2nd Half of 2009 Could Provide Boost for ICT Sector – Most ICT Decision-Makers Expect 2009 Budgets to Increase or Stay the Same & Most Americans Say Downturn is a Good Thing

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Jan 16 /PRNewswire/ — According to research from Compass Intelligence (http://www.compassintelligence.com), the US IT Decision-makers in businesses of all sizes will keep their wallets open, despite the credit crisis or the looming recession. When surveyed in late November of 2008, nearly a third of more than 2,000 IT Decision-makers surveyed indicated that they expected their 2009 ICT (Information & Communications Technology) budgets to increase over 2008 levels. This is slightly more than the percentage that said their budgets rose between 2008 and 2007. And, of the 10,000+ working Americans surveyed in late November 2008, more than 80% said they believed this economic crisis would make our nation better, as we’ll learn from it. However, 2009 ICT revenues will not come easy and are likely to be earned after the 1st quarter of this year because IT Decision-makers will cautiously plan their investments in the first couple of months.

“This isn’t the first time that we’ve seen a recession in the last decade, and most ICT Decision-makers have been in troubled times like this before – so have the Line-of-Business managers influencing them. So, with the wisdom these two groups have gained from 2001, most IT & Business Decision-makers are planning to spend through this slow-down, knowing that only through investments in cost-saving technologies, gains in productivity (likely through automation) and innovation, will their companies survive this difficult period, and more importantly, potentially prosper when it’s over,” says Kneko Burney, President & Chief Strategist of www.compassintelligence.com.

“And, I am also not surprised that so many working Americans see this tough time as a lesson learned – likely because it will result in both reform and increased commercial oversight, particularly in key sectors such as finance. But, this isn’t to say that the average American is not feeling the pain of the crisis – most are. More than 60% of those we surveyed said that the financial crisis has negatively affected the company they worked for or own. The most powerful lessons are often the most difficult,” adds Burney.

Additional Insights from the Research:

• Most respondents expect their 2009 budgets to be the same as what they had in 2008, while another third expect a decrease (which is twice the number indicating this for the 2007 – 2008 period).

• Key areas of spending priority for 2009 are computer systems, wireless applications and services, business websites or web Infrastructure, and business networks according to the IT Decision-makers surveyed. The order of key priorities varies among size of business, but the top 4 priorities are, for the most part the same, regardless of business size.

• US IT Spending is expected to grow more than 4% by the end of 2009 and growth is expected to continue to rise through 2013, according to the latest Compass Intelligence forecasts.

See more details on this research at http://is.gd/g3RY

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About Compass Intelligence

Compass Intelligence, a global consulting and market analytics firm, specializes in segment and vertical market intelligence for the high-tech, IT and telecom industries. Compass Intelligence offers clients a completely new research experience with a unique and intuitive online intelligence tool called, INSTANT Access. The company provides market intelligence, forecasts, competitive analysis, market data, insights, and announcement analysis for multiple markets. Discover the Compass Intelligence difference and visit www.compassintelligence.com or follow us on twitter handle: CompassIntel.

Company Contacts

Kneko Burney, President & Chief Strategist, kneko@compassintelligence.com

Holley Booze, Press Manager, mailto:hbooze@compassintelligence.com

Stephanie Atkinson, 830-796-4498

SOURCE Compass Intelligence