10 Government IT Predictions For 2012: IDC10 Government IT Predictions For 2012: IDC

Cloud computing, social media, and mobile solutions top research firm IDC's top 10 predictions for the government IT market in 2012.

Federal, state, and local governments will spend about $82.4 billion on hardware, software, and IT services in 2012, according to IDC Government Insights, and that investment will align with four key themes: operational efficiency, mobility, smart government, and economic stability.

Data center consolidation, a trend with considerable momentum already behind it, will continue to inform government IT decisions next year. State and local governments will take the federal government's lead and begin to do away with smaller data centers, according to IDC.

Governments also will tap technology to "do more with less" and increasingly depend on externally hosted systems and services in 2012, the firm said.

[ Learn how the government is making strides toward its IT goals. Read Federal CIO: Project Oversight Saves $1 Billion. ]

IDC Government Insight's top 10 predictions for the government space next year are as follows: