IDC: Top 10 Predictions for 2010

Last week I attended the IDC Top Ten Predictions Conference Call.  It was hosted and delivered by Frank Gens, IDC Chief Analyst.  I do look forward to this call every year with anticipation and this year was one of the best calls I can remember from IDC.  The predictions were well thought out and Frank, as always, did a fantastic job of covering the trends in the time allotted.  Of course, there is a team of IDC analysts behind Frank that provided input into the trends and predictions.

Here are IDC’s Top Ten Predictions

1. Growth will return to the IT industry in 2010.   IDC is predicting a  3.2% growth for the year, returning the industry to 2008 spending levels of about $1.5 trillion.
2. Telecommunications to improve.  IDC says we should expect improved growth and stability in the worldwide telecommunications market, with worldwide spending predicted to increase 3%.
3. Emerging markets will lead the IT recovery.   BRIC countries will grow 8–13%.
4. Cloud computing.   IDC says that there will be a strategic battle for cloud platform leadership, new public cloud hot spots, private cloud offerings, cloud appliances, and offerings that bridge public and private clouds.
5. Mobile Apps.  IDC predicts 2010 will be a watershed year in the ascension of mobile devices as strategic platforms for commercial and enterprise developers as over 1 billion access the Internet, iPhone apps triple, Android apps quintuple, and Apple's "iPad" arrives.
6. Public networks   IDC predicts an aggressive evolution to fiber and 3G and 4G wireless. 4G will be overhyped, more wireless networks will become "invisible," and the FCC will regulate over-the-top VoIP.
7. Socializing Business applications IDC says business applications will be ‘fused’ with social/collaboration software and analytics into a new generation of "socialytic" apps, challenging current market leaders.
8. Sustainability.  Rising energy costs and pressure from the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference will make sustainability a source of renewed opportunity for the IT industry in 2010.
9. Transformation Agenda.   IT will be an increasingly important lever for transformation initiatives. Smart meters and electronic medical records will hit important adoption levels.
10. M&A.  IDC predicts a frenzy of M&A activity in the IT industry.

Here’s a video of Frank Gens delivering the top ten predictions on a YouTube Video

The conference call signals the real start of the predictions and trends list season for me.  IDC follows up this conference call with a number of calls in January and February, which I look forward to as well.

For those interested, you can access the replay of the IDC predictions conference call and presentation slides at the following URL:
http://w.on24.com/r.htm?e=178835&s=1&k=71B94A8BF46833DCC88477EE828281B7   Also, for a Q&A discussion regarding the predictions, you can visit the IDC eXchange blog at http://blogs.idc.com/ie/    The video shown above is at this URL http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-yAmGdemHI

Finally, I suggest you follow IDC through the predictions season, so go check out http://www.idc.com/research/predictions1