Research firm Gartner acquires Burton Group for $56 million

Gartner, Inc. the leading provider of research and analysis on the global information technology industry yesterday acquired research and IT advisory services firm Burton Group, Inc. for $56 million in cash.

The Midvale Utah-based Burton Group, with projected 2009 revenue of $30 million, provides IT research, advisory, and consulting services to executives and technologists. The company focuses on infrastructure technologies, strategy adoption, and governance practices relating to enterprise technologies.

Gartner expects the acquisition to expand its product and service offerings, and increase its IT research market opportunity. It is also expected to drive operational efficiencies and cost savings.

With 2008 revenue of  $1.279 billion, the Stamford, Connecticut-based Gartner has financed the acquisition through cash on hand and borrowings under its existing line of credit.

Gene Hall, Gartner's chief executive officer, said, "Gartner has traditionally focused on providing strategic insight to CIOs and senior IT executives, while Burton Group has built a leading niche providing practical, how-to advice to front-line IT professionals. Thus, Burton Group is a great strategic fit for Gartner and should enable us to offer a more complete solution to every level and functional expert within an IT organization.''

''By leveraging our scale and worldwide distribution capabilities, we expect to significantly grow Burton Group's business over time," he added.