IDC: IT market forecast at 1.37bn euros in 2008

The Romanian IT market is estimated to reach 1.37 billion euros in 2008, up around 11% against the level witnessed last year, a lower growth rate than 2007, when the market advanced by 16.7%, according to the market research company IDC. "2007 was a very good year for the IT industry on most fronts. The market has grown organically, and has registered solid growth. In general, IT access is becoming cheaper, with the degree of penetration increasing, both from businesses and home users. Given this background, and considering that this is a maturing market, it is difficult to maintain two-digit growth rates," Calin Mirea, research analyst at IDC, told ZF. He says, however, that the growth rate could be higher, under certain circumstances. "Even though IDC's outlook is rather conservative for this year, more significant increases are possible as a result of foreign investments, potential EU funds, and the enthusiasm for technology in Romania." ID C analysts expect the heaviest investments in IT to come from the banking, telecom, utility and government sectors, and the highest IT-related increases in spending to come from small and medium-sized enterprises.