With the New Year rapidly approaching, many experts have begun making their predictions for the IT industry in 2009.  According to recent research, the predictions for the future development of IT global sourcing is optimistic, despite the current economic crisis. 

ITWorld.om posted an article on its website, titled “IT Offshore Outsourcing: Early Predictions for 2009,” in November which examined the research conducted by TEAM International, Society for Information Management (SIM), Info-Tech Research and Robert Half Technology.  Below is a summary of the research findings that reflect the predictions for 2009.

Most IT Budgets Will Not Decrease
Most IT companies expect IT budgets to either increase from 2008 or stay the same in 2009.  According to a survey of CIOs and IT executives of 230 companies, which was commissioned by Society for Information Management, 44 percent plan to increase their IT budgets in 2009, 37 percent plan to keep the budgets the same as 2008 and only 19 percent reported that they plan to decrease their IT budgets.  Another survey conducted by Info-Tech Research that included 150 IT companies in the United States showed similar results to the SIM survey.  Based on the findings from Info-Tech Research’s survey, only 1 in 5 companies plan to reduce their IT budgets in 2009.

Growth in Global IT Sourcing
It is estimated that more projects will be sent to global sourcing providers in 2009.  The SIM survey found that the majority of companies are focusing on ramping up their offshore resources.  The Info-Tech Research survey confirmed this expected growth, with more than 60 percent of IT departments of the surveyed companies reporting that they plan to focus on reducing costs via global sourcing.  Another study by Robert Half Technology, a California-based search and staffing firm, also showed similar results.  Researchers surveyed 1,400 CIOs and the results showed that there was a general support of the optimistic predictions to the utilization of IT outsourcing in 2009.  Among the 111 CIOs who already were engaged in outsourcing, 43 percent stated that they plan to increase their offshore transactions in the coming year.

IT Industry Will Not be Adversely Impacted by Slow Economy
Some researchers believe that the IT industry will not be affected or only minimally impacted by the slow economy.  These researchers base their beliefs on the fact that information technology is centered on the desire to improve efficiency, increase productivity, cut costs and improve revenues. 

Based on these various surveys, it is realistic to assume a positive outlook in global IT sourcing in 2009.

A&E Consulting is a leading global sourcing consulting firm that helps businesses with their global sourcing needs.  The consulting experts at A&E Consulting not only help organizations choose the right global sourcing provider, they also assist with overseeing the first outsourced project.

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