Gartner Fellows to Address International Conference on Use of Technologies and Processes for Seeing, Responding to Changing Competition Forces.

STAMFORD, Conn. -- Academic Working Sessions of International Federation for Information Processing Scheduled May 8-11 in Atlanta

In a keynote presentation next Tuesday before the conference of the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP), Gartner Fellows Daryl Plummer and David McCoy will analyze the latest technologies and processes that leading enterprises are embracing to identify and respond to changing competitive and market forces.

IFIP's international conference on Agility is scheduled May 8-11 in Atlanta on the campus of Georgia State University. Leading researchers are expected to examine how businesses can improve their competitive posture through the agile use of information technologies and practices across an enterprise. "In pursuing answers, they hope to better understand how technology and business process-driven agility can be measured and improved to advance and support innovation and competitiveness," Mr. McCoy said. Approximately 60 leading scholars and researchers are expected to attend the meetings from a worldwide network of universities and research centers.

In their presentation, "Measuring Agility: Business Agility Delivered through IT," the Gartner analysts first will explain how agility and enterprise effectiveness can be improved over time by selective technology investments that enhance enterprise infrastructure flexibility. "Equally important is a focus on higher-level assets such as business processes, application portfolios, and delivery services," said Mr. Plummer. "An enterprise's cumulative collection of information technology investments can lead to or hinder its agility."

Mr. McCoy said Gartner surveys consistently confirm that most enterprises desire flexible and efficient technology architectures. Gartner surveys also show that IT leaders increasingly realize that how information technology is designed and integrated can make or break their enterprise's ability to remain competitive. Yet they also recognize these are not the only key factors for success. "Most IT leaders realize that architectures and infrastructures are only a portion of the agility puzzle," Mr. McCoy said. "Agility also depends on the risk level the enterprise is willing to bear, and on clearing a number of inhibiting hurdles that others will not be willing or able to clear."

Gartner defines agility as "the ability of an organization to sense environmental change and respond efficiently and effectively to that change." One concept behind successful improvement is the agility cycle - a set of processes or steps that all organizations must go through to effectively identify and respond to changing business conditions. These steps include:

--Sensing - Is the organization able to monitor and detect significant changes in its business environment?

--Strategizing - Is the organization able to develop alternative potential plans and directives to respond to the change?

--Deciding - Can the organization determine which of many alternative plans is the most effective and commit to those directives?

--Communicating - Does the organization consistently and comprehensively ensure the proper notification and understanding of key directives to all relevant personnel internal and external to the enterprise?

--Acting - Does the organization produce results efficiently that respond to business change and meet market demands effectively?

IFIP was founded in 1960. Its worldwide membership consists of 62 societies and academies of science based in 50 countries, such as the Association for Computing Machinery and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers in the U.S. IFIP directs its research efforts through a series of 12 technical committees and corresponding working groups. Each is devoted to topics of critical interest to advance understanding of information systems.

In addition to providing the Tuesday keynote, Mr. McCoy said, Gartner is underwriting a portion of the conference as a corporate sponsor "in recognition of the importance of linking academic research with Gartner's research agendas." Gartner's involvement with the IFIP conference comes through relationships established in Gartner's Academic Roundtable, a research vehicle of the Gartner Fellows that links academic and practitioner viewpoints. Gartner has taken an active role in research innovation, including involvement with peer researchers in academic settings.

Mr. Plummer, who will also be presenting in the track entitled "Applications Development - Architecting for Agility" at Gartner Symposium/ITxpo in San Francisco May 15-19, is group vice president for emerging trends and Chief Gartner Fellow. He is a primary analyst in software infrastructure, and is responsible for research in Web services, application integration and middleware, applications development, emerging trends and technologies, and enterprise architecture. Mr. McCoy is vice president and Gartner Fellow, and founder of the Gartner Academic Roundtable. Mr. McCoy's three primary research topics are: advanced software infrastructure and agility, emerging trends and technologies, and Business Process Management skills and education.

The Gartner Fellows include 15 Gartner research analysts, distinguished by their reputations as innovators and thought leaders. They collaborate with 600 Gartner research analysts worldwide to identify and examine emerging trends and technologies.

For more information on the conference, or IFIP, please see http://ifiptc8.itu.dk/Atlanta/.

About Gartner

Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT and ITB) is the leading provider of research and analysis on the global information technology industry. Gartner serves more than 10,000 clients, including chief information officers and other senior IT executives in corporations and government agencies, as well as technology companies and the investment community. The Company focuses on delivering objective, in-depth analysis and actionable advice to enable clients to make more informed business and technology decisions. The Company's businesses consist of Research and Events for IT professionals; Gartner Executive Programs, membership programs and peer networking services; and Gartner Consulting, customized engagements with a specific emphasis on outsourcing and IT management. Founded in 1979, Gartner is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, and has over 3,900 associates, including more than 1,100 research analysts and consultants, in more than 75 locations worldwide. For more information, visit www.gartner.com.