International Data Corporation (IDC) is a market research and analysis firm specializing in information technology, telecommunications and consumer technology. IDC is a subsidiary of International Data Group. IDC is headquartered in Framingham, Massachusetts and claims to have over 1000 analysts in 50 countries.[1]
Patrick J McGovern founded IDC in Massachusetts with a friend, Fred Kirch, in 1964 after a UNIVAC executive complained to him about the lack of market research information available on the emerging computer industry.[2] At the beginning, the company produced a computer industry data base and a newsletter, EDP Industry & Market Report.
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Confusion about term IDC
International Data Corporation owns trademark IDC. [3] At the same time, an unrelated entity, Interactive Data Corporation is traded on NYSE under ticker IDC.
Criticism
Various IDC reports and forecasts were criticized for deficiencies in methodology. Notable cases include:
- Yearly joint BSA/IDC studies on software piracy [4][5][6]
- IDC comparison of TCO of Linux vs Windows 2000 [7]
- IDC forecasts on Itanium sales [8]
References
- ^ About IDC from IDC website.
- ^ http://www.mediabankers.com/news/news_story.php?id=49
- ^ IDC trademark page
- ^ BSA or just BS? The Economist
- ^ Lies, damn lies and statistics ZDNet UK
- ^ Piracy stats don't add up Australian IT
- ^ Windows costs less than Linux. A bit. Sometimes – MS study But you don't want to use it as a web server. Oops... The Register
- ^ IBM mocks Itanium server sales - again. IDC forecasts 96 percent off The Register
External links
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