CompTIA's 12 Trends to Watch Signal Healthier Growth Prospects for IT Industry

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Jan 27, 2015, 09:30 ET

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill., Jan. 27, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Information technology (IT) industry companies – buoyed by stronger confidence in economic conditions – expect a steadily improving business climate in 2015, according to the IT Industry Outlook 2015 published today by CompTIA, the IT industry association.

CompTIA's consensus forecast projects a 2015 growth rate of 5.0 percent for the global IT industry, a notable increase over the 2014 forecast of 3.4 percent. The U.S. growth rate is expected to mirror the global rate.

If the forecast hits its mark, it will translate to more than $50 billion in new current dollar revenue, propelling the U.S. IT industry to nearly $1.1 trillion by year's end.

CompTIA identifies 12 key trends that will shape the IT industry in the years to come.

"The amazing pace of innovation over the past five years will enter a new phase of maturity in 2015, driving value and benefits to untapped users around the world," said Tim Herbert, vice president, research and market intelligence, CompTIA.

Businesses will begin using cloud and mobile solutions to build advanced systems. The ability to manage data will become critical for more organizations, expanding market demand for this highly sought after skill. The potential of many connected devices and sensors in the Internet of Things will lead to new opportunities. Security will remain an overarching concern, requiring new approaches and a re-commitment to training.

Within the IT channel, companies will continue on the path of business transformation, assessing the right direction to take in an age of fast moving market and technology forces.

To ensure a balanced approach between the future outlook and present conditions, CompTIA includes a set of "counter trends," or the factors that could be overlooked, taken for granted or counter to prevailing hype. CompTIA's complete list of 12 trends to watch over the next 12 months:

Macro Trends
1.      Technology Extends its Global Reach
2.      The Push to Simplify: Batting Complexity on Many Fronts
3.      The Democratization of Technology Creates New Opportunities for Small Businesses
4.      The Stakes Get Higher for tech Policy

Technology Trends
5.      The New Business Systems Get Built
6.      Data Handling Becomes a Core Competency
7.      The Internet of Things Drives Innovation
8.      Security Gets a Makeover

Channel Trends
9.      Remodeling the Channel
10.    Customers Holding the Reins
11.    Business Transformation is NOT the End Point
12.    Skills Gaps: Marketing and Beyond

To read more about these trends, the IT Industry Outlook 2015 report is available at no cost with simple registration at http://www.comptia.org/resources/it-industry-outlook-2015. Data from the report is also available at http://www.slideshare.net/comptia/comp-tia-2015-it-industry-outlook-vslideshare.

Business Confidence Trending Upward
CompTIA's IT Industry Business Confidence Index provides another touch point for an improving business outlook. The Q1 2015 reading registered an increase of 2.4 percentage points, moving the index to 64.5 on a 100-point scale. The three components of the index – IT industry executives' opinions of the U.S. economy, the IT industry and their own company self-assessment – all improved.

"The steadily improving Business Confidence Index suggests there is a feeling that we've finally reached an acceptable degree of stability across the economy," Herbert said, "There is an expectation this will translate to even greater levels of investment in technology."

He cautioned, however, that executives remain concerned about ever-present growth inhibitors that can quickly stall momentum. Factors such as unexpected shocks to the economy, international turmoil and concern over downward pressure on margins are examples.

CompTIA's IT Industry Outlook 2015 report is based on an online survey of executives and professionals at 649 IT companies. The survey was conducted in late December 2014.

CompTIA is the voice of the world's IT industry. To learn more visit CompTIA online, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

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SOURCE CompTIA