Depends on how you use them. They're very expensive (budget 100k, can even go higher). The amount scales depending on how much you expect to use them. ETA: They can help identify best tech for your org, negotiate contracts, review MSAs, and streamline processes. But you've got to be ON YOUR GAME re: calculating ROI. Might be best if it's an IT expense, as they stand to gain the most ROI in license fee negotiations. Have them gather info on all technology licenses and you can reduce spend without any Gartner expense hitting your GL. (Or, add it to your budget, use it to reduce spend on things like M365 / E5 licensing, and make the CIO look good...then cash in that favor when you need an ally in the boardroom.) Separately: Their Security & Risk Mgt. Summit is one of the best conferences I've attended. More on reddit.com

Here’s my hot take on conferences: you’ll find that most of us don’t need 90% of the products Gartner tries to push on us. A lot of that stuff is vaporware anyway. These marketing conferences are just designed to scare you into buying something. I avoid these events because they’re full of pretentious salespeople trying to sell the “new hotness” that we don’t actually need. Most enterprises don’t even have a proper inventory of their assets and software, so what are you protecting? Yes, Microsoft, I’m looking at you with your compromises by Russian and Chinese actors, and let’s not forget SolarWinds. The real issue? Most attacks happen due to misconfigurations and email compromises. Sure, we’ve seen a few zero days on edge devices, but if you’ve been paying attention since COVID, you know you should treat everything like it’s exposed to the public internet. Perimeter defenses are a thing of the past; everyone is mobile now. So, what do you really need? Start with the basics: CIS controls 1 and 2(asset and software inventory). Once you’ve mastered those, move on to 5 and 6 (account management and access controls). Controls 3 and 4 will naturally follow. Train and pay your staff well, create good processes, and only then think about tools. More on reddit.com