Worldwide enterprise IT spending is predicted to reach $2.5 trillion in 2011, a slight growth from $2.4 trillion in 2010, according a recent report from Gartner.
Speaking to more than 7,000 IT leaders at the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo in Stamford, Connecticut, Gartner Senior Vice President Peter Sondergaard provided the research firm's latest outlook for the IT industry, noting that IT spending in emerging economies is growing substantially faster than in developed economies.
Sondergaard predicted growing trends in IT spending for the next 10 years will focus on cost-cutting technologies, social computing and the ability to stay connected to corporate networks through the proliferation of mobile devices.
Cost-saving technologies represent a major investment for many companies. Investments in technology such as cloud computing, green equipment or a
business projector allow businesses to reduce long-term costs and operate more efficiently.
“We are on a one-way trip toward the IT driven intelligence society ... where growing access to this growing universe of data gives us the opportunity to not only make better decisions, but to make smart decisions,” Sondergaard said.
A recent survey by the Society for Information Management found IT departments plan to increase IT budgets and salaries in 2011. According to the survey, 73 percent of respondents plan to see their budgets increase or stay the same next year.
