The purchasing of information technology products and services continued its downward trend in Spain according to a quarterly report conducted by Price Waterhouse for the Spanish Ministry of Industry & Energy’s General Board of Electronics and New Technology. From July to September, there was a marked reduction in hardware purchases and software purchases were almost non-existent compared to the first quarter of last year. The study also reveals doubts as to whether hardware purchases will pick up in the next 12 months or whether they will drop in favour of leasing. Software purchases for the third quarter increased to 38.5% but did not reach the 43.1% level of the first quarter. However, 45.1% of companies intend to purchase in the next 12 months, flat with the second quarter and breaking the downward trend that started a year before. With regard to the prospects for in-house software development for the next 12 months, there was a significant decrease, according to Price Waterhouse’s report: 55.8% of companies will increase development compared to the 61.1% in the previous quarter. From the point of view of different market sectors 74% of companies in the financial sector say they made hardware purchases during the third quarter of last year, while this figure was 63% in the public sector and 60% in distribution. Services and manufacturing were the sectors with the least purchases. As for the future, the service industry and the financial and insurance sectors have the most optimistic forecast for both hardware and software purchasing. Over the next 12 months the services sector may spend the most money on software according to company statements.
