IT Growth Outlook is Bright

With spending on hardware and software reaching record amounts, new research shows the IT industry's growth outlook has reached its highest level in five years.
Fueling the growth, according to the CDW IT Monitor, is the anticipated record-high demand for hardware and software investments. The data shows 80 percent of IT decision-makers are planning hardware spending, up 4 percentage points from October. Small businesses and local and state governments are expected to see the most significant increases.
Additionally, 82 percent of IT decision makers are anticipating making software purchases, up 7 percentage points.
Neal Campbell, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for CDW, said the data indicates that the IT spending outlook, first established in 2007, has reached a significant milestone.

"More IT decision-makers are feeling optimistic about the prospects of their IT budgets increasing, and they are anticipating significant IT investments in the next six months, especially on the hardware and software fronts," Campbell said. "We believe that organizations will continue to look at technology investments as ways to boost efficiencies, increase productivity and gain new competitive advantages in 2012."
Optimism regarding increased IT spending is the strongest among IT decision-makers in the health care, manufacturing and IT industries, according to the research.
The retail industry also continues to increase its investment optimism. IT leaders anticipate hardware and software purchases to increase by 3 and 9 percentage points, respectively, from October.
The CDW IT Monitor is based on surveys of more than 1,000 IT decision-makers representing all sizes of companies and multiple industries, across three levels of government.

Chad Brooks is a Chicago-based freelance writer who spent 10 years working as a newspaper reporter before working in public relations. You can reach him at chadgbrooks@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @cbrooks76.