Kensington Group Study Shows Networking and Telecommunications Vendors' Ability to Compete for Industry Analyst Mindshare

Business Wire, Feb 25, 1999

CORTE MADERA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 25, 1999--3Com, Bay Networks, Cisco Systems, and Ameritech, Nortel and Sprint have the best industry analyst relations support among networking and telecom vendors, respectively. Those are among the findings of the 1998 Annual Benchmark Vendor Effectiveness Study for these industries, just released by Kensington Group, Inc.

The 346-page Effectiveness Study measured perceptions of 85 key industry analysts from 44 international research firms such as the Gartner Group, Giga Information Group, META Group and Forrester Research. Respondents were queried regarding 35 networking and telecommunications vendors' effectiveness in their communications with industry analysts.

The implications for vendors are financial. Kensington Group, Inc. studies, conducted several times per year since 1991, have established that effective relationships between vendors and analysts greatly impact vendor sales.

The unique benchmark study quantifies analysts' assessments of vendors' communications with them, provides analysts a forum for candid vendor evaluations, and helps analysts' job performance -- a key issue because analysts' time is precious and tightly held. Numerical measurements of strategic points of communications, information dissemination methods and attitude factors are weighted by what's important to analysts, from best to worst. The results also offer an indication of how vendors are perceived by their customers and prospects.

"This study exposes vendor communication deficiencies and advantages from a competitive, strategic marketing viewpoint," states Kensington Group, Inc. President Norma LaRosa. "It gives vendors hard data to effect changes in this critical communications area. It gives them quantitative benchmark information to measure their year-to-year progress."

Analysts rated 3Com as the best at articulating their strategy, followed by Cisco Systems, Bay Networks, Ameritech, Sprint and U.S. West. Cisco performed the best overall in providing content information to analysts.

Vendors highly rated for their communication methods included 3Com, Cisco, Bay, Nortel, Sprint, and Ameritech. In attitude factors such as responsiveness, candor and credibility, 3Com, Bay, Cisco, Sprint, Nortel, and Ameritech were rated the highest by analysts.

Other vendors also made dramatic improvements in the competitive race for analysts' mind share. Noteworthy vendors included Ascend (pre-merger) Fore Systems, Lucent Technologies, and IBM.

This multi-client study can be ordered by calling Kensington Group, Inc. at 415/924-0468. Other annual analyst relations effectiveness studies and trend reports cover Software, Systems, Storage, and Services. Kensington Group, Inc. also provides custom research and evaluation services, consulting, program development, training, and public conferences and forums for information technology vendors and users. See their Web site at www.kensingtongroup.com. for a complete list of services.