Global services market bouncing back
Gartner figures claim that despite the downturn's lasting hold, signs of recovery are evident
Global spending on IT services hit $793bn (£479bn) in 2010 as the market continues to buck the downturn, Gartner has claimed.
In comparison, global spending was $769bn for 2009. IBM retained the top spot in IT services for 2010, with a 2.6 per cent revenue increase. HP’s revenue performance was weak, Gartner said, with a 0.3 per cent growth in IT services.
Kathryn Hale, research vice president at Gartner, said: “There is little doubt that the effects of the global recession of 2008 and 2009 are still very much being felt, but the market for IT services bounced back in 2010 after a 5.1 per cent revenue decline in 2009.”
Fujitsu, also in the top five, saw 3.5 per cent annual growth in IT services and revenue, with Accenture returning the strongest numbers with a 6.1 per cent growth in services revenue.
Dean Blackmore, senior research analyst at Gartner, said: “Among the more than 300 vendors tracked, acquisitions affected more than 10 per cent of total revenue, in a market where no provider has more than seven per cent market share.
"Although global sourcing makes the location of a provider's headquarters increasingly less relevant, we found that India-based vendors continue to grow above the market average and, therefore, continue to gain market share," he added.
"In a market that grew 3.1 per cent in 2010, India-based vendors collectively grew 18.9 per cent, increasing their market share from 4.8 per cent in 2009 to 5.5 per cent in 2010."
In terms of types of service, software support showed the highest growth at 6.6 per cent, with the weakest performances coming from process management and hardware support – both of which grew about one per cent less than expected.
Consulting and development/integration services came in above expectations, particularly as firms that had put investment on ice in 2009 began investing again in 2010.
From a vertical services perspective, government showed the lowest growth rate as budget cuts and austerity measures continue to bite.