Worldwide IT spending is projected to total US$3.8 trillion in 2014, a 3.1%increase from 2013 spending of $3.7 trillion, according to the latest forecast by Gartner, Inc. (http://www.gartner.com). In 2013, the market experienced flat growth, growing 0.4% year over year, according to the research group.

Spending on devices (including personal computers, ultramobiles, mobile phones and tablets) contracted 1.2% in 2013, but it will grow 4.3% in 2014, Gartner predicts. Company analysts said convergence of the personal computer, ultramobiles (including tablets) and mobile phone segments, as well as erosion of margins, will take place as differentiation will soon be based primarily on price instead of devices' orientation to specific tasks. 

Enterprise software spending growth continues to be the strongest throughout the forecast period. The 2014 annual growth rate is expected to grow 6.8%. Customer relationship management and supply chain management (SCM) experienced a period of strong growth. 

"Investment is coming from exploiting analytics to make B2C processes more efficient and improve customer marketing efforts. Investment will also be aligned to B2B analytics, particularly in the SCM space, where annual spending is expected to grow 10.6% in 2014," says Richard Gordon, managing vice president at Gartner. "The focus is on enhancing the customer experience throughout the presales, sales and post sales processes."