A leading research organisation used by a number of big and small businesses in IT has been acquired by the biggest company of its kind in the world.

AMR Research was bought for approximately $64 million (£38.4 million) in cash, subject to certain closing adjustments, by Gartner, the leading provider of research and analysis for the technology industry around the globe.

Gene Hall, the chief executive officer of Gartner, said that the acquisition will give the firm immediate presence in the market as well as the ability to create "substantial synergies" by cross-selling AMR Research products to Gartner clients and vice-versa.

He continued: "AMR Research is an excellent strategic fit for Gartner. The firm is the market leader for research related to supply chain management, which is inextricably linked to IT and has become a central and growing issue for many organisations."

At the beginning of the month, Gartner research revealed that IT organisations will spend more money on private cloud computing investments than on systems from public cloud providers through to 2012.

A recent Connect survey found that the two major concerns about outsourcing services like IT support were 'loss of control' (56 per cent) and 'budget over-runs' (43 per cent).