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IT Matters
November 14, 2008
WASHINGTON — Worldwide spending on information technology (IT) is expected to slow significantly next year because of the financial crisis, according to a report published on Wednesday.
Market intelligence firm IDC said worldwide IT spending will grow just 2.6% in 2009 compared with the previous year, down from the IDC’s pre-crisis forecast of 5.9% growth.
The Framingham, Massachusetts-based company said IT spending in the United States is expected to grow by just 0.9% in 2009, much lower than the 4.2% growth forecast in August.
It said IT spending growth in Japan and Western Europe was also expected to hover around 1% in 2009.
“The emerging economies of Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Latin America will continue to experience healthy growth, but at levels notably lower than the double-digit gains previously forecast,” the IDC said.
“Although all the economic forecasts went from up slightly to down drastically in a matter of days, the good news is that IT is in a better position than ever to resist the downward pull of a slowing economy,” John Gantz, chief research officer at IDC, said in a statement.
The IDC said that on a sector basis, computer software and services were expected to enjoy solid growth next year while hardware spending, with the exception of storage, is expected to decline in 2009. — AFP
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