New research from IDC shows that last year’s global expenditure on information technology grew by 8% year over year to more than $1.5 trillion, the fastest rate of growth since 2007.
According to the new
Hardware spending led the way, as 2010 saw IT spending on computer systems, peripherals, storage, mobile devices and network equipment increase by 16% to more than $661 billion, the fastest rate of growth for hardware investment since 1996. Storage spending grew by 14%, servers by 9%, and PCs by 11% . Spending on software and services returned to positive growth of 4 percent and 2%, respectively.
"Like the global economy, the global IT industry performed better than expected in 2010," said Minton. "While downside macroeconomic risks are still present, we entered 2011 on the back of a resounding rebound for the technology industry," he said.
The pace of recovery was more robust than after any previous economic recession, IDC found in their research. The overall IT market will grow by 7% this year to $1.65 trillion, predicts IDC, with another year of double-digit growth for hardware spending (10%), while software and services markets will increase by 5% and 4%, respectively. High levels of unemployment will continue to inhibit overall IT investment in many countries, but positive drivers include adoption of cloud computing, mobile devices and investment in analytics software.
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