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Gartner Worldwide IT Spending Forecast

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The Gartner Worldwide IT Spending Forecast is the leading indicator of major technology trends across the hardware, software, IT services and telecom markets.

For more than a decade, global IT and business executives have been using these highly anticipated quarterly reports to recognize market opportunities and challenges, and base their critical business decisions on proven methodologies rather than guesswork.

  • Q4 2012
  • Q3 2012
  • Q2 2012
  • Q1 2012
IT Spending Forecast Summary, Q4 2012 Update

Uncertainties surrounding prospects for an upturn in global economic growth are the major retardants of IT growth. However, much of this uncertainty is nearing resolution. Gartner looks for accelerated IT spending growth in 2013. We have revised 2013 dollar-valued growth from 3.8% to 4.2%.

Gartner IT Spending Research

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IT Spending, Worldwide, 4Q12 Update

Uncertainties surrounding the prospects for an upturn in global economic growth remain the major retardants of IT growth. This uncertainty has engendered the pessimistic business and consumer sentiment in evidence throughout much of the world. However, much of this uncertainty is nearing resolution and as it does, we look for accelerated spending growth in 2013.

Research Available to Gartner Clients

Emerging Market Analysis: Scenario Planning for IT Innovation, China, 2022

23 November 2012

IT innovation in China will impact local enterprises differently over the next 10 years. Use these four scenarios to understand the impact of potential market developments and align your technology provider strategy with alternate futures.

Forecast: IT Services, 2010-2016, 4Q12 Update

26 November 2012

This file provides our forecast for end-user spending for all segments in the IT services market for 43 countries by region, for five forecast years and two years of history.

Forecast: Enterprise Software Markets, Worldwide, 2011-2016, 4Q12 Update

10 December 2012

This report contains detailed forecasts for infrastructure and application software for all the world's major regions by 20 software segments and 110 subsegments. In addition, these forecasts include three years of history, five years of forecast and country-level detail for 43 countries.

Forecast: Desk-Based PCs, Notebooks, Ultramobiles and Tablets, Worldwide, 2010-2016, 4Q12 Update

18 December 2012

This report offers a consolidated view of the computing continuum, with country detail for units, average selling price, revenue and installed base. Note the extended information in the data structure tab.

Forecast: Public Cloud Services, Worldwide, 2010-2016, 4Q12 Update

21 December 2012

This report contains our forecasts for enterprise end-user spending on public cloud services for each market segment broken out by region, as well as a specific set of key countries.

Competitive Landscape: Data Center Transformation Services

26 November 2012

Data center transformation services are offered by a wide range of competitors. To compete effectively, providers are pursuing varying strategies and competitive differentiators. The future of competition in DCT is upon us.

Impact Appraisal: Consumers Respond to Technology Branding Campaigns

24 December 2012

Brand recognition among consumers varies globally and influences their propensity to recommend. Expanding brand awareness is critical to drive future purchase considerations.

Inquiry Analytics Wizard: IT End-User Topic and Vendor Mind Share, 3Q12

6 December 2012

This workbook reveals the relative mind share of all your chosen technology areas, vendors and decision stages, showing inquiry trends by job, industry sector and peer group.

Gartner Market Databook, 4Q12 Update

26 December 2012

This file provides five years of forecast and two years of historical data for the worldwide IT market. Data is shown by region for key segments of the IT industry.

Gartner Market Statistics Online

17 December 2012

Gartner's 5-year market forecasts draw upon primary surveys, inquiry analysis and secondary sources to help you fully understand strategic growth opportunities. You get a comprehensive understanding of supply and demand by technology segment, geography, and vertical market.

IT Spending Forecast Summary, Q3 2012 Update

Gartner's forecast for 2012 IT spending growth in current U.S. dollars has been reduced from 3.0% last quarter to 1.7% now. However, this reduction is due mostly to the effect of a strengthening U.S. dollar on the growth calculation and not because we believe economic conditions have deteriorated.

Gartner IT Spending Research

Forecast Alerts

IT Spending, Worldwide, 3Q12 Update

Gartner's forecast for 2012 IT spending growth in current U.S. dollars has been reduced from 3.0% last quarter to 1.7% now. However, this reduction is due mostly to the effect of a strengthening U.S. dollar on the growth calculation and not because we believe economic conditions have deteriorated.

IT Spending, Worldwide, 3Q12 Update

Gartner's forecast for 2012 IT spending growth in current U.S. dollars has been reduced from 3.0% last quarter to 1.7% now. However, this reduction is due mostly to the effect of a strengthening U.S. dollar on the growth calculation and not because we believe economic conditions have deteriorated.

Enterprise IT Spending by Vertical Industry Market, 3Q12 Update

The 2011-16 CAGR forecast has been lowered to 2.6% from a base of $2.6 trillion in 2012, including the predicted slowdown in government IT spending and a new downward adjustment in healthcare. Resilient IT spending leaders include transportation, insurance, and banking and securities.

Research Available to Gartner Clients

Forecast Analysis: Enterprise IT Spending by Vertical Industry Market, Worldwide, 2010-2016, 3Q12 Update

7 November 2012

The 2011-16 vertical industry compound annual growth rate was reduced to 2.6%. The fastest-growing segments are transportation and insurance. Banking; communications, media and services; and manufacturing will provide the largest volume of growth opportunity to providers through 2016.

Forecast: Enterprise IT Spending by Vertical Industry Market, Worldwide, 2010-2016, 3Q12 Update

17 October 2012

This vertical industry forecast provides total enterprise IT spending, including internal spending and multiple lines of detail surrounding spending on hardware, software, IT services and telecommunications for vertical industries and 43 countries within seven geographies.

Big Data Drives Rapid Changes in Infrastructure and $232 Billion in IT Spending Through 2016

12 October 2012

Big data has become a major driver of IT spending. The benefits to organizations for adding big data to their information management and analytics infrastructure will force a more rapid cycle of replacing existing solutions.

Market Definitions and Methodology: IT Markets

30 May 2012

Gartner is making significant changes to its global IT market coverage, definitions and forecast methodology. These changes will be phased in, beginning in 2012.

Forecast: Public Cloud Services, Worldwide, 2010-2016, 3Q12 Update

24 September 2012

This report contains our forecasts for enterprise end-user spending on public cloud services for each market segment broken out by region, as well as a specific set of key countries.

Forecast: IT Services, 2010-2016, 3Q12 Update

10 September 2012

This file provides the entire dataset for end-user spending for all segments in the IT services market for 43 countries by region, for five forecast years and two years of history.

Forecast: Enterprise Software Markets, Worldwide, 2011-2016, 3Q12 Update

12 September 2012

This report contains detailed forecasts for infrastructure and application software for all the world's major regions by 20 software segments and 110 subsegments. In addition, these forecasts include three years of history, five years of forecast and country-level detail for 43 countries.

Forecast: Telecom Market, Worldwide, 2009-2016, 3Q12 Update

4 October 2012

We forecast a compound annual growth rate of 2.7% between 2011 and 2016, which takes the total market size for 2016 to $2.4 trillion.

Gartner Market Databook, 3Q12 Update

27 September 2012

This file provides five years of forecast and two years of historical data for the worldwide IT market. Data is shown by region for key segments of the IT industry.

Gartner Market Statistics Online

Gartner's 5-year market forecasts draw upon primary surveys, inquiry analysis and secondary sources to help you fully understand strategic growth opportunities. You get a comprehensive understanding of supply and demand by technology segment, geography, and vertical market.

IT Spending Forecast Summary, Q2 2012 Update

Gartner's current U.S. dollar growth forecast for overall global IT spending in 2012 has been revised up slightly from 2.5% last quarter to 3.0% now.

While the challenges facing global economic growth persist – the eurozone crisis, weaker US recovery, a slowdown in China – the outlook has at least stabilized.

Gartner IT Spending Research

Forecast Alerts

IT Spending, Worldwide, 2Q12 Update

Gartner's current U.S. dollar growth forecast for overall global IT spending in 2012 has been revised up slightly from 2.5% last quarter to 3.0% now. In constant U.S. dollars, forecast growth for overall IT spending in 2012 is unchanged at 5.2%.

Research Available to Gartner Clients

Forecast: Public Cloud Services, Worldwide, 2010-2016, 2Q12 Update

27 June 2012

This report contains our forecasts for enterprise end-user spending on public cloud services for each market segment broken out by region, as well as a specific set of key countries.

Forecast: IT Services, 2010-2016, 2Q12 Update

20 June 2012

This file provides the entire dataset for end-user spending for all segments in the IT services market for 43 countries by region, for five forecast years and two years of history.

Forecast: Enterprise Software Markets, Worldwide, 2011-2016, 2Q12 Update

19 June 2012

This report contains detailed forecasts for infrastructure and application software for all the world's major regions by 20 software segments and 110 subsegments. In addition, these forecasts include three years of history, five years of forecast and country-level detail for 43 countries.

Gartner Market Databook, 2Q12 Update

2 July 2012

This file provides five years of forecast and two years of historical data for the worldwide IT market. Data is shown by region for key segments of the IT industry.

Gartner Market Statistics Online

Gartner's 5-year market forecasts draw upon primary surveys, inquiry analysis and secondary sources to help you fully understand strategic growth opportunities. You get a comprehensive understanding of supply and demand by technology segment, geography, and vertical market.

IT Spending Data, Q2 2012

IT Spending Forecast Summary, Q2 2012 Update

This quarter we introduce three major innovations in our coverage:

  • New integrated forecast methodology and modelling capability for client devices gives new insight into how market penetration and usage patterns affect the long-term outlook for PCs, Tablets and Mobile Devices.
  • Re-segmentation of IT Services forecast provides greater insight into outlook for evolving market segments.
  • New quarterly-updated Public Cloud Services forecast evolves segmentation and adds country level coverage.
Little Change in Outlook for IT Spending Growth

There has been little change in either business confidence or consumer sentiment in the past quarter so the short term outlook is for continued caution in IT spending across the Hardware, Software, IT Service and Telecoms sector where growth for 2012 sits in a narrow 2% to 4% range.

Public Cloud Services Forecast, Worldwide, 2Q11 Update

The migration to public cloud services is one of the hottest topics in IT, and forecast spending in this area, at an annual average growth rate of 18%, is growing more than four times faster than spending on overall IT. However, to put this growth in context, by 2016, at little more than $200 billion, the level of spending on public cloud services will be less than 5% of the total spent on IT overall.

IT Spending Forecast Summary, Q1 2012 Update

Gartner's forecast for overall global IT spending growth in 2012 in current U.S. dollars has been revised down from 3.7% last quarter to 2.5% now. However, this reduction is due to the recent strengthening in the value of the U.S. dollar versus other currencies.

Early signs in 2012 suggest the global economic outlook has brightened a little, with no more than a 25% risk of a return to recession. Nevertheless, uncertainties remain, and global real GDP growth is forecast at a modest 2.4% for 2012.

Gartner IT Spending Research

Forecast Alerts

IT Spending, Worldwide, 1Q12 Update

Gartner's forecast for overall global IT spending growth in 2012 in current U.S. dollars has been revised down from 3.7% last quarter to 2.5% now. However, in constant U.S. dollars, the revision has been upward from 4.6% last quarter to 5.2% now.

Research Available to Gartner Clients

Forecast Overview: IT Spending, Worldwide, 2009-2016, 1Q12 Update

4 May 2012

Early signs in 2012 suggest the short-term global economic outlook has brightened a little as the uncertainty caused by external factors recedes. In this more stable environment, we expect healthy but modest growth in IT spending in 2012.

Forecast: Enterprise IT Spending by Vertical Industry Market, Worldwide, 2010-2016, 1Q12 Update

12 April 2012

This vertical industry forecast provides total enterprise IT spending, including internal spending and multiple lines of detail surrounding spending on hardware, software, IT services and telecommunications for vertical industries and 43 countries within seven geographies.

Gartner Market Statistics Online

Gartner's 5-year market forecasts draw upon primary surveys, inquiry analysis and secondary sources to help you fully understand strategic growth opportunities. You get a comprehensive understanding of supply and demand by technology segment, geography, and vertical market.

Gartner Market Databook, 1Q12 Update

26 March 2012

This file provides five years of forecast and two years of historical data for the worldwide IT market. Data is shown by region for key segments of the IT industry.

Forecast: Small-and-Midsize-Business IT Spending, Worldwide, 2010-2016, 1Q12 Update

30 March 2012

This forecast provides total IT spending for enterprises with fewer than 1,000 employees, including levels of detail by four company size segments and four technology segments (hardware, software, IT services and telecommunications) for 10 regions.

IT Spending Data, Q1 2012

Global IT Spending Forecast Revised Upward, in Constant U.S. Dollars

Gartner's forecast for dollar-valued global IT spending growth in current U.S. dollars has been revised down from 3.7% to 2.5% for 2012. In constant U.S. dollars, i.e., stripping out the effect of exchange rate fluctuations, our forecast for global IT spending growth in 2012 has been revised upward from 4.6% last quarter to 5.2%.

Overall Enterprise Spending Growth Down Across Verticals

Overall enterprise spending growth in 2012 is down from 5.6% in 2011 to 1.5%. From an vertical industry perspective, sector growth falls in the range of 1% to 3% with the exception of government. In fact, global government spending is expected to contract in 2012 by -0.8% as austerity measures in the eurozone begin to bite.

Mid-Sized Business IT Spending Outperforms Other SMB Sectors

In the small and midsize business market, which represents approximately a quarter of all enterprise IT spending, spending is forecast to reach $874 billion in 2012 and will grow to $1 trillion by 2016. Throughout the forecast period, mid-sized business IT spending outperforms the other SMB sectors in each of the next five years, driven by growth in spending on enterprise software.

SMB Wallet Share by Business Size

Within the SMB sector, "wallet share" varies dramatically by size of business. For example, SOHO spend 38% of budget on Software compared to 12% average for other SMBs and small business spend 59% of their budget on Telecommunications, compared 36% average for other SMBs.