Worldwide IT spending to increase by 3% in 2014

Worldwide IT spending is set to increase 3% in 2014, according to the latest forecast from analysts at Gartner.

The global economy is showing signs of recovery and IT spending is keeping pace, and is looking likely to total $3.8 trillion (£2.28 million, AU$4.11 million), according to the company.

It sees a return to growth for the devices market, with worldwide spending set to rise 4.4%. Gartner attributes this increase to shifting purchase preferences among consumers, with many opting for mid-range handsets over costlier ones.

Spending in data centers is projected to increase by 2.3% to $143 billion (£85 million, AU$154 million). Cloud and mobility have been highlighted as the biggest movers with virtualization and cloud adoption generating "significant market traction."

Shaking off the recession dust

Enterprise will see an increase of 6.9%, making it the fastest-growing sector in 2014. The convergence of social, mobile, cloud and information continues to drive its rise. Spending on database management systems will outpace spending on operating systems in 2014, claims Richard Gordon, vice president at Gartner.

"Globally, businesses are shaking off their malaise and returning to spending on IT to support the growth of their business," said Gordon. "Consumers will be purchasing many new devices in 2014; however, there is a greater substitution toward lower cost and more basic devices than we have seen in prior years."

IT services will increase by 4.6%, with buyers shifting their spending from consulting to implementation, while telecom services spending is projected to see an increase of 1.3% in 2014.

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