An unvarnished view of products & companies
When making decisions about technology purchases, an objective comparison of solutions can save you from a disastrous choice. Although the Internet serves up vast amounts of information, it’s hard to sift through the noise and get to “real” product capabilities normalized across vendors. Gartner’s Magic Quadrant evaluates vendors using a quick visual graph supplemented with details for each vendor. The MQ is considered the gold standard by some of the largest companies when evaluating solutions.
What makes the Gartner MQ so trustworthy? It starts with the analysts. For each technology covered by an MQ report, Gartner assigns analysts who spend one-on-one time with customers and vendors for a behind the scenes view of the technology landscape. Vendors share road maps and market strategies. Customers share first hand details about their experience with those solutions. The result is a simple ranking system of vendors and their solutions using a consistent evaluation system.
What is the Magic Quadrant?
The Magic Quadrant graph is a 2×2 matrix. Vendor solutions are evaluated and scored based on a thorough vetting process. The result is a position in one of the four quadrants. The MQ for Indoor Location Services is defined by Gartner as follows;
- Leaders: Vendors in the Leaders quadrant will have demonstrated an ability to fulfill a broad variety of customer requirements through the breadth of its indoor location service solution. Leaders will have the ability to provide complete and differentiating capabilities as part of their indoor location offerings
- Challengers: Vendors in the Challengers quadrant will have demonstrated sustained execution in the marketplace
and will have clear and long-term viability in the market, but may not have a complete access layer product portfolio for products or network applications. - Visionaries: Vendors in the Visionaries quadrant demonstrates an ability to increase features in their offerings to provide unique and differentiated approaches to the market. A Visionary will have innovated in one or more of the key areas of its indoor location solution within the enterprise.
- Niche Players: Vendors in the Niche Players quadrant demonstrate a near-complete product offering, but may not be able to control development or provide differentiating functionality, because part of the solution is being offered through a strategic partnership, whether it is a hardware component or the location engine.
Included in the Magic Quadrant report are descriptions of each vendors’ solutions with a summary of strengths and cautions.
To be considered for the Indoor Location Services Magic Quadrant, vendors must achieve a minimum revenue threshold, customer installed base size, and a well-defined set of solution capabilities. Vendors who may not be on Gartner’s radar can request a “vendor briefing” which is a conversation with the relevant analyst(s).
Magic Quadrant review process
The Magic Quadrant for Indoor Location Services is published annually. Gartner sends vendors the inclusion criteria for the evaluation. Vendors that meet the criteria are provided a questionnaire. The questionnaire is the heart of the response and focuses on Completeness of Vision, Ability to Execute, and Product Capabilities. Gartner will often request, for example, sales presentations or recorded demo where vendors can share unique color outside of the structured questionnaire. Vendors are given two to three weeks to complete their submission. Gartner reviews the submissions, assigns weights to the various response categories, and publishes the results 4 months later.
What to look for in 2022
The inclusion criteria for 2022 caused several vendors to drop out of consideration. As it has for the last several years, AiRISTA met the inclusion criteria and will be represented as a vendor. AiRISTA’s position in the matrix has shifted over the years, most recently from Challenger (2020) to Visionary (2021). With only 2 vendors represented in the Leadership quadrant in 2021, the Leadership quadrant is a coveted position and reserved for the very best. The 2022 Magic Quadrant for Indoor Location Tracking is expected in late February. We are hoping AiRISTA’s continued momentum carries us up and to the right.
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