The solution could come from the public sector, where investments are usually much higher than those in the private sector. So far, unlike the private sector, which chose to cut investment budgets in the area of business solutions, the public sector froze these funds, according to players in the field. “We should see a rebound in 2010. The market is so low that something has to happen, and a €50 million investment in the public sector would mean almost as much as the value of the entire market in one year. The crisis has not peaked yet. This will happen in mid-2010, or even later,” Valentin Tomsa, General Manager of SAP Romania, said.
As of the third quarter of 2008, the financial and economic crisis, combined with the political instability, have gradually cut IT-related expenses, and companies were left with 70-75 percent of budgets drafted last year, according to Pierre Audoin Consultants (PAC).
“The crisis caught many companies with unused resources, but many times these do not know what they need or if they obtained what they requested, following a contract. This also happens in the public sector where, in my opinion, a body should be created, that should be given certain rights, to shed some light on the system,” Radu Magda, General Manager of Computer Sharing, said.
Moreover, “the way IT companies have opted to compete in this time of crisis is totally inefficient, even harmful to the business environment, the market, and the IT industry in general,” said Eugen Schwab Chesaru, Managing Director for Central an Eastern Europe of PAC.
