IDC held its Directions conference to help IT industry players plot their way forward.

Kathy Gibson reports

 

Not all doom and gloom for SA’s IT market

South Africa is no stranger to bad news. As 2020 unfolds, every day seems to bring another blow to the business community.

But local companies still have to do business and move forward, despite – or because of – market conditions.

“We need to take things as they are and make the best of it,” says Mark Walker, associate vice-president: South Africa at IDC. “We talk in the industry about innovation – and we need to innovate, and find out how to service our customers better, and partner better.

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Growth and opportunities for SA’s IT sector

An uncertain economy is top of mind for South African organisations.

But IT is a subset of the total economy and there are still opportunities for the industry, says Jonathan Tullett, research manager – IT services: Africa at IDC.

The ongoing skills shortage is one of the issues that is curtailing IT investments with an imbalance still evident, he says.

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IT challenged to match business needs

The message from CIOs is very clear – there is money on the table as long as the industry offers value.

This is according to Wilson Xavier, research director – IT services: META at IDC, who adds that enterprise IT is shifting to the digital enterprise.

Organisations are shifting, realising the need to change their business models. This means that enterprise IT is shifting and this has an impact on IT spend.

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How IT can help transform organisations

Attaining the future enterprise is the key outcome of all digital transformation exercises – and it’s up to the IT organisation to make sure it happens.

Indeed, organisations are going to spend $5,2-trillion in digital transformation over the next three years, and it will account for more than half of all IT spend, according to IDC.

South Africa’s GDP growth may be faltering, and every region of the world has seen a slowdown over the last year or two, but in Africa the GDP is looking up slightly for 2020.

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Where to for the SA economy?

Is South Africa running out of time to turn its economy around? It may well be at the point of do or die right now.

Things are tough, says Gina Schoeman, director, economist and head of research at Citibank South Africa.

“We find ourselves in a place of flux at the moment and there are so many turning points right now.

“We are in dire straits,” she stresses.

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