The amount spent on servers in Australia during 2007 broke through the $US1 billion dollar mark to $US1.001 billion, according to IDC. The 17 per cent increase in Australia's server spending was the strongest annual growth since 1996.
The spotlight falls on Elk Software, EBall Games, Fundi Software, Web and Flo, Emaginet, and Bcode
No company is immune from economic shifts. It's been a big talking point over the past few months; concerns about economic conditions and their impact on IT budgets have led some leading analysts to predict downturns in the purchasing of computers, software, and services.
Digital sales of music represented 10 per cent of the total worldwide music market in 2007, up from six per cent in 2006, according to In-Stat.
Although voice and SMS messaging still dominate the use of mobile phones, there is now increasing activity beyond this. It has taken a time, but use of mobile data services (MDS) is now disseminating beyond a small number of high level users to the wider market, according to the Wireless Data Services Study 2007.
For the first time, Australians in 2007 were spending more time online than they were spending watching TV (an average of 13.7 hours per week compared with 13.3 hours of TV) according to Nielsen Online's 2007 Australian Internet and Technology Report.
Acumine, eWise, Infoplex, Fenwick Software, Comps, and Integrate Systems come under the spotlight
The ICT industry consists of a lot of different components and skills, but acquisitions over the past year or so have shifted more power to the big fellas. This consolidation -- especially in the business intelligence and performance technology sectors -- will impact client and vendor relationships, technology directions, customer support, and who's who.
Linux, which has been much maligned by Symbian and Microsoft as a non-starter in the handset operating system market, is set to see strong growth as issues with framework fragmentation and silicon requirements are alleviated.
As more and more small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) take advantage of the Internet to improve internal efficiency and external reach, a number of technology providers have been refining their offerings to help them to get online, sell online, and market online, as well as manage and monitor online business activity.
The next wave of change within IT organisations will be fuelled by the proliferation of consumer devices, social networking tools, and cloud-based collaboration services making their way into the enterprise, according to a report by Forrester Research.
Many organisations are failing to exploit falling prices in products and services that should accompany the commoditisation of IT, according to Gartner. In 2007, 25 per cent of IT spending was on unnecessary and redundant customisation and although this will decline, it will remain at least at 10 per cent overspending until the end of 2010.
The spotlight falls on Calumo Labs, Aegeon, Open Windows, Alcidion Corporation, Data inCrypt, and Wayahead Systems
What will be the next big opportunity in the ICT industry? Where are the mega-vendors going? How do you tell one vendor from another?
No matter how talented your organisation is, if you don't have the right strategy, particularly in these tough times, you will have to live with sub-par performance. The creep towards strategic gridlock often is hard to catch because many business leaders view problems -- such as unexpected changes with customers, low sales, and integration difficulties -- as isolated issues.