Daniel Dunn, president of Oak Brook-based Aqueity Inc., said his company has been getting more clients and they're spending money even discretionary funds, which wasn't the case during the height of the recession.
His small and mid-sized business clients now are seeking upgrades to their equipment and network, sprucing up their websites, and even exploring cloud computing, known as Internet-based computing with shared resources, software and information that are provided on demand.
"Overall, we're seeing quite a bit of spending," Dunn said. "It's been roaring back."
That optimism is expected to become even stronger this year, said a report by Downers Grove-based Comptia, an association for information technology professionals.
The group's IT Industry Business Confidence Index said the tech industry, here and nationwide, has renewed confidence in the growing economy. IT execs who were part of the survey said they'll continue to grow, at least for the next six months. They said they intend to put more money into their technology to help grow their businesses.
"Spending by consumers and businesses has picked up," said Tim Herbert, vice president of research for Comptia.
Companies that have postponed such investments, or avoided adding anything new, are now opening their wallets. Investments include buying new computers, upgrading websites, building an e-commerce app, and adding more data storage capacity.
"The reason spending has
picked up is because many consumers and businesses are less fearful of a double-dip recession," Herbert said.
He said there are other factors, too, including the solid performance of the stock market during the fourth quarter, good holiday sales at many retailers, and the unemployment rate that has inched lower, although it's still at a high level.
Joshua Chamness, owner of Naperville-based SMB Solutions Inc., has now seen the most growth since he started two years ago. While he runs solo now, he may hire two workers to help him with the added clients, which include lawyers, doctors and financial firms.
"A lot of clients are getting more into complete managed services," said Chamness.
Marc Fargotstein, owner of Buffalo Grove-based Computer Services, which serves individuals as well as home-based businesses and other small businesses, also has seen an uptick.
"They're buying and setting up more computers," said Fargotstein.
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