IT Decision Makers Planning to Up Their Budgets

Though the economy and job market are still struggling to revive, many IT decision makers are optimistic about the near term and plan to increase their budgets during the second half of the year, according to the latest June “IT Monitor” from technology vendor CDW (News - Alert). These brighter budget expectations are pointing to a newfound confidence in the IT job market for the first time this year.

Almost half (48 percent) of the IT decision makers interviewed by CDW are eyeing higher budgets in the next six months, up 10 percentage points from this time in 2009. Among those surveyed at large companies, 37 percent expect to hire additional staff in 2010’s second half, up 11 percentage points from June of last year. And among those in the federal government, 29 percent are looking to bring in more IT professionals, up nine percentage points from this past April.

Beyond hiring, the IT people surveyed also expect to invest more on hardware and software for the rest of the year, said CDW. Almost three in four (74 percent) said they’re likely to replace or install software in the second half of 2010, up five percentage points from June of last year, while 68 percent plan to install or replace hardware.

The index of the latest IT Monitor, which is published bimonthly, continued to remain at 72 out of 100 for the fourth consecutive period. Those at large companies tended to express the most confidence, with a score of 79, while smaller businesses were less optimistic, registering a score of 62.

The cautious sense of optimism comes despite the rough waters in the economy and some recent fears of a potential double-dip recession. Though the positive outlook is still emerging and hasn’t spread to all sectors of the IT market, CDW believes it offers some encouragement for future growth in the industry.