Software vendors have hidden motives

Gartner analyst Dennis Gaughan made some important announcements in Australia recently.

• Microsoft, Oracle, IBM, and SAP have hidden motives.
• Microsoft mainly wants to protect Windows and Office.
• Oracle products don't really work well together.
• IBM wants to take over your IT strategy.
• SAP confuses customers with pricing.

[Source: Business Insider 21 November 2011]

 A cynical view of Gartner would be that such opinions would be suppressed because Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, and SAP are clients of Gartner research. For example, @greenm3 (Dave Ohara) wonders why Gartner would want to spin in this particular way [greenm3]. For my part, I don't think I can recall a major industry analysis firm going on the record so baldly, and all credit to Dennis Gaughan for his frankness.

I'm wondering what these comments imply for the traditional Gartner criteria of "vision" and "ability to execute". How can we separate the commercial and technological capabilities and characteristics of these vendors, and can we always assume that such vendors mobilize what vision and ability-to-execute they may possess in the best interests of their customers? Let's hope Gartner will now pursue this line of analysis further.