Will measurement and testing drive oil IT sales?

New solutions for measurement and testing applications could be among the avenues for IT investment outlined by analyst Forrester in a newly published report on the oil industry.

The market research firm explains that the oil industry is one of the IT sector's developing vertical markets, offering vendors the chance to target specific needs within the channel.

Measurement and testing solutions could be among these, along with specific areas such as flow rate analysis and more general options for personal safety and other such issues.

Due to the market size of the oil industry - and its hi-tech nature - Forrester argues that there exists a substantial opportunity for IT vendors able to serve the needs of the sector.

"The ICT industry is facing the next big wave of verticalisation," the report asserts.

"With business challenges becoming increasingly complex, ICT solutions to address and solve these challenges need to become more tailored."

The report follows forecasts from analyst IDC made early in August, when the research firm foresaw increased IT spending among oil and gas operators in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon leak in the Gulf of Mexico.