How to Evaluate Technology Vendors in 4 Rigorous Steps

Use third-party reviews and independent research to validate a vendor's product claims or understand whether their product will work well for your use case. Vendors and their solutions vary widely in terms of size, complexity and strategy, so comparison can be tough. 

As an example of one type of independent research, Gartner Magic Quadrant™ solves for those kinds of issues by defining a market and its critical requirements and then offering visual snapshots of a market’s direction, maturity and ranking participants’ capabilities. Different reviewers use different criteria (Magic Quadrants use “completeness of vision” and “ability to execute”) so understand their methodology and make sure their priorities align with yours. 

Whatever source you choose for reviews, make sure they enable you to compare criteria, such as the vendor’s financial viability, market responsiveness and customer base, as well as their level of innovation (does their view align with yours). If reviewers surface requirements you didn’t, consider incorporating them into your selection criteria.

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