Gartner presents Top 100 Vendors in IT

Gartner has launched the top global 100 vendors in IT in 2016 based on their revenue across IT (excluding communication services) and component market segments, in which Apple was the largest vendor with more than $218 billion in IT revenue- approximately $79 billion higher than the No. 2 vendor, Samsung Vendor Group. Gartner analysts presented these findings during the Gartner Tech Growth & Innovation Conference, which is taking place in Huntington Beach, California.

Technology business leaders can use the Gartner Global Top 100: IT to benchmark competitive performance against a shift from the Nexus of Forces (the convergence of social, mobility, cloud and information that drive new business scenarios) to digital business as the driver of IT purchasing. The top three vendors (Apple, Samsung Vendor Group and Google) can attribute much of their size to their solid alignment with the Nexus of Forces. Microsoft was a large and influential company when the Nexus of Forces began, having grown to market leadership during the web and e-business phase, and has managed to pivot to remain relevant. IBM gained its size and market dominance in the very earliest IT markets when servers, storage and consulting services dominated. The need for these devices and services, along with mobile phones and PCs will remain - cloud will underpin all digital business initiatives - but they will become more commoditized and less of a driver for new projects and spending.

"The needs of IT buyers are shifting. CEOs are focussed on growth and are more focussed on realizing business outcomes from their IT spend," said John-David Lovelock, Vice- President and distinguished analyst, Gartner. "The Nexus of Forces has been the focus of attention for many years. However, the impact of digital business is giving rise to new categories."

As enterprises increasingly digitalize their products and services, digital giants (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent) can become involved in, or even take over, the digital experience. Gartner predicts that by 2021, 20 per cent of all activities an individual engages in will involve at least one of the top seven digital giants. The focus of the digital giants has mainly been on the consumer, citizen and employee world. Because the digital giants have not yet been as focussed on business to business (B2B), there is opportunity for other companies to take the lead.

Tags: Gartner, Gartner Top 100 Vendors, revenue across IT, Samsung Vendor Group, Gartner Global Top 100, John-David Lovelock Gartner, digital giants, Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent