Codestone

Category: Support & Managed Services

Demand for IT managed services saw a major increase during the last three months of 2010, according to a new report.

Analyst Ovum has published data for the fourth quarter of last year showing that the value of IT services contracts worldwide came to a total of $49 billion (£30.41 billion).

This was not only 66 per cent higher than the amount seen in the preceding three months, but it also represented the single largest quarterly total contract value for more than four years.

According to Ovum, this growth was driven by a surge in the number of outsourced IT "mega-deals", with more contracts of this kind signed during Q4 2010 than in the previous nine months combined.

Ovum analyst Ed Thomas said: "It remains to be seen whether the spectacular end to the year is simply a blip or a sign of better times to come for the IT services industry in 2011."

Last week, information services provider TPI published research showing that commercial outsourcing grew in popularity across Europe in the last quarter, due to the amount of corporate restructuring that is currently taking place.

Posted by Lara Ward