IT spending to slow in 2012

Gartner sees the computing hardware sector experiencing the most significant slowdown, due to constrained hard disk drive (HDD) supplies through the first six months of 2012, Information Week reports.

Global IT spending growth in 2012 will only reach 3.7%, according to the research firm, a downward adjustment from the firm's third-quarter 2011 dollar growth forecast of 4.6%.

According to The Register, Gartner claims companies consumed $3.644 billion in IT and services in 2011, up 6.9% from the $3.428 billion shelled out in 2010.

This money bought computing, storage, networking and telecoms equipment, software, IT services and telecoms services, with a little less than half of that money being invested into telecoms services.

The Thailand floods are predicted to cut the supply of HDDs by 25% or more during the next six to nine months this year, Irishtimes.com states.

Richard Gordon, research VP at Gartner, says there is still quite strong growth in emerging markets, and predicts more resilient sectors, like software sales and telecoms gear, would drive worldwide growth.

But the 3.7% global growth forecast is historically a modest number, he adds.