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Gartner

Gartner, Inc. is an American research and advisory firm focusing on business and technology topics. Gartner provides its products and services through research reports, conferences, and consulting. Its clients include large corporations, government agencies, technology companies, and investment firms.

Operations

Gartner is a research and advisory firm[3][4][5] with three business segments: research, conferences, and consulting. As of December 2024, Gartner has over 21,000 employees globally and operates in 90 countries and territories. It is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut.[6] Gene A. Hall is the chief executive officer.[7]

Gartner is a publicly traded company listed on the S&P 500.[8]

History

1980s

Gideon Gartner and David Stein founded Gartner, Inc. in 1979[9] to provide IT industry research and analysis to businesses buying and selling computer hardware.[10] Gideon Gartner had previously worked at IBM, and his new firm specialized in information about IBM and its products.[11]

Gartner's reports were often delivered as a one-pager containing only high-level insights.[12][13] Gartner analysts developed the Magic Quadrant visual framework of placing companies within defined market quadrants during the early 1980s[14] and began to integrate the methodology into their presentations and later reports.[15] By 1983, the firm employed 80 research analysts and generated $8 million in revenue.[16]

In 1985, Gartner's brokerage and investment division separated from the firm to become a wholly owned subsidiary called Gartner Securities.[17] Two years later, the name was changed to SoundView Financial Group,[18] which eventually operated as SoundView Technology Group.[19]

In July 1986, Gartner rebranded as Gartner Group and became a publicly traded company.[20][21] In January 1987, Gartner Group acquired another technology research firm, the Cupertino-based Infocorp.[22] That same year Gartner reported $25 million in sales and $1.9 million in earnings.[23]

The U.K.-based Saatchi & Saatchi acquired Gartner Group in 1988.[23][24]

1990s

In 1990, Gartner Group was taken private by Gideon Gartner and other executives[25] in an acquisition deal backed by funding from Bain Capital and Dun & Bradstreet, then a Bain client.[26][27] Under Bain ownership, Gartner refocused on IT industry pricing data and expanded its profit margins from 10 percent to 30 percent.[28] Dun & Bradstreet acquired a majority share in Gartner in 1993.[29]

Gartner went public again in October 1993, with Dun & Bradstreet maintaining a 50 percent stake.[30]

Over the next eight years, Gartner acquired or made substantial investments in 30 companies,[31] including the market research firm Dataquest[32] and the online news outlet TechRepublic.[33] The deals were part of a diversification strategy that coincided with the dot-com bubble, and Gartner acknowledged that it struggled to integrate these new companies into its operations.[34] Gartner sold TechRepublic to CNET only a year after acquiring the company.[35]

In 1995, Gartner introduced its hype cycle framework, which purported to show how emerging technology is applied and adopted over a typical life cycle.[36]

2000s–present

In August 2004, Gene A. Hall became Gartner's new CEO,[37] replacing Michael D. Fleisher.[38] Hall previously worked with the consulting firm McKinsey & Company before managing a division at Automatic Data Processing.[39]

In 2008, Gartner reached $1.3 billion in revenues and achieved 40 percent of the IT research market.[40]

In 2009, Gartner acquired AMR Research, a Boston-based research and advisory firm focused on supply chain management.[41] The acquisition of AMR and direct competitors like META Group[42] and the Burton Group[43] allowed Gartner to expand its global operations[44] and product and service offerings.[45]

In March 2014, Gartner announced that it had acquired the privately held company Software Advice for an undisclosed amount.[46] Also in 2014, Gartner coined the term "Digital BizOps" and further developed the early philosophy for digital business operations.[47] In July 2015, Gartner acquired Nubera, the business app discovery network that owns properties like GetApp (a peer review site), AppStorm, AppAppeal, and CloudWork. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.[48] In September 2015, it acquired the privately held peer review site (PRS)[49] Capterra.

In June 2016, Gartner announced that it had acquired the privately held company SCM World, headquartered in London.[50] In 2017, Gartner acquired CEB, an Arlington-based talent management and operations consulting firm, for $2.6 billion.[51][52] The deal included $700 million in CEB debt.[53] Two months later, Gartner further expanded its marketing offerings[54] with the acquisition of Scott Galloway's digital benchmarking firm L2.[55][56]

On May 26, 2023 the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) settled charges against Gartner for violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).[57] The SEC asserted that from approximately December 2014 through August 2015 Gartner had a corrupt relationship with a South African company with close ties to the South African government, which Gartner knew would result in official bribery.[58] In the settlement, the SEC ordered Gartner to stop violating the FCPA and Gartner agreed to pay $2,456,764.[59] The SEC made note that Gartner was open and cooperative.[60]

Stock price declined 49% in 2025.[61]

See also

  • Gartner hype cycle, a graphical presentation developed by Gartner
  • Magic Quadrant, a market research report type published by Gartner
  • SoundView Technology Group, founded as a financial service for Gartner

External links

References

  1. Andrew Larson. CT-based IT research giant extends CEO’s contract, adds board chair role to duties Hartford Business, 1 July 2024, retrieved 17 September 2025^
  2. Gartner, Inc. 2024 Annual Report (Form 10-K) U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, February 13, 2025^
  3. Gartner beats quarterly profit estimates as contract value grows February 4, 2025, retrieved February 5, 2025^
  4. Rachel Feintzeig. Can You 'Unboss' Yourself Without Ruining Your Career? The Wall Street Journal, July 28, 2024, retrieved January 22, 2025^
  5. Andy Serwer. Gene Hall Is the Quiet Type, but His Success at Gartner Speaks Loudly Barron's, June 23, 2023, retrieved January 22, 2025^
  6. Paul Schott. Gartner to add several hundred Stamford jobs Stamford Advocate, September 13, 2018, retrieved January 22, 2025^
  7. Andy Serwer. Gene Hall Is the Quiet Type, but His Success at Gartner Speaks Loudly Barron's, June 23, 2023, retrieved January 22, 2025^
  8. finanzen.net GmbH. G Markets Insider, retrieved 2018-06-28^
  9. Kirk Johnson. Co-Founder Will Share Gartner Head's Duties The New York Times, August 11, 1983, retrieved January 16, 2025^
  10. Jane A. Malonis. Gale Encyclopedia of E-commerce Gale Group, 2002^
  11. Neil Pollock, Robin Williams. How Industry Analysts Shape the Digital Future Oxford University Press, December 31, 2015, retrieved January 16, 2025^
  12. Neil Pollock, Gian Campagnolo. Making Things Valuable Oxford University Press, 2015-08-13, retrieved 2023-05-23^
  13. Ken Gagner. 14 tech luminaries we lost in 2021 Computerworld, December 27, 2021, retrieved January 16, 2025^
  14. Neil Pollock, Robin Williams. How Industry Analysts Shape the Digital Future Oxford University Press, December 31, 2015, retrieved January 16, 2025^
  15. Neil Pollock, Robin Williams. How Industry Analysts Shape the Digital Future Oxford University Press, December 31, 2015, retrieved January 16, 2025^
  16. Kirk Johnson. Co-Founder Will Share Gartner Head's Duties The New York Times, August 11, 1983, retrieved January 16, 2025^
  17. Gartner Founder Profits From I.B.M. Expertise The New York Times, July 28, 1986, retrieved January 16, 2025^
  18. Jessica Sommar. Morgan Stanley tech analyst joins Connecticut boutique Investment Dealers' Digest, May 10, 1993^
  19. SoundView Gets Sold: To Wit November 1, 1999, retrieved January 16, 2025^
  20. Saatchi & Saatchi to buy Gartner Group Chicago Tribune, June 20, 1988, retrieved January 22, 2025^
  21. Donna K.H. Walters. Gartner Buys Infocorp, Boosts Position in High-Tech Data Field Los Angeles Times, January 3, 1987^
  22. Donna K.H. Walters. Gartner Buys Infocorp, Boosts Position in High-Tech Data Field Los Angeles Times, January 3, 1987^
  23. Saatchi & Saatchi to buy Gartner Group Chicago Tribune, June 20, 1988, retrieved January 22, 2025^
  24. Saatchi Agrees to Buy Gartner for $90.3 Million The New York Times, June 18, 1988, retrieved January 22, 2025^
  25. Kevin Cook. Bear of the Day: Gartner (IT) Zacks Equity Research, Yahoo Finance, February 13, 2024, retrieved January 16, 2025^
  26. Hans Schattle. Partnership will get Gartner for $ 70m The Boston Globe, July 6, 1990^
  27. Larry Edelman. Steve Pagliuca retires from Bain Capital after 34 years The Boston Globe, January 17, 2023, retrieved January 22, 2025^
  28. Chris Zook, James Allen. Profit From the Core Harvard Business Review Press, February 1, 2001, retrieved January 22, 2025^
  29. Gartner sold again Computerworld, April 1, 1993, retrieved January 16, 2025^
  30. Millionaries By The Dozen The New York Times, October 1, 1995, retrieved January 16, 2025^
  31. Marc Ferranti. Gartner, Align Thyself CIO, November 15, 2001^
  32. Tom Abate. Dataquest acquired by Gartner Group SFGate, November 26, 1995, retrieved February 13, 2024^
  33. Consulting firm to invest $300 million in Gartner Group The New York Times, March 23, 2000, retrieved January 16, 2025^
  34. Marc Ferranti. Gartner, Align Thyself CIO, November 15, 2001^
  35. Sarah J. Heim. CNET Acquired TechRepublic AdWeek, April 11, 2001, retrieved January 22, 2025^
  36. Neil Pollock, Robin Williams. How Industry Analysts Shape the Digital Future Oxford University Press, December 31, 2015, retrieved January 16, 2025^
  37. Gartner's Good Gene Forbes, February 15, 2005, retrieved January 22, 2025^
  38. Gartner to Name Eugene Hall CEO Wall Street Journal, July 23, 2004, retrieved January 22, 2025^
  39. Alexander Soule. Gartner beats own forecast Fairfield County Business Journal, August 11, 2008^
  40. Chris Zook, James Allen. Profit From the Core Harvard Business Review Press, February 1, 2001, retrieved January 22, 2025^
  41. Eric Savitz. Gartner To Buy AMR Research For $64 Million Barron's, December 1, 2009, retrieved January 22, 2025^
  42. Nancy Weil. IT researcher Gartner to acquire Meta Group Computerworld, December 27, 2004, retrieved January 22, 2025^
  43. Tom Harvey. Utah-based research firm Burton Group bought by Gartner Inc. The Salt Lake Tribune, January 7, 2010, retrieved January 22, 2025^
  44. Jean-Gregoire Bernard, R. Brent Gallupe. IT industry analysts: a review and two research agendas Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 2013, retrieved January 23, 2025^
  45. Gartner Inc acquires Burton Group for USD56m Telecomworldwire, January 6, 2010^
  46. Gartner Acquires Software Advice gartner.com, Gartner, Inc., 2014-03-11, retrieved 2017-01-06^
  47. Michael Brink. BizOps: The alchemist for business and data ITWeb, 2020-06-15, retrieved 2021-03-22^
  48. Jaime Novoa. Gartner acquires Barcelona-based Nubera (GetApp) Novobrief, 2015-07-01, retrieved 2015-12-30^
  49. Ludovic Leforestier. Will research crowdsourcing finally move analyst firms to an experience business model? Institute of Industry Analyst Relations (IIAR), 2015-07-15, retrieved 2019-06-04^
  50. Gartner buys SCM World FreightWaves, 2016-06-28, retrieved 2025-10-29^
  51. Aaron Gregg. Gartner buys Arlington-based CEB for $2.6 billion The Washington Post, January 5, 2017, retrieved January 22, 2025^
  52. Daniel J. Sernovitz. CEB to be acquired for $2.6 billion Washington Business Journal, 5 January 2017, retrieved 2025-10-29^
  53. Larry Dignan. Gartner acquires CEB for $2.6 billion, eyes business decision maker expansion ZDNet, January 5, 2017, retrieved January 22, 2025^
  54. Ludovic Leforestier. Gartner gobbles brand benchmarking agency L2 Institute of Industry Analyst Relations (IIAR), March 6, 2017, retrieved February 10, 2025^
  55. Alexander Soule. Digital benchmark firm acquired by Stamford co. CT Insider, 7 March 2017^
  56. Alexander Soule. TK Stamford Advocate, March 7, 2017, retrieved January 22, 2025^
  57. Aaron Nicodemus. Gartner to pay $2.5M to settle alleged FCPA violations in South Africa Compliance Week, retrieved 2025-10-08^
  58. SEC Charges Gartner, Inc. with FCPA Violations in South Africa Securities and Exchange Commission, May 26, 2023^
  59. Julie DiMauro. Gartner settles with SEC for $2.45m over FCPA offenses in South Africa Global Relay Intelligence & Practice, 2023-05-30, retrieved 2025-10-08^
  60. Case Information:In the Matter of Gartner, Inc. Stanford School of Law^
  61. [https://www.forbes.com/sites/petercohan/2025/08/06/gartner-stock-down-49-learn-why-what-ceo-can-do-and-and-whether-to-buy-it/ Gartner Stock Down 49%. Learn Why, What CEO Can Do, And Whether To Buy $IT]^