Data Decisions. Built on BARC.

Independent information and advice for the data-driven business of tomorrow

Our vision

A world where data unlocks its full potential.

Our mission

BARC ensures that you make the right strategic decisions to successfully use data and analytics.

How we support you

Research

BARC user surveys, software evaluations and analyst advisory services along with expert driven content such as research notes, blogs and articles give you the confidence to make the right decisions.

Our independent research gets to the heart of market developments, evaluates software and providers thoroughly and gives you valuable ideas on how to turn data, analytics and AI into added value and successfully transform your business.

Events

Leading minds and companies come together at our events.

BARC conferences, seminars, roundtable meet-ups and online webinars provide more than 10,000 participants each year with information, inspiration and interactivity.

By exchanging ideas with peers and learning about trends and market developments, you gain new strategies for your business.

Consulting

The BARC Consulting practice is entirely focused on translating your company’s requirements into future-proof decisions.

The holistic advice we provide will help you successfully implement your data & analytics strategy and culture as well as your architecture and technology.

Our goal is not to stay for the long haul.

BARC’s research and experience-founded expert input sets organizations on the road to the successful use of data & analytics, from strategy to optimized data-driven business processes.

Facts & figures

1999

founded

25

Analysts

5

locations in the US, Germany, Austria, Switzerland & UK

13,000+

Event attendees from more than 80 countries

25,775

Global newsletter subscribers

10,000+

participants in our global surveys

Figures refer to 2023

What sets us apart

Neutrality

BARC is an independent company and guarantees neutrality toward all software vendors. There are no fees for inclusion in our reports, nor do we receive commission for software recommendations. In our opinion, this is the only way to advise on the best software strategy for our customers.

Experience

BARC employees have been assisting companies and evaluating software since the early 1990s. We combine our detailed knowledge of software markets, products and implementations to achieve the optimum results for our customers.

Competency

Continuous market analysis and the publication of software comparison reports provide the basis of our expertise. This in-depth research has given us a profound and detailed knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of software vendors and products, and enables us to keep up-to-date with the latest market trends.

Hundreds of products from a range of business software categories have been thoroughly tested in the BARC laboratory and over 1,000 customers per year tap into this knowledge and use BARC to help with their software selection projects.

Learn more about our core values here.

Our Story

1994

Beginning of the scientific evaluation of business intelligence software at the Chair of Business Informatics at the Julius Maximilian University of Wuerzburg. From the outset, the aim was to provide purchasers of software solutions with an independent basis for decision-making.

1999

Establishment of the Business Application Research Centre (BARC) at the Department and publication of the first BARC studies: “OLAP and Business Intelligence Tools in Comparison” and “Data Warehouse Systems in Comparison”.

2001

Establishment of BARC GmbH as a spin-off of the Chair. Carsten Bange takes over the management of the independent analyst firm as Managing Partner and remains active in this role and as a market expert for data, BI & analytics both nationally and internationally.

2005

Internationalization of BARC Research activities through the acquisition of the OLAP Report and later the OLAP Survey from Nigel Pendse and the establishment of BARC UK Ltd.

2011

BARC merges with French analyst firm CXP to form the CXP Group. Following the acquisition of Franco-German analyst firm PAC in 2014, the CXP Group has 155 employees across twelve offices in eight countries.

A network of 80 analysts covers data and analytics, IoT and digital, enterprise applications and related services, and cloud and infrastructure security.

2019

In a management buy-out, founder Carsten Bange repurchases the analyst firm BARC from the analyst group, now renamed the “teknowlogy Group”, and strategically repositions the company.

This move reinforces BARC’s role as a leading independent expert in data & analytics, corporate performance management and enterprise software.

2019

For 20 years, BARC has been helping clients make the right decisions to successfully use data and analytics. “BARC Research’s in-depth knowledge of market developments is the basis for targeted project advice and the organization of market-leading conferences and community events,” says Carsten Bange.

2023

BARC expands into the US market. Shawn Rogers joins BARC as a fellow in the US on April 17th, 2023. This further positions BARC as a global market analyst.

Today

BARC is a leading analyst firm for data & analytics and enterprise software with a reputation for unbiased and trusted advice. Our expert analysts deliver a wide range of research, events and advisory services for the data & analytics community.

Over 65 employees serve more than 2,000 research and consulting clients per year and welcomed more than 13,000 participants to BARC events in 2022.