The 451 Group – originally known simply as 'the451' – launched on April 5, 2000, at the height of the technology bubble. From the company's beginning, it was focused on dispelling technology industry mythology – at the time, that meant questioning whether the constantly increasing momentum of emerging information technologies would continue.

The company's founders built a strong team of forward-thinking but realistic market commentators to keep vigilant watch over the companies and investors that were driving this momentum. And this team focused on the Web as its primary delivery mechanism to ensure that its analytical insight reached as many decision makers as possible, as quickly as possible.

Eventually the bubble burst, but – as revenues plummeted and stock values were forever 'corrected' – the impetus and value behind the company's brand of independent analysis of innovation for the enterprise IT business became all the more apparent.

Ownership of the company changed in late 2001 via a management buyout, led by current CEO Martin McCarthy and with the backing of institutional-investor partners. McCarthy has since led a refinement of the company's positioning and a subsequent expansion of its analysis offerings to better deliver value to its clients. The team has focused on further defining and improving the company's approach and methodology for analyzing the business of enterprise IT innovation, and it has developed a suite of services to better deliver insight into emerging enterprise IT market segments from different angles.

The original individual subscription analysis service that was available at the451.com has expanded to now include four service lines, including an M&A analysis service tracking investment liquidity and corporate development in the enterprise IT business.

The company – today known as The 451 Group – has a strong client base among corporate and investor organizations worldwide. These clients turn to 451 analysts to provide critical and timely market insight, which aides both strategic and tactical decision making for competitive advantage.