Vendor Positioning Review: Hardware Vendors, Q3 2007

Forrester evaluated four of the top hardware vendors across 15 criteria and three product domains to determine how they are positioning themselves on the continuum between information technology (IT) and business technology (BT). We found that Cisco leads the pack in embracing the BT paradigm in both its corporate and product positioning. IBM has adopted BT in its corporate positioning, but Big Blues' product positioning does not reflect the same BT promise. Dell and Alcatel-Lucent lag in embracing BT in their corporate and product positioning, remaining focused on IT decision-makers as their primary customer stakeholder.