IDG Predicts Upheaval in IT Purchasing in 2022

The next 12 months will see a major shift in IT purchasing, with business leaders looking for alternatives to their existing hardware and software suppliers, especially in the rapidly evolving fields like data and analytics – according to a new report from media and marketing giant IDG.

In a survey of more than 600 IT decision-makers (ITDMs), 45% of respondents said they expected to purchase technology from a new vendor in 2022.

More than half (51%) anticipate their IT budgets to increase, and 39% - to remain stable over the next 12 months. Software is expected to lead budget allocation priorities (35%), followed by hardware (34%), and services (28%).

Change is afoot

“Change is afoot among B2B technology buyers,” said Stacey Raap, marketing and research manager at IDG Communications.

“With digital transformation accelerating due to COVID-19, we’re seeing greater investments in technology, giving IT decision-makers more money to work with. The coming year could see more RFPs in the tech sector, given the perception that existing solutions are in need of a reboot.”

Among the most interesting findings of the report was the effect of the skills shortage – 32% of respondents said it impacted the organization’s internal IT strategy.

Also notable was the reliance on IT consultants. When asked about the likelihood of using an IT consultant when making a technology purchase, 91% responded that they were likely to do so. ITDMs said they most often look to IT consultants when purchasing IT services (45%), cloud products or services (41%) and security solutions (37%).