Market Analysis

The cloud security services market grew 13.5% in 2014 to $7.2bn worldwide, up from $6.3bn the previous year, says Infonetics Research.

Demand for intelligent workplace management techniques is on the up, according to Frost & Sullivan, which cites the following as key drivers: The need for real-time information to accelerate decision making processes, manage remote employees, individual workers and distributed value chain vendors, and secure the connected open infrastructure.

After years of on-off discussion and persistent industry speculation, Nokia has confirmed it will acquire Alcatel-Lucent (ALU), its rival in the telecom equipment business, for EUR 15.6 billion (a 28% premium for shareholders). Subject to regulatory approval, the all-paper deal is expected to close during the first half of 2016.

As Intel's March 12th warning led many to expect, PC sales were weak in Q1: IDC estimates shipments fell 6.7% yr/yr to 68.5m, a much sharper drop than Q4's 2.4% and Q3/Q2's 1.7%. Gartner estimates shipments fell 5.2% to 71.7m. With IDC also reporting of price pressure, revenue declines might be larger.

The Barclays Employers' Survey 2015, which questioned 666 UK businesses on a range of employment-related topics, has revealed that 72% of telecoms companies surveyed will be creating new roles (2014: 77%).

MWC 2015 - a personal view by Andrew Skinner, Relationship Director for Barclays' Technology Media and Telecoms Team

MWC 2015 welcomed a record number of visitors and exhibitors through its doors. The event has morphed from a mobile industry congress to a broader ICT-TMT-mobility fair at which telecoms meets digital media, IT, and entertainment. The extent to which the telecoms industry is part of this broader technology and entertainment landscape is a moot point.

The emerging Back Office Workforce Optimisation (BOWFO) market has emerged as an attractive, emerging category with high growth potential, according to analyst form Frost & Sullivan in a new study.