Technology & IT | Wednesday 3 October, 2018 1:41 pm |

International Data Corporation (IDC) will participate as a Strategic Partner in the 38th annual edition of GITEX Technology Week, which takes place at Dubai World Trade Centre on October 14-18th. The global ICT research and consultancy services firm will be based at Stand SR-2L in Sheikh Rashid Hall and will feature prominently throughout the event, with senior IDC analysts participating as speakers, moderators, and panelists in various technology- and industry-themed sessions.

IDC's latest forecast shows that IT spending in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) is set to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.0% over the coming years to total $106 billion in 2022. Enterprises will account for close to 61% of that figure, with the telecommunications, finance, government, and manufacturing sectors continuing to be the biggest spenders. But it is transportation (CAGR of 6.2%) that will see the fastest growth over the 2017–2022 period, followed by healthcare and utilities (both 6.0%).

With digital transformation (DX) increasingly shaping the investment decisions of organizations across the region, consumer and enterprise mobility will account for the largest chunk of spending in 2022 at $47.4 billion, followed by the Internet of Things at $17.0 billion. The quest for DX will drive investments in other emerging technologies too, with cloud ($5.0 billion), big data & analytics ($4.8 billion), and security ($4.2 billion) expected to be key areas of investment in 2022.

"As digital transformation continues to reshape the global economy, innovation will multiply, platform wars will intensify, and data will increasingly be used for competitive advantage," says Jyoti Lalchandani, IDC's group vice president and regional managing director for the Middle East, Africa, and Turkey. "And with market leadership ranks being disrupted, a new ICT world order is taking shape, built around innovative technology offerings, evolving business models, and emerging DX use cases. Given this unprecedented disruption, it's imperative that organizations make the right decisions today to ensure they remain competitive tomorrow."

IDC provides end-to-end advisory services for the entire ICT ecosystem, equipping vendors, end users, government entities, and key decision makers with all the tools they need to design, develop, and execute comprehensive investment programs that align perfectly with their go-to-market strategies. A selection of the firm's senior analysts will be present throughout GITEX Technology Week to discuss the market's latest developments and offer strategic guidance on moving to the next stage of digital transformation.

IDC has been working closely with some of the GCC's most influential ICT development authorities in recent years, providing expert guidance on spurring the adoption of innovative information and communication technologies across the region. These authorities include the likes of the ICT Fund in the UAE and the Central Agency of Information Technology in Kuwait.

In Saudi Arabia, the Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) has relied on IDC for almost a decade to conduct nationwide research, with the firm's most recent reports covering the latest developments in ecommerce, cloud and datacenters, mobility, ICT investments, and the ICT workforce, among others. IDC is closely aligned with the Kingdom's transformation initiatives and was the first international ICT advisory firm to author a report on the impact of ICT on the ambitious National Transformation Program (NTP).

Over in Egypt, IDC has conducted a thorough research study for the country's Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) to estimate the size of the Egyptian ICT exports market (including offshore services, onshore services, and captive centers), forecast its growth through 2021, and assess the country's potential to be positioned as the world's leading offshore destination.

For more information and to arrange an exclusive one-to-one meeting with an IDC analyst, please contact Sheila Manek at smanek@idc.com or on +971 4 446 3154. You can also keep up to date on all the latest news by using the hashtag #IDCATGITEX.