Corporations typically negotiate strong preliminary pricing - a "honeymoon" period - only to give away those cost savings later in the contract to their supplier. IDC's SmartIndex tool is designed to ensure that buyers will maintain competitive pricing over the course of their contract with their IT supplier. SmartIndex is a monthly or quarterly benchmark focused on a buyer's specific system configurations, providing the most accurate and relevant competitive pricing benchmark.

IDC provides an "apples-to-apples" comparison that buyers can use as a competitive market benchmark price on which to apply their volume discount. IDC can also provide insights into peer discount levels appropriate for a given volume of purchase. Buyers using IDC's SmartIndex can achieve competitive pricing and maintain that same level of comfort throughout their contract period. SmartIndex also reduces the need for unnecessary additional (and costly) bid cycles previously needed to assess market price. IDC has been the de facto standard of price research in the marketplace for over 15 years and has saved companies millions of dollars on their IT hardware purchases.

IDC's SmartIndex is a price assurance tool. It offers IT hardware buyers:

• Third-party objective price benchmarking
• An exclusive industry-standard solution
• Long-term aggressive pricing
• Competitive pricing index
• Worldwide coverage

IDC's SmartIndex covers a growing list of countries, including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

IDC's SmartIndex establishes a level playing field based on the standard configurations being acquired by the purchasing entity. Competitive peer models from the top market manufacturers are set to the exact configuration requirements of the buyer, ensuring the most accurate market pricing. The manufacturers used are the market leaders in the various IT hardware segments. Line-of-business prices from major tier 1 suppliers in each product category are used to get the most accurate parallel-level supplier pricing. This is the typical price point used to negotiate big deal pricing from the major vendors. SmartIndex works off the average of these competitive price points to ensure the buyer moves with the competitiveness of the marketplace. That index price becomes the benchmark price point for that product. A company's volume discount is then applied to that number. SmartIndex is updated to remain consistent with the market and will be updated for changes in pricing or products. A buyer can be assured that the same acceptable discount agreed to today will be maintained and honored each quarter throughout the length of the supplier contract. This industry standard is recognized by all major suppliers.

You get guaranteed long-term savings. Prices stay aggressive over time.

SmartIndex saves you money by ensuring that your price discount remains competitive over time.

Your price moves with the market and with technology, whether you are a rapid technology adopter or more platform stable.

SmartIndex has a worldwide price benchmarking capability.

SmartIndex is a simple model. It is easy to integrate and easy to understand. It eliminates the need to perform multiple RFPs to check competitiveness, saving you thousands of dollars.

You don't need to rely on a supplier; IDC ensures accurate competitive pricing.

You receive insight into how well you are doing and how your peer companies are achieving better savings.

As a privately held company, IDC believes that our customers are our primary constituency. A large percentage of every revenue dollar is reinvested back into our products, including more analysts, more geographic coverage, and extensive primary research.

Our steady growth over the past 10-plus years reflects our commitment to investing in our customers.