Gartner has somewhat good news when on the state of IT spending within EMEA-- despite "ongoing economic malaise" spending will grow by all of 1.4% to reach $1.154 trillion in 2013.
You will be right in thinking that might not sound like much, but it is better than the "pessimistic year" that is 2012. This year spending is to drop by -3.6% in EMEA and -5.9% in W. Europe, reaching a total of $1.138tr.
Growth should also continue at least until 2016, when IT spending reaches $1.247tr according to Gartner estimates.
Gartner points out some "pockets of growth" within the European IT landscape-- chiefly devices, software, and big data.
“The mobile device market is currently the bright spot of the IT industry,” Gartner says. “Tablets and smartphones significantly outpace purchases of traditional PCs.” EMEA mobile device spending (covering notebooks, mobile phones, ultramobiles and tablets) should amount to $136 billion in 2012 before growing to $188bn by 2016.
The total 2012 mobile device market will grow by 8% in W. Europe, even if the mobile PC market will contract by -5%. Mobile phone shipments will dominate the E. European and MEA markets, with tablet adoption growing through to 2016.
Since growing mobile device use demands the rewriting of software for tablet-based environments, Gartner also forecasts software spending growth-- 3.1% in 2013, with the segment reaching nearly $100bn in 2016.
Big data will also feature heavily in the near future-- Gartner predicts EMEA will be the most active region (together with N. America and Japan) in big data use.
