Good or bad? Heads or tails? It is anyone's call, as much of the last month has seen many debates on how the current Euro crisis and signs of slowdown in China and India might plunge Asia into a slow 2012.

Add to that there is the US snail-like recovery plus ongoing cost and inflationary pressures across Asia, and it seems that the only certainty for markets ahead is “uncertainty”.

But despite these signs of uncertainty, a recent survey by Enterprise Innovation showed that IT leaders in Asia are for now still optimistic for the coming year. The survey findings showed that 38% of IT leaders polled indicated they were in a growth and expansion mode for the coming year, while for 30% the outlook was to consolidate but still keeping growth plans on track. Only 25% of respondents noted an emphasis on cost control and a limited growth outlook.

Spending up for 2012   

Budget-wise, 36% of IT leaders polled indicated a rise on IT spending for next year, while 33% expect the same level of spending. Only 17% reported an expected reduction in IT spending.

So despite the volatility of recent times the perception of a gloomy 2012 has not fully materialized into actual negativity yet here in Asia. Business outlook and IT spending expectations are still clearly in the positive.  At Cathay Pacific where the markets fluctuate more than most other verticals, IT budgets are dependent on multiple factors but according to its Director and CIO, Tomasz Smaczny, "Cathay will be spending comparably more next year but will still be in line with overall business growth and long term needs." He added that Cathay is in fact in heavy catchup mode with multiple ongoing IT investments.

With regards to how Asia might weather the current storm in Europe, Smaczny could only guess at the impact on Asia. "If I knew the answer I'd know where to invest but personally I think Asia will survive the current economic troubles only if China keeps growing at a reasonable rate and Chinese refocus on their internal consumption as oppose to growing exports."

"At DHL, budgets will go up by a single digit percentage point," said Sue Bartlett (above), CIO at DHL Asia Pacific. "Our goal is to operate even more efficiently and optimize every dollar, thus the growth in our IT budget will be less than the growth in the overall business," she said.

Supply chain resistance

Bartlett added that the business outlook is good for 2012 with the supply chain business in Asia still growing. "More customers are recognizing the expertise of third party logistics, and moving more of their business over to us," she said. "We had a strong year this year and we expect further growth next year, despite the gloomy global forecast. Logistics outsourcing is growing with the expansion of domestic demand in the region."