Technology buying is entering a new era. Decisions are now influenced by more roles, more data, and more AI-driven research than ever before, changing how buyers evaluate, validate, and move forward with confidence.

This IDC analysis breaks down how buying decisions are evolving in 2026, spotlighting emerging personas, new triggers, and the growing demand for proof, credibility, and insight. Designed for marketing, sales, and strategy leaders, it offers a clear view into how today’s technology buyers think, and how to stay relevant as their expectations continue to shift.

In this new buyer snapshot, you'll learn…

  • who is influencing tech purchases today
  • why buying cycles start, and
  • how decisions are actually made in an AI-driven world

Customer-Proven Business Value

"The IDC [Business Value] report is one of our most frequently relied-upon pieces of collateral. It provides clear substantiated numbers that shows the value of our product. The IDC team has been great about giving us a quick turn around on our reference requests. I plan to work on similar projects with IDC in the future."

- Bill Roth – Former Director of Cloud Economics
VMWare
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How VMware Built Market Credibility

VMware set out to strengthen the market perception of its solutions but needed more than internal proof points to do it. Without credible, third-party data to anchor its sales and marketing story, the true value of its offerings was harder to convey. Discover how VMware closed the credibility gap and turned data into a powerful go-to-market asset.
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Aligning Messages with Market Needs

"The analyst’s insights have been incredibly helpful in how we think about communicating with partner organizations like Microsoft. His guidance has helped us align our message with the market’s needs.”

- Marketing Leader, Software
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