How useful are IT research and analysis services?

How do firms keep abreast of new waves of information technology (IT) innovations such as CRM and Web services? Many engage IT research and analysis (R&A) firms such as Gartner Group and Forrester Research. But how do buyers of IT R&A offerings actually make use of these services, and how useful do they find them? Why do some companies choose not to use IT R&A services? We examine these questions in the context of a survey, and find that users and non-users of IT R&A services can be classified. Users fall into three groups: proactive, reactive and situational. Non-users are either cost-conscious or need-doubters. We compare the different groups and suggest the implications for management.