Once again, the Investment and Governance Division of the Office of Information Technology has negotiated contracts for IT research and advisory services on behalf of state government. State agencies seeking research, advice and insights to support IT decision-making have several resources available to them via the Internet, e-mail and telephone as well as in person.

The fiscal year 2005 Statewide Information Technology Research and Advisory Services contracts are with the following four IT organizations:

• Gartner – More than 700 Gartner analysts and 400 consultants are at your service with answers, ideas and solutions. The online Gartner "Ask an Analyst" tool makes it easy and convenient to ask questions and get answers. All Gartner clients are linked directly to timely and relevant research, consultants, accurate measurement tools and popular industry events.
  • For descriptions of the features and service areas covered by the fiscal year 2005 subscription agreement, please visit the Gartner Web site at www.gartner.com.
• Meta Group – Meta Group analysts average more than 13 years of experience and their unique research process is designed to provide high quality, reliable, actionable and objective results. They are committed to helping reduce or eliminate inefficiencies and waste, and maximizing return on IT investments.
  • For descriptions of the features and service areas covered by the fiscal year 2005 subscription agreement, please visit the Meta Group Web site at www.metagroup.com.
• Norex – NOREX is a unique consortium of IT professionals from corporations and other organizations whose members place value on shared experiences and seek ways to avoid reinventing the wheel. NOREX members capitalize on practical solutions that have been tried and tested by peers ensuring that costly mistakes are not repeated. A dedicated NOREX staff coordinates relevant networking opportunities and provides cost-savings in the marketplace for more than 1,100 member organizations.
  • For more information about NOREX resources, visit the NOREX Web site at norexonline.com.
• Columbus Technology Council – Membership to this organization, which offers networking and educational programming, is available to all State of Ohio IT employees under the FY 2005 contract.
  • For more information or to join, please visit www.columbustechnology.org.

For more information, please contact the research advisory administrator of the Office of Statewide IT Research and Advisory Services at research.advisory@ohio.gov.

Statewide IT Research and Advisory Services are part of the Investment and Governance Division of the Office of Information Technology.