US Enterprise Versus SMB IT Budgets In 2009

US IT budgetary spending will fall in 2009 by 2% as the recession takes its toll on US businesses and governments. Contrary to past experience, small and medium-size business (SMB) IT spending will decline more than enterprise IT spending as SMBs bear more of the pain from the housing sector collapse and the financial crisis. The largest sectors of the US tech market continue to be service industries like professional services, governments, healthcare and education, and financial services, with the first three industries experiencing positive IT budget growth. The biggest declines in 2009 will be in manufacturing and retail, affecting SMBs and enterprises equally. However, these are relatively small parts of the US tech market. The best opportunities for IT vendors in 2009 will be with enterprises providing professional services, federal and selected state governments, healthcare, education, large utilities, and telecom firms.