Budgets Saved From Corporate Ax
Just as it seemed that news of it industry layoffs and cutbacks wouldnt stop, a new Gartner Inc. spending report came out this month with signs of hope. Gartner, of Stamford, Conn., found that 56 percent of the 589 organizations surveyed worldwide between March and last month plan to spend more on IT this year compared with last year.
Among the most optimistic sectors were government, planning to spend 18 percent more on IT as a percentage of revenue between last year and next year, and telecommunications, expected to increase IT budgets by 13.9 percent as a percentage of revenue, Gartner found.
The utilities and construction fields, though, expected IT spending as a percentage of revenue to fall by double-digit percentages this year.
IT Spending Climbs But at Slower Rate
Another analysis of it spending this month confirmed that a pulse remains for technology, though its beating slower. International Data Corp., of Framingham, Mass., forecasts that worldwide IT spending growth is hovering at 9 percent, a slower pace than in recent years.
North America has the slowest rate of growth, at 6.8 percent this year, IDC found. International markets are holding up better, with growth rates on IT spending ranging from 8 percent for Asia-Pacific to 15 percent for the Middle East- Africa. IT spending in Western Europe and Latin America should rise 11 percent this year, according to IDC.