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Due to stronger-than-expected economic and profit growth revealed in 2003 year-end GDP and financial reports, Forrester Research, Inc. (Nasdaq: FORR) is raising its forecast for US IT spending growth to 5 percent in 2004, up from 4 percent. In related research, Forrester's first CIO Confidence Poll, a survey of North American CIOs, confirms growing optimism for this business outlook -- but with a continuation of the trend in IT to "do more with less."
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-- Computer hardware will grow by 10 percent.
-- Software will grow by 8 percent, mostly for infrastructure and security software, but with some growth in enterprise applications.
-- Networking and communications equipment will be softer at 1 percent growth, due to higher 2003 numbers.
-- Although typically cost-saving investments, Linux and offshore outsourcing continue to be at the bottom of the list of spending priorities.
-- The government sector has the largest proportion of the total US IT spending of any industry.
-- The rate of price decline has slowed for computers, suggesting that stronger demand is stabilizing hardware prices
