Big data, other technologies keeping IT steady

The big data phenomenon is not only making it crucial for businesses to have effective analytics tools to manage and study this information, but the trend is having a positive impact on the entire tech industry. According to IT nonprofit CompTIA, big data, mobility and cloud computing are all fueling the IT industry, which is forecast to expand 3 percent in 2012, with a potential growth rate of 5.2 percent.

CompTIA added that the U.S. IT industry is expected to grow, but not as much as the sector as a whole. The U.S. landscape will expand at least 2.9 percent in 2013, with a ceiling of 5.2 percent. The sector could have experienced even greater success, but the fiscal cliff concerns dampened the firm’s projections.

Tim Herbert, research vice president at CompTIA, asserted that technology “has never been more important” than it is today. However economic roadblocks are forcing many companies to be cautious with their IT investments.

“Reaching the upside of the forecast range will require macroeconomic stability, steady business confidence and healthy customers,” said Herbert. “There is good reason to believe the IT industry will hit the upside of growth projections, but there is still enough uncertainty to warrant caution.”

Big data analytics, mobility cloud computing more than technologies
The entire IT industry is expected to be defined by certain technologies and trends in 2013. A recent report by Persistent Systems said that the firm has experienced an increased demand for cloud projects by 30 percent in the last year. In 2012, at least 20 percent of all mobility projects were for either iOS or the Android operating system.

The company added that big data is still very much in its infancy, but that more projects will be geared toward including this information with social media, cloud computing and mobility.

R Venkateswaran, CTO of Persistent Systems, highlighted the importance of all these technologies in 2013.

“2013 marks a turning point as certain key technologies in cloud computing, mobility, analytics and collaboration have emerged to form the backbone of next-generation products and enterprise applications,” said Venkateswaran.

Some industries may be struggling to stay positive during the current economic crisis, but it is clear that the IT field is booming thanks to several innovative technologies.