There will be "modest" overall IT spending growth in 2010, driven by the migration to cloud-based services and green IT systems, said analyst IDC.

IDC predicts that worldwide IT spending will grow by 3.2% in 2010, returning the industry to 2008 spending levels of about $1.5 trillion. Hardware, software and services spending will each grow in the 2-4% range, with hardware experiencing the most notable gains after a particularly difficult 2009.

Emerging markets will drive more than half the new IT industry growth in 2010, with IT spending up 8-13% in the BRIC countries of Brazil, Russia, India, and China.

The analyst said the most important transformational force in the IT market will be the continuing build-out and maturing of cloud services. The emergence of "enterprise-grade" cloud services will be a key theme in this area. Significant opportunities will also unfold for public IT cloud services, private clouds, cloud appliances, and hybrid cloud management tools.

There will also be a renewed focus on reducing CO2 emissions at both the national and international levels. This will present opportunities for IT solutions to help reduce greenhouse gases while challenging the industry's energy use and disposal costs, said IDC.