This directory covers ten analyst firms that B2B technology vendors brief and get evaluated by: Gartner, Forrester, IDC, HFS Research, ISG, S&P Global Market Intelligence (formerly 451 Research), Omdia, Constellation Research, Everest Group, and Moor Insights & Strategy. It lists the research firms that publish analyst reports. It does not list analyst relations agencies, the consultancies a vendor hires to run its analyst program. Each firm below is profiled by what it covers, how it publishes research, and which vendors typically brief it.
What does "analyst relations firm" mean?
"Analyst relations firm" is used in two ways, and this page covers the first.
- An analyst firm is a research and advisory company, such as Gartner or Forrester, whose analysts publish reports that vendors try to influence and appear in. The ten firms below are analyst firms.
- An analyst relations agency or consultancy is a services company that a vendor hires to run or support its analyst relations program: planning briefings, managing inquiries, and preparing for evaluations such as a Magic Quadrant.
If you are searching for an agency to hire, start with the Analyst Relations Agencies Directory, which lists ten agencies and consultancies without ranking them. To understand what an AR program does, who runs it inside companies, and what EPR estimates it costs by company stage, read the 2026 Analyst Relations Playbook. EPR does not rank analyst relations agencies on this page.
What do the ten analyst firms cover?
The ten firms split roughly into broad enterprise-technology advisory firms and category-specialist firms. The table summarizes each firm's core focus and links to its profile.
| Firm |
Core focus |
Profile |
| Gartner |
Broad enterprise IT research; Magic Quadrant and Hype Cycle methodologies |
Gartner profile |
| Forrester |
Customer experience, B2B marketing, and technology research; the Forrester Wave methodology |
Forrester profile |
| IDC |
Market sizing and forecasting; the MarketScape methodology |
IDC profile |
| HFS Research |
Sourcing, business process services, and AI services research |
HFS Research profile |
| ISG |
Sourcing and managed services; the Provider Lens methodology |
ISG profile |
| S&P Global / 451 Research |
Technology market analysis inside S&P Global Market Intelligence |
S&P Global / 451 Research profile |
| Omdia |
Technology, media, and telecom research, including telecom, chipmakers, and pay-TV |
Omdia profile |
| Constellation Research |
Enterprise software, digital business, and AI strategy, published under named analysts |
Constellation Research profile |
| Everest Group |
Sourcing research that competes with ISG and HFS Research |
Everest Group profile |
| Moor Insights & Strategy |
Semiconductors, cloud infrastructure, and enterprise AI, published under named analysts |
Moor Insights & Strategy profile |
For how AI engines cite the first seven, see the EPR Analyst Visibility Index 2026, which scores Gartner at 94.2, Forrester at 87.6, and IDC at 82.3.
What separates institutional firms from named-voice firms?
Institutional firms, such as Gartner, Forrester, IDC, ISG, and Omdia, publish research under the firm's brand and not under an individual analyst's byline. Reports, Magic Quadrants, Waves, and MarketScapes carry the firm name as the primary credited source.
Named-voice firms, such as Constellation Research and Moor Insights & Strategy, publish under individual analysts. Ray Wang and Holger Mueller are the best-known names at Constellation, and Patrick Moorhead leads at Moor Insights. Vendors briefing these firms are often briefing a specific analyst's beat, not the institution as a whole.
The two models call for different briefing strategies. Briefing an institutional firm means aligning with a fixed research cycle and methodology, such as the annual Magic Quadrant refresh. Briefing a named-voice analyst means building a direct relationship with that person's coverage area, since commentary and press availability move faster than an institutional report cycle. EPR has not re-verified current analyst names, so check each firm's own site before citing a person.
How should a vendor decide which firms to brief first?
A vendor should brief Gartner, Forrester, and IDC first if the goal is a Magic Quadrant, Wave, or MarketScape placement, since these reach the broadest enterprise buying committees.
A vendor in sourcing, managed services, or business process outsourcing should brief ISG, HFS Research, or Everest Group first, where those firms carry more category-specific weight.
A vendor selling AI infrastructure or semiconductors should add Moor Insights & Strategy, which offers fast, quotable, single-analyst commentary that an institutional report cycle cannot match in speed. For the winning-placement playbooks, see How to Win the Gartner Magic Quadrant and How to Win the Forrester Wave.
How do analyst briefings and inquiries work?
A briefing is a scheduled session in which a vendor presents its strategy, product and customers to an analyst. An inquiry is a question that a buyer or client puts to an analyst, usually about a shortlist, a category or a contract. Vendors arrange briefings, and an analyst does not promise coverage in return. Buyers, who often hold a subscription with the firm, start most inquiries, which is how analysts hear what real shortlists look like before a report is published.
The practical result is that a briefing is a source of record. The facts a vendor gives an analyst are the facts a report is likely to repeat, so accuracy matters more than polish, and a named customer who confirms the claim matters more than any adjective.
How should a vendor prepare for an analyst briefing?
A vendor should prepare for a briefing by matching the analyst to the category and sending the facts first. Six steps cover most of the work.
- Pick the one analyst whose coverage matches your category, using the firm profiles above.
- Send a one-page summary a few days ahead: the category, the buyer problem, three metrics and two named customers.
- Keep the live session to 30 minutes and about 10 slides, so there is time for the analyst's questions.
- Share roadmap items only under a non-disclosure agreement, and mark anything that is not public.
- Offer two customer references the analyst can call.
- Follow up within a day with anything you promised, and brief again when something material changes, such as a launch or a funding round.
For the request form, a slide-by-slide deck outline and a launch calendar, see how to brief Gartner and Forrester.
How do analyst firms relate to AI answer engines?
AI answer engines now read analyst reports and the coverage that surrounds them. The EPR Analyst Visibility Index 2026 scores how often each firm is cited, and Analyst Relations vs. The Answer Engine explains what that changes for the buying cycle. Brief with citation in mind: give the analyst one fact per sentence that can be quoted on its own, and keep the same company description everywhere. The workflow is laid out in Briefing the Answer Engines.
What does it cost a vendor to work with analyst firms?
Analyst firms sell subscriptions, advisory days, event sponsorships and reprint rights to published reports, and each firm publishes its own policy on how a paid relationship relates to research coverage. Read that policy before you buy anything, and never treat a purchase as a route to placement. EPR's estimates of total analyst relations program cost by company stage, which include agency retainers, are in How Much Does Analyst Relations Cost?
Should a vendor hire an agency to run analyst relations?
A vendor that briefs more than three firms, or that is working toward a Magic Quadrant, Wave or MarketScape evaluation, often hires an agency to run the calendar, the briefing documents and the evaluation submissions. That is a separate list from this one. The Analyst Relations Agencies Directory shows where each agency is based, what it says it does and any independent signal available. It is a directory, not a ranking.
