Fewer will cut 2002 IT budgets.

• Position: Business Briefs

Even in this weak economy, 60 percent of companies polled recently said they planned to increase information technology (IT) spending this year. The survey, which comprised 1,048 respondents in over 20 industries that spend more than $35 billion on technology, was conducted by research and advisory firm Gartner, Inc. and Sound View Technology Group Inc., an investment banking firm focused on the technology sector.

Arnie Berman, chief technology strategist at Sound View Technology, said, "Last year, user priorities were dictated by the question, 'Which of these new projects can we do without?' In 2002, the new question to determine the shape of IT spending is: 'What do we need to do to be safe, no matter what happens?"'

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