FAQ: How Markets and Vendors Are Evaluated in Gartner Magic Quadrants

A Gartner Magic Quadrant™ is a visual tool backed by a rigorous methodology that provides a graphical comparative positioning of technology and service providers in a specific market. It evaluates vendors based on two key criteria: Ability to Execute and Completeness of Vision.

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Gartner selects markets that are established, distinct and viable, where comparative vendor analysis is valuable to clients. Emerging or very mature markets may instead be covered by a Gartner Market Guide.

Gartner focuses on the most relevant providers for its clients, based on criteria like market presence, product features, customer interest and other defining characteristics. Vendors not meeting inclusion criteria may be mentioned as Notable Vendors but are not compared in the Magic Quadrant graphic.

Due to the scope and focus on client relevance, only vendors meeting strict inclusion criteria are evaluated. Exclusion does not mean a vendor is not viable or competitive.

Vendors are evaluated on 15 weighted criteria across two categories:

• Ability to Execute: products/services, overall viability, sales execution/pricing, market responsiveness, marketing execution, customer experience and operations

• Completeness of Vision: market understanding, marketing strategy, sales strategy, offering (product) strategy, business model, vertical/industry strategy, innovation and geographic strategy

• Leaders provide mature offerings that meet market demand and have demonstrated the vision necessary to sustain their market position as requirements evolve. The hallmark of Leaders is that they focus on and invest in their offerings to the point where they lead the market and can affect its overall direction. As a result, Leaders can become the vendors to watch as you try to understand how new market offerings might evolve.

• Challengers have a strong Ability to Execute but may not have a plan that will maintain a strong value proposition for new customers. Larger vendors in mature markets may be positioned as Challengers because they choose to minimize risk or avoid disrupting their customers or their own activities.

• Visionaries align with the Gartner view of how a market will evolve, but their ability to deliver against that vision is less proven. In growing markets, this status is typical. In more mature markets, it may reflect a competitive strategy for a smaller vendor — such as selling an innovation ahead of mainstream demand — or a larger vendor trying to break out of a rut or differentiate itself.

• Niche Players do well in a segment of a market, or they have a limited ability to innovate or outperform other vendors in the wider market. This may be because they focus on a particular functionality or geographic region, or because they are new entrants to the market. Alternatively, they may be struggling to remain relevant in a market that is moving away from them. Niche Players may have reasonably broad functionality but with limited implementation and support capabilities and relatively limited customer bases. Compared to other quadrants, they do not demonstrate a strong vision for their offerings.

• Magic Quadrants: Position vendors in a market based on vision and execution.

• Critical Capabilities: Provide deeper analysis of products/services by use case, helping clients match offerings to their specific needs. For more information, see How Products and Services Are Evaluated in Gartner Critical Capabilities.

No. Gartner maintains strict independence and objectivity. Vendor status as a Gartner client does not affect inclusion or positioning.

Gartner uses a mix of internal and external data, including client inquiries, vendor engagement and customer sentiment to determine which vendors are most relevant.

Typically, Magic Quadrants are updated annually, but frequency may vary based on market dynamics.

The “as of” date indicates when the research was finalized. Events after this date are not reflected in the analysis.

No. Magic Quadrants are a starting point. Gartner recommends using them alongside other research, such as Critical Capabilities, Peer Insights and discussions with analysts, to make informed decisions.

Gartner Peer Insights™ is a platform for end-user reviews of software and services. Peer Insights complements Magic Quadrant analysis by providing real-world user feedback.

• Magic Quadrant: analyst-led vendor positioning

• Critical Capabilities: analyst-led product/service comparison by use case

• Voice of the Customer: aggregated end-user reviews from Peer Insights

Peer Insights reflects individual customer experiences, while Magic Quadrants and Critical Capabilities are based on a broad set of data sources and analyst expertise.

Visit the Gartner Magic Quadrant and Critical Capabilities page for schedules, interactive tools and additional FAQs.