EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT

     AGREEMENT made as of this 15th day of October, 1996 by and between Larry R.
DeBoever (the  "Employee") and META Group,  Inc. (the "Company"). 

     WHEREAS, the Company and DeBoever Architectures,  Inc. ("DAI") are entering
into an Asset  Purchase  Agreement  dated as of the date  hereof;

       WHEREAS,  the Employee  is a  principal  stockholder  and  the  Chief
Executive  Officer  and President of DAI;

     WHEREAS,  as a condition  to and as  consideration  for the Asset  Purchase
Agreement,  the Company and the  Employee  desire to enter into this  Employment
Agreement.

     NOW THEREFORE,  for good and valuable consideration,  the receipt and
sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, and in consideration of the mutual
covenants and obligations herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:

     1. Position and Responsibilities.  Effective November 1, 1996, the Employee
agrees to serve as Senior Vice  President  and Service  Director of the Company,
and the  Employee  shall  exercise  such powers and comply with and perform such
directions  and duties in relation to the business and affairs of the Company as
may from time to time be vested in such  offices or requested by the Company and
shall use his best  efforts to improve  and extend the  Enterprise  Architecture
Strategies Service (the "EAS Service") of the Company. The Employee shall at all
times  report  to,  and his  activities  shall at all  times be  subject  to the
direction  and control of, the Chief  Executive  Officer of the  Company.  It is
anticipated that, in consultation with and at the direction of the Company,  the
Employee  will  assist the  Company in  effecting  the  transition  of the APIAS
service  from DAI to the  Company  and  that  his  initial  duties  may  include
repackaging  and  redefining  DAI's  APIAS  service  as the EAS  Service  of the
Company, effecting the transition of DAI's customers to the Company and training
the  Company's  personnel to sell,  market and  implement  the EAS Service.  The
Employee  shall devote  substantially  all of his business  time,  attention and
services to the diligent,  faithful and  competent  discharge of such duties for
the successful  operation of the Company's  business;  provided however that the
Company  acknowledges  and  agrees  that  Employee  may  devote a portion of his
business  time to winding down the affairs of DAI. The Employee  hereby  accepts
said employment and agrees to perform said duties and render said services.

      2.  Compensation.

          (A)  Salary.  The  Company  will pay to the  Employee  during his
employment a salary at the rate of $160,000 per annum starting  January 1, 1997.
Such  salary  shall  be  payable  in  conformity  with the  Company's  customary
practices for executive  compensation  as such practices shall be established or
modified from time to time.  Salary  payments shall be subject to all applicable
federal  and state  withholding,  payroll  and other  taxes.  For the  period of
November  1, 1996  through  December  31, 1996 only,  the Company  shall pay the
Employee  $20,833.33 per month.  No amounts shall be due the Employee  hereunder
during the period from the date hereof to October 31, 1996.

     (B)  Adjustment  to  Salary  and  Bonus.  So long as the  Employee  remains
employed by the Company,  the Board of Directors of the Company shall review the
Employee's salary and bonus each calendar year so that the Employee's salary and
bonus will be consistent with those other similarly  situated Company  employees
with similar responsibilities and industry visibility.  After 1997, the Employee
will be eligible to  participate  in the bonus plan made  available to the other
Service  Directors of the Company.  If the Employee achieves 100% of the revenue
and operating margin targets outlined in Exhibit A to the Stock Option Agreement
(as defined  below),  his minimum total  compensation  in any year will not fall
below $200,000.

     (C) Fringe Benefits. The Employee will also be entitled to participate
on the same basis with all other  employees and executives of the Company in the
Company's standard benefits package generally  available for all other employees
and executives of the Company.

     (D)  Business  Expenses.  The Company will  reimburse  the Employee for his
reasonable  and necessary  expenses in connection  with the  performance  of his
duties on behalf of the Company.  The Employee  agrees that all such expenses to
be reimbursed  to the Employee by the Company  shall be reasonable  and that the
Employee will use his best efforts to minimize the costs.  Further, the Employee
agrees to provide accurate and itemized records  regarding his expenses in order
for the  Company  to receive  the  benefit  of any and all tax  deductions  with
respect to the  Employee's  business  travel,  and the Company agrees to provide
reimbursement within a reasonable time after receipt of such documentation.
 
     (E) Stock Option.  In connection with the Employee's  services  rendered to
the Company as a consultant and to be rendered  pursuant to this Agreement as an
employee, the Company granted to the Employee on September 20, 1996, pursuant to
the 1995 Stock Plan,  a  non-qualified  stock option to purchase an aggregate of
50,000 shares of the  Company's  Common  Stock,  $.01 par value,  at an exercise
price of $25.00 per share.  Such  option is  governed  by the terms of the Stock
Option  Agreement in the form  attached  hereto as Exhibit A (the "Stock  Option
Agreement") and was granted as a non-qualified stock option under Section 422(b)
of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code").

     (F)  Promissory  Note. On or about  November 1, 1996, the Company will
loan to Employee the gross amount of $500,000,  and the Employee  will deliver a
promissory note evidencing his obligations with respect to such loan in the form
attached  hereto as Exhibit B (the "Note").  The Note shall be secured by, among
other things,  the stock subject to the stock option referred to in Section 2(E)
above, and a life insurance  policy,  owned and paid for by the Company,  in the
amount of  $500,000  on the  Employee's  life  naming the Company as the primary
beneficiary.  The Company will use its best efforts to purchase a life insurance
policy that may be transferred to the Employee,  at the Employee's expense, upon
his  payment in full of his  obligations  under the Note and that will allow the
Employee,  upon such  transfer,  to change  the  beneficiary  thereof.

       3. Term; Certain Benefits.

      (A) Term of Employment.  The term of the Employee's employment
shall  commence as of the date first above  written and shall  terminate  on the
earlier to occur of (i) December 31, 1999, (ii) the death,  physical incapacity
or mental  incompetence of the Employee,  or (iii) the  occurrence of any of the
circumstances  described in Section 4  hereof (the "Expiration  Date").  For the
purposes  of this  Agreement,  the  Employee  shall be deemed  to have  suffered
physical incapacity or mental incompetence if he is unable to perform his duties
hereunder  for  any  180  days  out of any  365-day  period.  In the  event  the
Employee's  employment  shall terminate due to his death, the Company shall have
no further  obligations to the Employee other than the payment of salary accrued
but unpaid as of the termination date.

     (B) Benefits if Agreement  Terminated  Dueto  Disability.  In the event the
Employee's  employment shall terminate due to the physical  incapacity or mental
incompetence of the Employee, the Company shall pay the Employee an amount equal
to the amounts  recoverable  by any employee of the Company under the health and
disability insurance programs available through the Company.
 
      4.  Termination at the election of the Company for Just Cause. The
Company may, immediately and unilaterally,  terminate the Employee's  employment
"for just cause" at any time.  Termination of the  Employe's  employment by the
Company shall  constitute a termination "for just cause" under this Section 4 if
such termination is for one or more of the following causes: (i) the substantial
and  continuing  failure of the  Employee  to render  services to the Company in
accordance with his assigned duties,  which materially and adversely  affects or
could  materially  and  adversely  affect  the  business,  prospects,  financial
condition,  operations,  property or affairs of the Company; (ii) the conviction
of the Employee of a felony,  either in connection  with the  performance of his
obligations  to the  Company or which  shall  adversely  affect  the  Employee's
ability to perform such obligations;  (iii) gross negligence, dishonesty, breach
of  fiduciary  duty or  material  breach  of the  terms of this  Agreement,  any
confidentiality,  non-competition  or  developments  agreement  in  favor of the
Company,  or any other agreement executed in connection  herewith;  (iv) chronic
alcoholism  or  chronic  drug  addiction  which  seriously  affects   Employee's
performance;  (v) the  commission  by  the  Employee  of  an  act  of  fraud  or
embezzlement  which  results in loss,  damage or injury to the Company,  whether
directly or indirectly; or (vi) the Employee's failure to attain minimum service
revenue and operating  margin  targets for the Company's EAS Service as outlined
in Exhibit A to the Stock Option  Agreement.  In the event of a termination "for
just cause"  pursuant to the provisions of this Section 4, the Employee shall be
entitled to no  severance or other  termination  benefits.

     5. No Conflict with Prior Employers. The Employee represents that he is not
bound by any agreement or any other existing or previous  business  relationship
which  conflicts  with, or may conflict with, the performance of his obligations
hereunder  or  prevents  the full  performance  of his  duties  and  obligations
hereunder.

     6.  Governing  Law.  This  Agreement  shall be governed by and construed in
accordance with the internal laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
 
     7.  Severability.  In case any one or more of the  provisions  contained in
this  Agreement  or  any  other  agreements  executed  in  connection  with  the
transactions  contemplated  hereby for any reason  shall be held to be  invalid,
illegal  or  unenforceable  in  any  respect,  such  invalidity,  illegality  or
unenforceability  shall not affect any other  provision of this Agreement or the
such other agreements,  but this Agreement or any such other agreements,  as the
case may be, shall be reformed  and  construed  as if such  invalid,  illegal or
unenforceable provisions had never been contained herein or therein.

     8. Waivers and Modifications.  This Agreement may be modified,  and the
rights,  remedies  and  obligations  contained  in any  provision  hereof may be
waived,  only in  accordance  with this Section 8. No waiver by any party of any
breach by any other party or any provision hereof shall be deemed to be a waiver
of any later or other  breach  thereof or as a waiver of any other  provision of
this Agreement. This Agreement sets forth all of the terms of the understandings
between the parties with  reference  to the subject  matter set forth herein and
may not be waived, changed,  discharged or terminated orally or by any course of
dealing between the parties,  but only by an instrument in writing signed by the
party against whom any waiver,  change,  discharge or termination is sought.

      9. Assignment. The Employee acknowledges that the services to be rendered
by him are unique and  personal in nature.  Accordingly,  the  Employee  may not
assign any of his rights or delegate any of his duties or obligations under this
Agreement.

     10. NonCompete/Confidentiality Agreement. In connection with his employment
by the  Company  pursuant to the terms of this  Agreement,  the  Employee  shall
execute   and   deliver   to   the   Company    simultaneously    herewith   the
NonCompete/Confidentiality Agreement attached hereto as Exhibit C.
 
     11.  Counterparts.  This  Agreement  may  be  executed  in  any  number  of
counterparts,  each of which  shall  constitute  an  original,  but which  taken
together shall constitute one instrument.

     12.   Notices.  All notices required  hereunder shall be given to
the parties by hand delivery,  first class prepaid mail,  facsimile or overnight
delivery  service at the  following  addresses,  or such other  addresses as the
parties  shall  inform each other of in writing as set forth in this Section 12.

     META Group,  Inc.                       Larry R. DeBoever
     208 Harbor Drive                        20 Knowlton Drive
     Stamford, CT 06912                      Acton, MA 01720
     Attn: Chief Financial  Officer 

<PAGE>


With a copy to:
Mark J. Macenka, Esq
Testa Hurwitz & Thibeault,LLP
High Street Tower
125 High Street
Boston, MA 02110

                [The remainder of this page is intentionally  left blank.] 

<PAGE>

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF,  the parties hereto have executed this Agreement as of
the date first above written.


                                    META Group,  Inc.
                                    By: /s/ Dale Kutnick
                                    ------------------------------------------- 
                                        Dale Kutnick
                                        President  and Chief  Executive  Officer


                                    EMPLOYEE:


                                        /s/ Larry R. DeBoever
                                    -------------------------------------------
                                        Larry R. DeBoever