Business intelligence spending on the up

Sales of Business Intelligence software were worth $10.5bn in 2010 with SAP once again selling the most, according to the latest research from Gartner.

Total sales of BI software which includes platforms, business analytics and performance management applications were 13.4% higher in 2010 than the previous year.

SAP accounted for almost 23% of total sales, with nearest rival Oracle taking 15.6% of total revenues. IBM, SAS Institute and Microsoft are the other major suppliers.

Dan Sommer (pictured), principal research analyst at Gartner, says a confluence of factors have spurred BI spending.

"In 2010, the global resurgence from stimulus packages, general improvement in the macro-economy, and new product releases contributed to a surge in BI software spending."

"BI spending has far surpassed IT budget growth overall for several years, and it is clear that BI continues to be a technology at the centre of information-driven initiatives in organisations."

Speaking to Computer Weekly earlier BG Srinivas, the European head of Indian IT services provider Infosys, said business analytics was one area that large corporates were spending on as the economy recovers.

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