International Data Corporation has published the first of its annual predictions for the coming year in the information and communications technology industry.
IDC’s predictions for 2014 were heavily influenced by the ‘3rd platform’, the industry’s emerging platform for growth and innovation built on mobile computing, cloud services, big data and analytics, and social networking.
“The 3rd platform’s impact was felt throughout the ICT industry in 2013 as a high-profile CEO lost his job, a major IT player went private, numerous vendors endured cash cow stagnation, and billion-dollar bets were placed on 3rd Platform technologies,” said Frank Gens, senior vice president and chief analyst at IDC.
“In 2014, we’ll see every major player make big investments to scale up cloud, mobile and big data capabilities, and fiercely battle for the hearts and minds of the developers who will create the solutions driving the next two decades of IT spending. Outside the IT industry, 3rd platform technologies will play a leading role in the disruption (or ‘Amazoning’) of almost every other industry on the planet.”
IDC’s predictions for 2014, presented by Gens in a web conference, include the following: worldwide IT spending will grow five per cent year-on-year to $2.1 trillion in 2014 and spending will be driven by 3rd platform technologies, which will grow 15 per cent year-on-year and capture 89 per cent of IT spending growth.
Emerging markets will return to a double-digit growth of 10 per cent, driving nearly $740 billion or 35 per cent of worldwide IT revenues and, for the first time, more than 60 per cent of worldwide IT spending growth.
The mobile device onslaught is expected to continue in 2014 with sales of tablets growing by 18 per cent and smartphones by 12 per cent.
The Android community, led by Samsung, will maintain its volume advantage over Apple, while Apple will hold on to its value edge with higher average selling prices and an established ecosystem of apps.
Cloud spending, including cloud services and the technology to enable these services, will surge by 25 per cent in 2014, reaching over $100 billion.
Spending on big data technologies and services will grow by 30 per cent in 2014, surpassing $14 billion as demand for big data analytics skills continues to outstrip supply.
The 3rd platform will continue to expand beyond smartphones, tablets, and PCs in 2014 to the Internet of Things.