Global IT spending to hit £2.2 trillion thanks to tablet sales

Growing demand for tablet computers will help to boost enterprise IT spending by 5.6 per cent this year, taking it to a massive £2.24 trillion globally, according to analyst firm Gartner.

The firm had previously forecast IT spending growth in 2011 of 5.1 per cent.

Globally, spending on tablets is expected to increase to £18.3bn this year, up from the £6bn the analyst had previously expected.

Growth in the tablet market will continue over the next few years, the firm added, and will increase annually by around 52 per cent. However, the impact would flatten out overall, Gartner said.

"Absent the addition of media tablets, the forecast would have slightly declined in constant-dollar terms; however, with their addition, there's virtually no change in underlying forecast growth at the level of overall IT," said Richard Gordon, research vice president at Gartner.

Other elements may have an impact on spending, the analyst added, including political unrest in the Middle East and the natural disasters in Japan.

"The Middle East share of global IT spending is approximately two per cent. While the political unrest affecting many countries in the region may well dent IT spending levels, any impact would be insignificant at the global level," added Gordon.

"We are looking at two potential effects on IT markets as a result of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan: consequences of disruptions in the global electronics supply chain and impacts on IT demand."

Firms are most likely to spend on IT services, with spending in this area expected to increase from £488bn in 2010 to £513bn this year, said Gartner, while hardware and software investment will also increase.

Gartner said that while hardware spending was £232bn in 2010 it would increase to £254bn this year, while software investment will rise from £147bn in 2010 to £159bn.