Forrester shamed into changing "integrity policy"

Forrester Research has forbidden technology companies that commission its product-comparison studies from publicising their results.

Forrester spelled out the change to its "integrity policy" in a statement from its chairman and chief executive posted on its website.

The new policy follows the release last month of a study by Forrester unit Giga Research, paid for by Microsoft, that concluded that companies spent less when developing certain programs with the Windows operating system than with Linux. Giga polled just 12 companies for the study, which led some critics to question the report's statistical relevance.

Another recent Forrester study, commissioned by software maker PeopleSoft, supported PeopleSoft's claims that it provides a higher level of customer service than its rivals, including Oracle. PeopleSoft published a press release on the study while defending itself against an unwelcome buyout attempt by Oracle.

Forrester CEO George Colony said in the statement: "We stand by the integrity of both studies. However, we erred in allowing those clients to publicise the research findings."

Research commissioned by a single company makes up only two per cent of Forrester's annual revenue, Colony said in an interview. Most revenue comes from subscriptions for independent reports and advice, he said.

Alorie Gilbert writes for News.com