtle nuances.

Note that the public reports are not necessarily their most valuable products.

For example, I saw a presentation by the 451 Group that literally predicted the future of smartphones 2 years in advance. Still weirds me out how accurate they were.