Inquiry Insight: IT Management Software

Forrester analyzed the IT management software (ITMS) inquiries received from vendors and end users in 2007 and 2008. Inquiries are a good indicator of the tactical issues faced by Forrester's clients and of the activity surrounding a given subject matter. Despite the economic downturn, we find that ITMS activity is very solid. Also, industry sectors such as banking, insurance, services, manufacturing, and retail are still the most active, even though they are certainly the most affected by the current events. This confirms our market evaluation for ITMS, which calls for growth in 2009. Virtualization has been the leading subject matter for the past two years, but the nature of questions has evolved from asking what it is to asking how to implement it.