While global information technology spending will have its worst year on record in 2009, research behemoth Gartner is predicting a return to growth for the industry in 2010. For what it’s worth, so am I.

“While the growth rate has slowed over last year, it’s remarkable amid this uncertain economic environment that it is up at all. Core technology spending intent supports our conviction that the bottom has been reached. Everyone is looking for visibility, especially into technology spending. The fog is starting to lift.”

Actually, that quote is from a Gartner press release issued in November of 2001. Just a little reminder that cycles do happen.

Gartner is predicting 2010 IT spending to total $3.3 trillion, a 3.3 percent increase from 2009.

Among the topics Gartner predicts will drive recovery in tech are business intelligence, virtualization and social media. Duh. Also cited is what Gartner calls Operational Technology (OT) — devices, sensors, and software used to control or monitor physical assets and processes in real-time to maintain system integrity. The result of OT will be an increasingly unified view of all the information covering business process and control systems.

It’s all good news and a good direction for the industry, of course. We’ve seen growth all throughout 2009 which continues to convince me that the innovation economy is plugging along with a quietly confident knowledge that only those who continue to invest in R&D and marketing will reap the benefits when the market as a whole returns.

Uncategorized business intelligence, economy, gartner, innovation, social media, technology, Technology Public Relations, virtualization