Don't Dismiss Education Software Sales

By Gennifer Biggs, Business Solutions magazine.

Growth opportunities in the IT industry invariably include the education vertical, and 2010 IT spending projections are no exception. Industry research firm Gartner forecasts educators will invest nearly $55M in IT this year, with software sales playing a big role in that spend, driven by unwavering curriculum and security needs. Additionally, spending on software in general has held strong the last few years and is expected to account for $231B worldwide in 2010, says Gartner. As a VAR focused on software sales in the public sector, Software Express is heavily involved with the K-12 and higher education markets. It has reaped the benefits of strong education IT spending in the past, enjoying about $5.8M in sales revenue last year, and expects 2010 to be even stronger. In fact, the company is forecasting about 10% growth, fueled by the rich education IT software market. But don't be fooled; there are tricks to making a successful sell into education.