What is going on with the Business Intelligence/Business Performance Management analysts at the major IT advisory firms? Many seasoned thought leaders are either changing firms or joining the vendor community. Howard Dresner and Frank Buytendijk left Gartner for senior strategy roles at Hyperion. Lee Geischecker recently left Gartner for another advisory firm (where I would guess she will be under some form of non-compete for a period of time). I am also aware of senior analysts at two other firms getting ready to make a move as well. One is planning to join a vendor, the other has not finalized their plans yet. Maybe these analysts are looking to round out their resumes, or maybe they were made offers too good to pass up. Regardless, the impact on vendors, the IT media, and end user organizations could be significant. The number of unbiased, knowledgeable experts to call upon for guidance and opinions will be greatly reduced. Some of these analysts will be replaced, in other cases research areas will be consolidated. In either case there will initially be 'green' analysts learning the space. The few seasoned experts left standing will be in high demand. Factor this in to your analyst usage plans for the next 6-9 months.