Forrester Research, Inc. (Nasdaq: FORR) today launched the Forrester Oval Program, an exclusive offering for select C-level (“chief”) executives at $1 billion-plus companies worldwide. The first Forrester Oval Program, developed for CIOs, is called The CIO Group and includes charter members from EMC and LSI Logic.

The Forrester Oval Program, including The CIO Group, provides members with exclusive industry-specific benchmark data, access to a senior analyst for individual research-related questions, membership-directed research, best practices, and peer-to-peer networking.

“The Forrester Oval Program speaks to our clients’ growing demand for research and analysis that is directly applicable to their individual needs — what we call ‘pull,’ or client-directed, research,” stated George F. Colony, Forrester’s chairman of the board and chief executive officer. “With Oval, we are combining the high influence and expertise of our ‘push,’ or syndicated, research with strong client relevancy.”

Forrester Oval Program, The CIO Group

Forrester Oval Program’s initial group for CIOs offers three improvements over existing technology-centered boards:

  • Primary research: CIO Group members have access to two decades’ worth of primary data and analysis from Forrester’s extensive syndicated research.
  • Unparalleled expertise: The CIO Group is staffed with senior technology analysts who have deep experience helping businesses manage the impact of technology change.
  • Vertical insight: Forrester’s research in many different industries enhances the relevancy of The CIO Group’s content to member CIOs from different vertical sectors.

The Forrester Oval Program, The CIO Group, has four components:

  • Benchmarks — Based on Forrester’s Business Technographics® quantitative research, these benchmarks report technology spending patterns and are customized to members’ industries.
  • Directives — Members select a new topic each quarter for Forrester to research for The CIO Group.
  • Access — A senior Forrester analyst is assigned to each CIO Group member to respond to individual research queries. The Forrester Oval Program also will manage an online repository of best-practice data and a forum through which members can ask questions and solicit answers directly from other members.
  • Exchanges — All CIO Group members are invited to two meetings annually to discuss the research topics chosen by the group with their peers. Forrester facilitates these networking sessions, which emphasize peer networking and exchanges of best practices, enabling CIOs to avoid common mistakes and gravitate toward best solutions.

“The CIO Group is the result of a pilot program we conducted in 2002,” stated Neil Bradford, managing director, Forrester’s global operating group. “Participating CIOs highly valued the interaction and content, encouraging Forrester to make this a permanent program. They considered Forrester’s ability to enhance a board offering with deep, primary research to be a high-value combination. As a result, members of the pilot and others have already signed on with this new executive-level program.”

Learn more about the Forrester Oval Program, The CIO Group.