IDC Continues Expansion of Research Products and Coverage with Strong Results in 2006.

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. -- IDC today reported strong results for 2006, including double-digit revenue gains and solid growth for all of the company's products and services. These results were driven by healthy market demand as well as the company's ongoing investments in expanded geographic and vertical industry coverage and the addition of new research products and analysts. IDC plans to continue the expansion of its research products and coverage in 2007.

"Our clients have emphasized that they need deep industry-specific research and reliable insight into emerging markets around the world," said Kirk Campbell, President and CEO of IDC. "To address these needs, IDC has made major investments to extend its industry-leading geographic presence and to expand the scope of its vertical industry research. These efforts have been well received by both technology buyers and suppliers as exhibited by IDC's healthy growth in 2006."

IDC extended its geographic coverage to 93 country markets with the addition of 20 new countries in 2006. IDC currently provides market research on 35 countries in Europe, 27 countries in the Middle East and Africa, 17 countries in Asia/Pacific, and 14 countries in North and South America. To deliver the market coverage required in these countries, IDC added 85 new research employees in 2006, bringing the total size of its global research staff to more than 900. With nearly two-thirds of these analysts located outside the United States, IDC is the most global of all the technology market intelligence firms. The broad geographic presence of IDC analysts ensures that it has the best local knowledge in the hottest emerging markets.

To expand its industry-specific research, IDC is investing $40 million to launch a family of Industry Insights companies and to further enhance its Vertical Views research. The Industry Insights businesses are designed to provide focused industry coverage, deep exploration of industry-specific business issues, and analysis of how IT is used within these industries. In 2006, IDC launched the Government Insights company and acquired EPRI Solutions Market Intelligence Division to expand the capabilities of the Energy Insights company. Together with Financial Insights, Health Industry Insights, and Manufacturing Insights, the five Industry Insights companies now have over 400 customers and grew revenues by more than 40% in 2006.

Investments in IDC's Vertical Views research has enabled clients to get a more detailed understanding of technology spending and buyer behavior across 17 vertical industries, including new research into the IT spending patterns of 1,800 U.S. companies.

During the year IDC continued to expand its research coverage of core technology markets. This included the launch of new Worldwide Quarterly Tracker products in the Enterprise Network, Photo Printer, and Monitor categories. IDC also launched greatly enhanced research covering the digital marketplace and new media segments with a special focus on both the search and media/entertainment categories.

Another important area of growth for IDC has been its Conference business, which reached more than 45,000 technology customers and industry executives through 300 events held in more than 60 countries worldwide. In 2006, IDC successfully launched the IT Forum & Expo in the United States and plans to move the popular European IT Forum from Paris to Berlin in 2007 as the Europe ICT Forum focused on the convergence of the worlds of information technology and telecommunications.

Combined, IDC's investments helped drive healthy growth in all of IDC's major product lines - subscription research, consulting, and conferences - as well as in every geographic region. For calendar year 2006, IDC's worldwide revenues were $297 million, representing a 12% increase over the previous year.

"In the IT & Telecom research market IDC's investment in new products is quite impressive as compared to many companies in this sector," said Louise Garnett, Vice President and Lead Analyst at Outsell, Inc., a market research and advisory company that focuses on the entire information industry, worldwide. "IDC is proving its commitment to new products to expand its business and provide customers the solutions they are seeking."

More information about IDC's research offerings and advisory services can be found at www.idc.com.

About IDC

IDC is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. IDC helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community make fact-based decisions on technology purchases and business strategy. More than 900 IDC analysts provide global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends in over 90 countries worldwide. For more than 43 years, IDC has provided strategic insights to help our clients achieve their key business objectives. IDC is a subsidiary of IDG, the world's leading technology media, research, and events company. You can learn more about IDC by visiting www.idc.com.

All product and company names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.