Meet the Challenges
from COVID-19 Head On

Anticipate Market Changes and Keep Business Moving


The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is impacting the global economy at nearly every level and IT markets will not be spared. Based on early indicators from the first quarter, IDC expects to see a significant slowdown in spending during the first half of 2020 as the crisis reverberates through all sectors of the economy. The outlook for the second half of the year, and beyond, remains uncertain as the scope of the virus and its impact on production, supply chains, and demand will determine when the recovery phase begins and how quickly it progresses.

In the weeks and months ahead IDC will continuously update our market data and outlook to reflect our best understanding of what is happening in IT markets worldwide to ensure that our customers have the information they need to make critical business decisions.

A message from
IDC President,
Crawford Del Prete
Coronavirus Impact:

Worldwide IT Spending Forecasts

Worldwide YoY IT Spending Growth 2020
(% constant currency)

Includes IT spending only; excludes telecom spending and new categories

The Probable and Pessimistic scenarios reflect IDC's latest estimates of the possible impact on all technologies.


Source: IDC’s Worldwide Black Book: Live Edition (February 2020)

Coronavirus Impact:

IT Spending 2020-2023

Worldwide IT Spending YoY Growth,
February 2020 Forecast

Includes IT spending only; excludes telecom spending and new categories

The Probable and Pessimistic scenarios reflect IDC's latest estimates of the possible impact on all technologies.


Source: IDC’s Worldwide Black Book: Live Edition (February 2020)

Coronavirus Impact:

IT Spending by Technology 2020

Worldwide YoY 2020 Growth (constant currency),
February Forecasts

Includes IT spending only; excludes telecom spending and new categories

The Probable and Pessimistic scenarios reflect IDC's latest estimates of the possible impact on all technologies.


Source: IDC’s Worldwide Black Book: Live Edition (February 2020)

Featured Press Releases

Worldwide Server and Enterprise Storage Systems Markets Will Decline in 2020, Impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic, According to IDC

March 27, 2020


End user spending on IT infrastructure (server and enterprise storage systems) will decline in 2020 as a result of the widespread coronavirus pandemic. According to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Server Tracker and Worldwide Quarterly Enterprise Storage Systems Tracker, under the current probable scenario server market revenues will decline 3.4% year over year to $88.6 billion and external enterprise storage systems (ESS) revenues will decline 5.5% to $28.7 billion in 2020.

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COVID-19 To Have Significant Effect on Worldwide Semiconductor Market in 2020, According to IDC

March 18, 2020

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AR and VR Headsets Will See Shipments Decline in the Near Term Due to COVID-19, But Long-term Outlook Is Positive, According to IDC

March 18, 2020

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IDC Expects 2021 to Be the Year of Multi-Cloud as Global COVID-19 Pandemic Reaffirms Critical Need for Business Agility

March 31, 2020

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Additional Press Releases

Additional Resources

Blog: Remote Work in the COVID19 Era – Are We Ready?

Holly Muscolino

March 16, 2020


Organizations must examine their work models and find ways to empower remote work in response to COVID-19 and beyond. Learn more with IDC's Holly Muscolino.

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Blog: COVID-19: 10 Traits for Government and Healthcare System Resilience

Jan Alexa, Silvia Piai

March 23, 2020

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Blog: Cybersecurity Challenges in the Time of the New Coronavirus

Claudio Stahnke

March 10, 2020

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Blog: How the Coronavirus Outbreak Is Impacting the Manufacturing Industry

Maggie Slowek, Jan Burian, Lorenzo Veronesi

March 18, 2020

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More Additional Resources

Featured Research

COVID-19 Impact on the Retail Industry

Leslie Hand

March 31, 2020 | Doc #US46171420


This IDC Tech Buyer Presentation examines the impact of COVID-19 on the retail industry. As the coronavirus continues to spread around the world, there have been significant impacts to consumer behavior, product demand, and retail store, factory, and logistics services availability. Growth estimates for global retail in 2020 will be halved from pre-COVID-19 forecasts, overall, but impacts are uneven.

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Supply Chains in the Post-COVID-19 Era: Changes to Expect

Jordan Speer

March 31, 2020 | Doc #US46156320

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Leading by Example: What Services Companies Should Do in the COVID-19 Crisis

Douglas Hayward, Tom Seal, Ewa Zborowska, Cathy Huang, Mukesh Dialani, Chad Huston, Bjoern Stengel

March 30, 2020 | Doc #US46164220

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Jump-Starting Collaboration in the COVID-19 Era

Wayne Kurtzman, Megha Kumar

March 27, 2020 | Doc #US46134720

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Additional Research

How to Create Successful Events in Uncertain Times

IDC is committed to helping you drive audience engagement with a digital-first mindset.

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