Govt IT spending to hit $588.9 billion in 2023, up 6.8%

Worldwide government IT spending is forecast to total $588.9 billion in 2023, an increase of 6.8% from 2022, according to Gartner, the research and consultiing firm.

On the latest finding, Daniel Snyder, Director Analyst at Gartner, comments, "Government organisations are continuing to modernise legacy IT and invest in initiatives that improve access to digital services as constituents increasingly demand experiences that are equivalent to online customer interactions in the private sector."

Snyder continues, "The total experience (TX) framework, which helps agencies manage employee and citizen interactions, is enabling transformation and will remain among the main drivers of IT spend in 2023."

Along with improving the citizen experience and engagement, a cohesive TX strategy will help governments advance digital skills and literacy in their workforces by providing modern tools and approaches to lessen friction in government work, Gartner states.

On the other hand, failing to build a solid TX strategy increases service friction, leading to risk of service delays and underwhelming service experiences.

In 2023, Gartner finds government IT spending is forecast to increase across all segments except devices, as government end-users extend the useful life of their devices that were acquired at the onset of the pandemic.Software will be the highest growing segment in 2023 followed by IT services and internal services.

Initiatives such as migrating services to the cloud, modernising applications, and fortifying network security are among the primary innovation priorities that governments are focused on to improve public engagement and satisfaction.

Another key finding from Gartner is that government CIOs will prioritise improved use of data and digitalisation across organisations. 

According to the 2023 Gartner CIO and Technology Executive Survey, digital transformation, leveraging and using data effectively and technology modernisation are the top three priorities of government CIOs.

Apeksha Kaushik, Principal Analyst at Gartner, comments, "Delivering on these priorities depends on establishing a shared, organisation-wide digital vision and integrating that vision into enterprise-level strategies."

Kaushik says, "In alignment to these priorities, investments will increase in cybersecurity, application modernisation, cloud platforms, integration technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), and business/data analytics tools."

At the same time, Gartner finds that CIOs will have to tackle challenges such as varying stakeholder expectations and developing action plans accordingly.

"Government CIOs will need to address concerns of digital transformation with mission objectives. They need to work closely with government executives to ensure a shared understanding of vision, roadmap and linkage to mission critical priorities," added Kaushik.