Mobile, cloud computing spending to take off in 2012

Decline of the PC set to continue, says IDC

Businesses will invest heavily in mobile and cloud computing in 2012, according to an analyst report, as companies and consumers continue to turn away from the PC.

Global spending on tablets and mobile phones will surpass that of PCs in 2012, according to the IDC Predictions 2012: Competing for 2020 report. Meanwhile mobile app downloads will hit 85 billion in 2012 - generating more revenue than the mainframe market - while mobile data network spending will also exceed fixed data network spending for the first time.

There will be a move to make cloud the default platform for business software in 2012, with 80 per cent of new commercial enterprise apps being deployed on cloud platforms. Increased use of cloud services by business will allow the major platform holders to begin generating revenues in excess of $1bn, with IDC predicting that Amazon Web Services cloud services business will hit this level of return next year, followed by Google's cloud based Google Enterprise services within 18 months.

There will be 85 billion mobile app downloads in 2012 according to IDC Predictions 2012: Competing for 2020 reportPhoto: Cristiano Betta

And as the volume of digital content being generated grows to 2.7 zettabytes in 2012, up 48 per cent from 2011, new systems that offer rapid analysis of large datasets, such as in-memory computing, are expected to gain traction.

Investment in cloud computing, mobile, social networking and big data analytics will account for at least 80 per cent of IT spending growth between now and 2020, according to the report.

"Even though the IT industry will follow along the same transformational path as it did in 2011, the events, the choices, and the stakes will be very different in 2012," Frank Gens, senior vice president and chief analyst at IDC said in a statement. "The urgency to act - and to make the right decisions - will dramatically increase."