Education sector organisations in Australia will spend about $1.8 billion on IT in 2012, an increase of less than one percent over 2011, said technology research firm Gartner.

 

The spending growth will increase to on average 2.7 percent from 2013 to 2015, with forecast including spending by higher education institutions; primary/secondary schools on hardware; software; external; and internal IT services.

Telecommunications is forecast to represent the biggest spending category, reaching almost $628 million in 2012. However, spending on software is expected to grow the fastest in 2012, up by eight percent.

Gartner research director Marti Harris said the impact of consumerisation and the cloud over the past few years is now creating technical turmoil that is hitting the education sector with full force.
 

“Many university CIOs are scrambling to deal with it, while at the same time making quick progress in narrow areas, such as email in the cloud for students or identity and access management,” said Ms Harris.

“In general, the response is very clear: go back to the roots, focus on your core competencies and build a flexible infrastructure. However, we believe there should be more focus on the direct productivity of the institution and the faculty/student.”

According to Ms Harris, education institutions have always been and should continue to be a safe haven for diversity and innovation founded in the tradition of academic freedom.

“This is increasingly difficult, however, in a challenging financial climate that favours economies of scale that imply standardisation, not flexibility,” she said.

“Also where existing technical solutions take time, are costly to change and so are seen as inhibitors rather than enablers of change.

“Education sector CIOs need to find a way to better exploit technology by harnessing and integrating the innovative power of faculty and students for their own personal productivity and open up institutional infrastructures even more.”