Spending on hardware, software, and IT services in Slovenia last year declined 13.6% to $912 million (down 9.0% in local currency terms), and is expected to fall further in 2010. However, according to a recent report by market research company IDC, the trend is expected to reverse in 2011 as the country’s economy rebounds. In the longer term, IDC predicts that IT spending in Slovenia will grow at an average annual rate of 4.4% over the next five years to reach $1.1 billion in 2014.

“IT spending in Slovenia has been hit severely by the crisis, with the steepest fall registered in hardware sales followed by IT services, while software sales declined the least, says Katarina Rojko, senior research analyst, IDC Adriatics (Slovenia). “However, an expected economic revival in 2011 will bring about renewed growth of the IT market.”

IT spending in 2010 is directed toward technologies and solutions that help optimize business processes and reduce costs, such as consolidation and virtualization, bring rapid return on investment (ROI), or provide better overview and control. IDC predicts that solutions transposing CAPEX to OPEX, such as outsourcing and cloud computing, will continue gaining market share.

As regards vertical markets, the biggest investors in IT were companies from the combined transport, communications, and utilities sector, capturing 26.2% share of total IT spending last year, followed by public sector organizations, manufacturing companies, and financial institutions.

Slovenian IT spending per capita amounted to $444 in 2009, or 53.4% of the EU27 average, compared with 56.8% in 2008. While some West European countries have far higher IT spending per capita – like Sweden ($1,953) and Denmark ($1,534) – Slovenia’s exceeds that of many countries of Central and Eastern Europe, such as Poland ($215), Bulgaria ($142), and Romania ($71). In eight countries of the Adriatic region, where Slovenia accounted for 27.7% of total IT spending, the average IT spending per capita totaled $126 in 2009.

IDC’s Slovenia IT Market 2010–2014 Forecast and 2009 Vendor Shares (IDC #ESQ02S) presents the IT market in Slovenia and forecasts total IT expenditure by technology through 2014. The study contains market size, vendor market shares, and growth projections for hardware, packaged software, and IT services provision. It analyzes market trends and provides valuable insights into the main drivers of the individual market segments.

IDC’S Slovenia Vertical Markets 2010-2014 (IDC #EV10S) presents the IT expenditure in individual vertical markets in Slovenia and forecasts total IT expenditure by technology through 2014. The study contains market size, and growth projections for hardware, packaged software, and IT services provision. It analyzes market trends and provides valuable insights into the main drivers of the individual market segments.