Brainier Capital and Consulting MD Brian Rainier says there`s a prevailing "cautious optimism" in local business circles.
"Companies` pipelines look reasonable, costs seem to be under control, and most companies have addressed the negative effect caused by currency fluctuations. Typically, however, customer confidence is still relatively muted - there`s a lot more smaller deals being signed and return on investment still needs to be proved for IT implementations."
Rainier will address the IT Confidence 2005 Conference at Gallagher Estate in Midrand next week.
Hosted by ITWeb in association with Brainier Capital and Consulting, the one-day event features analysts, economists and business people, who will discuss their projections for the ICT sector for 2005.
On the positive side, says Rainier, the demand for IT and IT services is still "relatively robust".
"Government - which is always a big spender - seems poised to do some big spending soon, and BMI-TechKnowledge is predicting growth of around 8%.
"It will be interesting to see exactly what the effect of deregulation in the telecommunications sector is," he adds.
Rainier`s presentation at the conference will cover the major factors influencing mid- and small-cap IT companies and their stock prices in 2005. He will also address delegates on the positioning of the listed IT companies in the competitive landscape in SA, the timing around buying and/or selling IT stocks, the top stock picks and which ones to avoid.
The conference will open with a keynote address from Business Connexion CEO Peter Watts.
Also presenting at the event are Absa senior treasury economist Chris Hart, BMI-TechKnowledge director Mark Walker, Microsoft MD Gordon Frazer, and Dimension Data group CEO Brett Dawson.
Other speakers include SITA CEO Mavuso Msimang, HSBC director Franca Di Silvestro, and SA: The Good News CEO Stuart Pennington.
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