Education Market to Grow 4.1 Percent in 2010, Says Gartner
All major verticals are returning to growth, but will focus their IT dollars on solutions that reduce costs.
By Cecilia Galvinalvin
The education market is forecast to grow by 4.1 percent, from roughly $61.5 million in 2009 to $63 million this year, according to a new report from Gartner Inc. That percentage increase mirrors the forecast for worldwide IT spending across all industry markets, which will surpass $2.4 trillion in 2010.
Industries are returning to growth after a difficult year in 2009, says the analyst firm, when IT spending by vertical markets totaled $2.3 trillion, a 5.6 percent decline from 2008.
“2010 will see IT spending in all major industries returning to growth, although that growth will vary by individual sector,” said Kenneth Brant, research director at Gartner in a prepared statement. Brant also indicated that solutions that deliver “cost optimization” should be promoted in 2010 and 2011, “which we believe will be a persistent value for IT buyers even as markets return to growth.”
IT resellers targeting the education market would do well, then, to focus on products and services that offer cost savings over the long term.