At this point we do not know if Mr. Best’s departure (his last day is next week) is voluntary or he was asked to seek other opportunities. However, it does come on the heels of analyst and back office staff layoffs in May and the departure of head of Services research Bob Welch’s departure in July. We have from reliable sources that Mr. Best’s departure was sudden – his LinkedIn profile shows he has left IDC, but he is still listed on IDC’s management page on IDC.com.
Post-IDC, Mr. Best is launching of Two Rivers Consulting (no website).
Mr. Best had been at IDC since 1984 so his departure could be a natural transition. However, it could be a sign of something bigger. Traditionally, vendor-centric analyst firms like IDC are among the first to see revenues drop in an economic downturn as vendors cut back on “non-essential” spending. But Mr. Best’s departure can’t be attributed to a temporary downturn in sales because he has led IDC Sales through past downturns.
Next week we will get additional data points about what is happening in the analyst industry when Gartner (Wednesday) and Forrester (Thursday) announce Q2 earnings. If they do well, then that could be a sign that something is amiss with IDC.
SageCircle Advisory clients (Annual Advisory or Block of Hours) can talk to a strategist about the implications of this news. Email us at “inquiry [at] sagecircle dot com” or call 650-274-8309 to schedule an inquiry.
If you have any additional intelligence about what is happening at IDC please drop me an email at carter [at] sagecircle dot com or tweet me @carterlusher.
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Carter,
Removing a 24-year veteran is a sure sign that IDC finally realizes it has to change its approach, or that Don is a scapegoat to keep Kirk Campbell in a job that must be looking shakier by the day. Vendors these days prefer to buy from analyst firms that are influencing users, and actual “data” isn’t so valuable in commodity markets, such as hardware, where there is limited innovation. Seems like dark days ahead for IDC in this economy, where its day in the sun seems to be long gone. Must not be a pleasant place to be these days.