The 451 Group is an independent technology-industry analyst company that was founded in 2000, and has offices in the US and Europe. Our research makes sense of swiftly moving trends in the industry creating information technologies (IT) used by large and midsized organizations.

Our customers

Our customers fall into three main groups: the vendors and service providers that create, manufacture and distribute these products and technologies; the investment community that initially funds, and then facilitates the sale or public offering of these vendors once they have become successful; and the organizations that buy and use these technologies. Our research helps our customers spot the developments that offer opportunities or threats to their businesses.

What we do

Our analysis comprises timely, no- holds-barred examination of the latest developments in technology, business models, and mergers and acquisitions. Our customers rely on us to explain the impact of industry events, and to uncover the true business impact of often esoteric technical advances.

They also value our opinions. Our analysts are not afraid to present - and we are not afraid to publish - forthright opinion. Even when they disagree with these frankly stated opinions, our clients tell us that our cogent, defensible arguments help their thinking.

Who we are

Our Research Directors and Analysts are domain experts with years of experience in their area of focus - including many with experience in industry.

How we're different

We are able to remain agile, prolific and mercilessly honest because The 451 Group maintains a strict wall of separation between the activities of sales and of analysis. There is no, 'pay for play,' and Research Directors and analysts pursue their research agenda completely independent from our sales and marketing departments.

Methodology

Our focus is on the business of innovation - in technology, business models and finance. We accomplish this through:

• Regular, structured briefings with vendors (from the largest in the world to three-person startups)
• Regular engagement with buyers and users of these products
• Broader, survey-based interaction with all our clients
• Intensive discussions with the financiers of the industry - venture capitalists, private equity investors and investment bankers
• Ad-hoc participation in industry events and with the press.

Through this interaction, our analysts consider the technologies, go-to-market strategies, sales and marketing, funding and staffing activities involved in identifying, creating and fulfilling a market need for a given technology.

Our products

The Daily 451 Our flagship product is our daily delivery of syndicated research that combines four to eight reports from our Market Insight Service - 500- to 1500-word reports describing a specific vendor's activities, strategies, funding, sales, marketing and technology approach - and our TechDealmaker Service, which focuses on reactive and predictive analysis of the M&A side of the business. With teams of industry and financial analysts working in tandem, The Daily 451 provides links to reports containing actionable insights and intelligence on the technology, business and financial aspects of the enterprise IT industry.

Customers choosing to further engage with us will find a range of products available.

M&A KnowledgeBase Because of our intimate study of both small and large companies, The 451 Group has amassed a deep expertise in the field of technology M&A. By understanding the gaps in the product lines of acquisitive vendors, as well as the offerings and relative value of products offered by startups, 451 Analysts have a unique understanding of both acquirer and target. Our M&A KnowledgeBase is an online, subscription- only database containing every technology, Internet and telecommunications deal made since January 1, 2002.

Practice areas

The 451 Group has domain experts in numerous markets within IT - including storage, networking, mobility, information management, customer relationship management and systems. We also maintain three discrete practice areas whose areas of focus overlap these markets.

• ICE or Infrastructure Computing for the Enterprise draws together our analytical focus on topics like virtualization, datacenter automation, grid and high-performance computing, application lifecycle management, performance management, service-level management and service-oriented architecture.
• CAOS Our Commercial Adoption of Open Source practice helps enterprise end users, software vendors and investors track and understand the opportunities and threats presented by open source.
• ESP The 451 Group's Enterprise Security Practice seeks to bring clarity to the confusing and fast-changing world of enterprise security technologies.
• EURO Our EU Research Opinions will deliver insight into EU research and development activity related to Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), and examine the impact on the marketplace and industrial adoption.
• Eco-IT The 451 Group's Eco-Efficient IT Research Service tracks and analyzes the key developments in this area, from the Kyoto Protocol to datacenter effectiveness, from electricity prices to telepresence.

Strategic Counsel

Customers wishing to further engage with any of our Research Directors or Analysts may do so through our Strategic Counsel program, which provides the opportunity to meet with our analysts one-on-one for in-depth discussion of industry trends or specific vendor assessment.

Events

The 451 Group produces periodic industry summits and investor conferences that address opportunities and obstacles facing emerging enterprise IT markets. These include our annual client conference and Hosting Transformation Summit.

Tier1 Research

The company also operates Tier1 Research - an independent division of The 451 Group that analyzes the business of the hosting marketplace and its accompanying key technology sectors. Clients of the company - at vendor, investor, service-provider and end-user organizations - rely on Tier1 Research's insight to support strategic business development and tactical decision-making.