Global IT Markets back on Track for strong Growth

The world's IT markets are back on track for strong growth, reported the European Information Technology Observatory (EITO) at CeBIT, the high tech trade fair, in Hanover. Global sales of IT hardware, software, and IT services will rise by 4.4 percent in 2011 to 1.1 billion euros. "This year, IT spending will far exceed pre-crisis levels. The IT sector is once again acting as the driving force of the business cycle," said Prof. Dr. August-Wilhelm Scheer, President of the Federal Association for Information Technology, Telecommunications and New Media (BITKOM) at EITO's press conference in Hanover.

Generally speaking it is emerging countries that are energizing markets led by the BRIC states of Brazil, Russia, India, and China. The IT markets in these four countries are currently growing by an average of 11 percent. But even established, industrialized nations are seeing spending on IT rise again now the crisis is over. In the EU, there is almost 3 percent growth, and in the US more than 4 percent. Japan is the only exception, with just 0.6 percent.

When it comes to the five largest EU countries, Germany leads in terms of growth. In 2011 and 2012, the second-largest European IT market after Great Britain will expand by around 4 percent, with France not far behind. Following at a slightly slower pace are the southern Europeans Spain and Italy, along with Great Britain. Growth in the Italian and Spanish markets in 2011 is less than 2 percent, and is only slightly higher in Britain. These markets will only begin to catch up to France and Germany in 2012 once they achieve growth of around 3 percent. In these three countries, cutbacks are also putting pressure on IT budgets in the public sector – with ensuing repercussions on the IT market.

European Information Technology Observatory