Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT) (www.gartner.com), a leading provider of research and analysis on the global information technology industry, has acquired Burton Group, Inc. (www.burtongroup.com) for approximately $56 million in cash. Burton Group is a leading research and advisory services firm that focuses on providing practical, technically in-depth advice to front-line IT professionals. The firm has approximately 41 research analysts, 40 sales and client service associates, and projected 2009 revenue of $30 million.

JEGI CLARITY (www.jegiclarity.com), the leading independent investment bank for media, information, marketing services and related technologies, represented Burton Group in this transaction and acted as its exclusive financial advisor.

The acquisition of Burton Group is expected to expand Gartner’s product and service offerings, and increase its IT research market opportunity. The combination is also expected to drive operational efficiencies and cost savings.

Gene Hall, Gartner’s CEO, 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.”

Jamie Lewis, Burton Group’s CEO, commented, “I am very excited about the opportunities for accelerated growth that Burton Group should have as part of Gartner. By combining our technical depth with Gartner’s global presence and distribution capabilities, we can reach a much broader set of clients with the most complete set of IT research and advisory services available.”