This IDC study provides a top-down sizing of the enterprise asset management (EAM) applications market in 2007 and a 2008-2012 forecast for this market. Spending for EAM applications will increase as manufacturers and service providers in industrialized and industrializing countries rely ever more on automation software to strengthen their competitiveness.

Michael Fauscette, GVP of IDC's Software Business Solutions, explains, "Opportunities for software providers in the EAM applications market are growing as users become increasingly aware of the benefits they can achieve. The market is driven by new technologies and faster new product introductions as well as by pressures for better quality and greater maintenance and repair efficiency. At the same time, standalone vendors are consolidating, offering a broader spectrum of industry expertise, more funding for R&D, and improvements in end-user support."