With so many IT services companies to choose from, you are probably wondering how to choose the best one for your company. One of the biggest factors you can use to differentiate one provider from another is the standards each set for itself and its clients. Some IT companies cater to businesses who want to save as much money as possible, even if it means inferior technology solutions. Other IT companies steer clear of the cheap stuff—instead of focusing on the industry best solutions like those found in the Gartner Magic Quadrant. When performance, security, and reliability are a priority for your organization, it is worth it to insist on IT services companies who settle for nothing but the best for you as a client.

Why the Ideal IT Services Company in Chicago Sticks to the Gartner Magic Quadrant

There are a variety of reasons why the best IT services company in Chicago goes with technology solutions produced by companies that have been endorsed by Gartner. Some of these include:

Why do Businesses Rely on the Gartner Name?

According to an article in Forbes, “The firm, founded in 1979 by Gideon Gartner, now has a market capitalization of $10B+ and it employs a team of 1,900+ analysts who glean insights from more than 380,000 client interactions each year. 73% of the Global 500 rely on Gartner according to the company’s fact sheet. When it comes to industry research, Gartner is the 800-pound gorilla…when Gartner publishes market research, people pay attention.”

Gartner is very good at what they do, so good that many of the largest companies in the world rely on their market research. When Gartner decided to turn some of its substantial analysis abilities to the technology sector, plenty of businesses sat up and took notice. Businesses reference the company’s insights to help them in choosing who to purchase technology services from and investors take advantage of Gartner’s analyses to decide where to put their money in the technology sector.

What is the Gartner Magic Quadrant?

So, what is the Gartner Magic Quadrant? The people at Gartner probably explain it best. According to Gartner, “A Gartner Magic Quadrant is a culmination of research in a specific market, giving you a wide-angle view of the relative positions of the market’s competitors. By applying a graphical treatment and a uniform set of evaluation criteria, a Magic Quadrant helps you quickly ascertain how well technology providers are executing their stated visions and how well they are performing against Gartner’s market view.”

The Gartner Magic Quadrant is represented by a graph, where companies are analyzed based on their “Ability to Execute” and their “Completeness of Vision”. There are four categories that a business can fall into—Niche Players, Visionaries, Challengers, and Leaders. The following descriptions of each category come from Gartner:

  • Leaders – Leaders execute well against their current vision and are well positioned for tomorrow.
  • Visionaries – Visionaries understand where the market is going or have a vision for changing market rules, but do not yet execute well.
  • Niche Players – Niche Players focus successfully on a small segment, or are unfocused and do not out-innovate or outperform others.
  • Challengers – Challengers execute well today or may dominate a large segment, but do not demonstrate an understanding of market direction.

Why Choose IT Solutions in the Gartner Magic Quadrant?

A lot of time and energy goes into picking the companies that make it onto the Gartner Magic Quadrant. All of the efforts of the Gartner team creates a resource that IT solutions providers can use to determine which companies and tools are the best available. IT service providers that take advantage of this shortlist know that they can expect a certain, high level of quality when they pick from the list. Less guessing and hoping on the part of your IT team means they can focus on doing the best they can for your business—without worrying so much that the tools and vendors they work with will fall short.

One of the nice things about the Gartner Magic Quadrant is that it offers options for businesses, all of which have been vetted by the Gartner team. It can be tempting to assume that only those companies in the Leaders category are the ones that your business should use, but this is not always true. There are plenty of companies on the Niche Players list that can make a good fit for a business. The fact that they are on the Gartner Magic Quadrant at all means they have something significant to offer.

If a technology company has made the Gartner Magic Quadrant, it means that the company has proven itself. When you are relying on the products and services such companies provide for vital aspects of your business, you want a proven company.

How do Technology Businesses Feel About Being on the Gartner Magic Quadrant?

Getting picked to be on the Gartner Magic Quadrant is an honor for technology companies because it validates their hard work and commitment to quality. For example, when Oracle was chosen to be in the Leaders quadrant for the 2018 Magic Quadrant for Configure, Price and Quote Application Suites, they had this to say: “In today’s competitive landscape, customer experience needs to be a part of an organization’s DNA. Oracle CPQ Cloud enables a modernized sales process resulting in unprecedented customer experience through all channels while increasing user adoption and average deal size and volume,” said Ken Volpe, senior vice president of applications development, Oracle. “We believe Gartner’s recognition of Oracle’s position as a Leader in this space reflects our investments and reinforces our commitment to helping our customers achieve greater efficiency in their sales process.”

What Types of Technology do IT Companies Use from the Gartner Magic Quadrant?

The Gartner Magic Quadrant includes a wide range of companies in the technology sector, which means that your IT services provider can find just about every tool and service necessary to meet your IT needs from these businesses. These include:

  • Antivirus
  • Computer systems
  • Firewalls
  • Cloud computing
  • Data storage
  • Other IT solutions

When you consider that many if not all of these technology areas are necessities for the operation of your company, it is easy to understand why you would want nothing but the best. For example, the latest FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center report indicates that the public is now logging nearly 300,000 complaints a year, and the number only seems to be growing. Having the best security solutions for your business is just common sense at this point. With Gartner Magic Quadrant businesses as your cybersecurity providers, you are in the best hands you can be.

ACT—Your IT Services Company in Chicago

According to Jeff Hoffman, the Founder of ACT, “We don’t do cheap.” Our company is passionate about being the leading IT services company in Chicago, which is why we insist our clients use the best solutions available. If you would like more information about how we can help your business take advantage of the best in IT solutions, please contact us.