Business IT predictions for 2011

What's in store for the New Year? Computing industry analysts IDC have been hard at work interviewing business owners, suppliers and IT middle managers in order to find out. Here are their headlines, and how we think it'll affect our Bristol IT support clients…

IT spending will bounce back  …and the recovery will be driven by cloud services, according to IDC, which predicts spending in this area will grow at 30%, five times faster than the rest of the IT industry. That still leaves 6% growth in other areas, though; including change management, software and mobile devices.

Your takeaway: gear up for cloud computing (software as a service, cloud storage etc) before your competitors do!

Non-PC mobile devices will out-sell PCs …and it's going to be non-PC smart phones and tablets surging into the lead (see other other articles for who, how and why).

Your takeaway: making sure your online content works on all sorts of screens is no longer optional.

25 billion mobile apps will be sold …a huge rise from the 10 billion sold in 2010. The mobile app ecosystem will rapidly restructure how consumers receive digital content and services.

Your takeaway: if you're not planning for mobile apps already, put that plan on the agenda right away.

Vertical markets will be shaken up by social networks … particularly by consumers using review and comparison apps to find

Your takeaway: do everything better, of course - but don't forget to get recommended for it too!

What do you think?

If you're concerned (or delighted) about how any of these worldwide and short term trends will affect your business IT strategy, don't hesitate to give our team a call. We've been providing IT services in Bristol for over 10 years and can be contacted on 01275 398900. 

A happy and prosperous 2011 to you, our customers and readers!