IT budgets start growing again
Valor Econômico
The information technology industry has recovered the pace. After a year fustigated by the suspension of projects and the reduction of budgets, the IT sector foresees the investments will resume growing at a double-digit rate this year, as it had been occurring before the crisis, with the growth of up to 15% compared to last year.
The positive setting is confirmed by ten of the largest companies of the country - in earnings and in number of employees - that have been heard by Valor. The list is formed by Petrobras, Votorantim Industrial, Ambev, Bradesco, Itaú, Banco do Brasil, Braskem, Comgás, Klabin, and Correios. Counting only part of the budgets foreseen (not all companies surveyed inform the investment data), we get to a volume of R$ 10 billion (US$ 5.8 billion) in funds aimed at IT, the equivalent to nearly 20% of the entire sector - including equipment, software and services - projects to operate during the year.
It is estimated that the Brazilian IT market had operations of nearly R$ 60 billion (US$ 30.5 billion) in 2009, R$ 12 billion (US$ 6.1 billion) of which from the market of residential consumption and R$ 48 billion (US$ 24.4 billion) from companies. According to preliminary figures of the IT Data consulting firm, that result, virtually identical to 2008's, put an end to the annual growth rate of 10% that was being registered in the last years.
For 2010, the large companies foresee to increase or at least repeat the same technology budget of 2008. The financial sector, historically the main IT purchaser of the country, continues leading the progress of the market. Several banks involved in long-term projects chose not to reduce the expenditure scheduled for last year and went through the financial crisis without touching the budget. Such was the case of institutions like Banco do Brasil, Bradesco and Itaú, which have renewed their infrastructure.