IDC Releases New Report Showing Leading Indicators for Services Spending Across 14 Industries in Six Countries

A recent International Data Corporation (IDC) survey shows that, in terms of services spending for 2014, the US is the most optimistic market with an anticipated increase in spending on information technology services. Although spending intentions vary by country, over half of the respondents indicated that corporate profits are the biggest driver of spending.

“As an IT executive, it is critical to continue to seek out opportunities to help the business grow through IT enablement. Cloud, mobile, social, and big data/analytics are all powerful tools as they are highly desired by the business to reach their growth objectives,” said Rebecca Segal, Vice President, Global Services Markets and Trends. “As an IT services vendor, great care must be taken to understand the needs of both sides (business and IT) and act as a change agent in bringing these two sides closer together.”

Additional key study findings include:

• Most projects around the 3rd Platform involve more than one of the four pillar technologies as customers see the true benefit in enablement and leverage across the 3rd Platform.
• The US, UK, and Australia are more focused on IT services for applications than for infrastructure.
• Line of business (LOB) and IT respondents differ in the value they place on different vendor qualities. Given the need to please both sides, services firms must have business and industry expertise to win deals in 2014.

The IDC study, Worldwide Services Leading Indicators Survey, 2014 (IDC #248670), highlights survey results across 14 industries with interviews in six countries: Australia, China, France, Germany, the UK and the US. The survey examined whether spending on external services will increase, decrease or stay the same in 2014; what the business priorities are for 2014, and what the key drivers of spending will be; as well as which business priorities are being addressed with new IT initiatives.

About IDC

International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. IDC helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community to make fact-based decisions on technology purchases and business strategy. More than 1,000 IDC analysts provide global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries. In 2014, IDC celebrates its 50th anniversary of providing strategic insights to help clients achieve their key business objectives. IDC is a subsidiary of IDG, the world’s leading technology media, research, and events company. You can learn more about IDC by visiting www.idc.com.