Gartner has some fresh competition in Germany. This month Meton Group has launched, named after the Greek astronomer and mathematician Meton, on whose calculations the Greek calendar was based. It has started its first research program, which is for vendors in the information and communication technology (ICT) markets.

Meton’s research will be sold both as standardized, multi-client, packages and as individual components. Meton argues that ICT providers are presented with an uneven and cautious market, that is struggling with questions like these:

• What influence will certain technology and industry trends have on the procurement behavior of end-users?
• Which competitors are already active in the market, and which will emerge in the future more strongly?
• How is the each enterprise perceived: by the market; the customer as well as by competitors?
• How content are customers with the performance of each supplier?

Meton argues that vendors’ ability to answer these questions determines their success or failure in the market. The firm aims to offer solidly founded market research at an ‘acceptable price’ (starting around €10,000) from a consulting partner with the necessary know-how to transform numbers and facts into applicable knowledge for the ICT vendor.

Andreas Burau is the board member responsible for the ICT service. He argues that in the long run, industry information and key data play a very important role; it is increasingly able to give businesses a competitive advantage. “One of our greatest strengths is in the preparation and analysis of industry data and key data.”

The correct evaluation and analysis of economic and industry-specific developments have large influence on the ICT decisions of users in the German-speaking countries. Meton Group offers a mixture of standardized and individually tailored consulting studies. Andreas Zilch, chairman of the board of Meton Group, will lead these consulting studies and user advisory services.

The 15 META alumni in the firm include sales director Heimo Mechler, senior consultants Wolfram Funk and Wolfgang Schwab, consultant Matthias Zacher, and administrator Katia Bogova. The firm aims to have 30 staff by the autumn at its headquarters (in Munich, Germany) and in its branch offices (in Frankfurt, Kassel and Dubai).

Computerwoche reports that Meton wants to grow European-wide, but will co-operate with a “Technology Research Backbone” operated by ex coworkers of Giga Information Group, Forrester Research and META Group.

P.S. Thanks to ARonaut for prompting me to write this and to Edith Horton at Meton for fact-checking the post.
P.P.S. Following court action by Gartner in late August, Meton had to give up its website and was forced to consider a name change.
P.P.P.S. The renamed firm’s website is at http://www.experton.com.