What should the IT industry take from the G20?

An analyst from Ovum has made comment today on the implications of talks at the G20 summit on the IT industry and where it should make investments.

Tola Sargeant, principal analyst for the government team at Ovum, believes the talks at the summit, held last week in London, and measures proposed are unlikely to have a "significant immediate impact" on software and IT services in the UK, but it's not all bad news.

Sargeant said in her statement: “Even if suppliers tend to think statements like these [from the G20 summit] are empty rhetoric, software and IT service suppliers targeting the public sector will benefit from a strong green IT agenda - particularly, as Ovum has said before, if it can be shown to cut costs at the same time.”

“Technologies such as video conferencing, cloud computing and virtualisation could be winners in the longer term as a result.”

Sargeant also said that many G20 member states are investing in education, which the IT industry should see as an opportunity.

The same goes for healthcare, which is another focus of worldwide government - especially if you consider the health funding package that Obama has proposed in the US or the £12 million that will be spent on the National Programme for IT system in the NHS.

She said: “Healthcare IT [is an area] that many governments around the world are currently planning to invest in despite the recession. This presents welcome opportunities for suppliers with the right products or services and an established track record in the sector.”

Despite the strong figures, she cautioned against getting "too carried away", as the economic downturn still offers big challenges.

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