Based on its Data Centres, Worldwide, 2010-2015 forecast, Gartner's research director, Jon Hardcastle, said that spending in the data centre space will surpass 2008 levels thanks to an increased investment in storage.

"Worldwide data centre hardware spending will finally reach and surpass 2008 levels," Hardcastle said.

"Storage is the main driver for growth, [and] although only a quarter of data centre hardware spending is on storage, almost half of the growth in spending will be from the storage market."

The spending will equate to a 12.7 per cent increase from 2010, with Hardcastle saying that in-house data centres are coming under attack as a result.

"Firstly, virtualisation technologies are helping companies to utilise their infrastructure more effectively, inhibiting overall system growth," Hardcastle said.