IT spending is up, and while many companies are directing it at maintenance, a growing number are focusing on growth and competitiveness, according to research from PwC. Security and analytics are high on the budgets at most of these companies, while social media and cloud computing are attracting dollars at fewer of them. Baseline magazine's Jennifer Lawinski outlines the top areas where private businesses are spending their IT budget.

Of the companies planning to increase their IT spending, 36 percent will focus the investment on innovation, and 64 percent will focus on maintenance, PwC found. Security is on the minds of the majority of these firms, and a full 70 percent said they will be directing IT dollars to it. Meanwhile, data management and analytics--two other very hot topics--will attract investment from half of the companies, and enterprise mobility will get an infusion at 48 percent of them.

Social media, cloud computing, virtualization and video are attracting less investment interest among private companies. Fewer than half of the firms plan to spend on social media and networking, while just 36 percent expect to spend IT dollars on video.

For more:
- see Jennifer Lawinski's slideshow at Baseline

Related Articles:
How to get back some of your IT spending
State IT budgets likely to face continued austerity
Figuring out what drives your business