SYDNEY/SAN FRANCISCO: IT spending in Australia is forecast to grow four percent to reach almost A$98 billion in 2021, after a 1 percent decline last year according to a Gartner report, which suggests all major IT spending segments are expected to return to growth in 2021.
Aussie enterprise software is expected to have the strongest rebound at 7.8 percent, as remote work support is expanded and improved.
Gartner predicts datacentre spending will see the second highest growth in Australia in 2021 at 5.5 percent, after being hit the hardest by cuts in 2020.
The unprecedented speed of digital transformation in 2020 to satisfy remote working, education and new social norms presented lockdowns and social distancing measures as double-edged swords – which has abated the pandemic’s negative effect on IT spending going into the New Year.
Worldwide IT spending is projected to total US$3.9 trillion in 2021, an increase of 6.2pc from 2020. But worldwide IT spending fell 3.2pc in 2020 as CIOs prioritised spending on technology and services that were deemed “mission-critical” during the initial stages of the pandemic.
Gartner predicts that businesses will be forced to accelerate digital business transformation plans for at least five years to survive in a post-Covid-19 world that involves permanently higher rates of remote work and digital customer interactions.
