Here Comes the Pain: Global IT Spending To Fall
You didn't think we'd get out of this unscathed, did you? The ever-darkening economy is going to throw a cloud on the technology industry in 2009, at least according to one survey.
Forrester Research says that IT spending will fall 3 percent year-over-year worldwide in 2009, meaning that the IT industry will actually shrink for the first time in seven years. Ouch. But, hey, it's no surprise, right? It could even be worse...right?
And the bad news isn't all that bad for everybody. Forrester says that the bulk of the spending drop will hit hardware; software spending should remain more or less flat. And flat doesn't sound that bad right now. For partners, though, there's another warning sign: Those all-important services revenues might decrease, given that spending on IT services and outsourcing is set to drop by 3 percent.
Bad economic news is definitely dog-bites-man -- as opposed to the opposite, of course -- these days, so none of this data is unexpected. But it's also not welcome, either. The partners that are going to get the most out of 2009 will be the innovators, the ones that can embrace new models (SaaS, anyone?) and find ways to drive unexpected value for cash-strapped customers.
Oh, we know -- that last sentence was just a bunch of clichés. But that doesn't mean those clichés aren't true. Just something to think about...as if you weren't thinking about it already.
What's your plan for getting through tough times? Let us know at [email protected].
Posted by Lee Pender on January 14, 2009