Gartner: Cloud computing revenues to surpass $50b

Worldwide revenue from cloud computing services will surpass $56.3 billion this year, according to a leading technology analyst.
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Gartner Research has predicted that this IT market will increase by 21 per cent from 2008's figure of $46 billion, before passing the $150 billion mark in 2013.

In addition, the report disclosed that much of the cloud computing presently revolves around software systems delivered as services.

Ben Pring, research vice president for Gartner, believes that IT trends are "shifting".

He said: "Cloud computing is a broad and diverse phenomenon. Much of the growth represents a transfer of traditional IT services to the new cloud model, but there is also scope for creation of substantial new businesses and revenue streams."

Earlier this month, the market intelligence firm IDC made a similar prediction regarding cloud computing, but was slightly more conservative with its forecast of revenues of $42 million by 2012.

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BY Liam Hodkinson
Source：Experian QAS