SAN FRANCISCO -- A September poll of CIOs predicts IT budgets will grow 6.5% over the next 12 months, down slightly from 6.9% in June.

Optimism among CIOs at the biggest companies was higher than in the previous two quarters, suggesting seasonal strength among the biggest companies as the year ends, said Deutsche Bank, which cosponsors the poll. 
By segment, spending projections were down in security software and computer hardware, and up in storage systems . Very large (>5,000 workers) and very small firms (1 to 100 workers) were bullish, with CIOs expecting 8% and 10% growth in the next 12 months (up from 6% and 5% in June), respectively.

Medium (501 to 1,000 workers) and large (1,000 to 5,000 workers) sized firms were more cautious. There, CIOs expect 5% growth, down from 10% and 6% in June, respectively. Small firms (101-500) were the least optimistic, at 5% growth, down four points from June.

Storage systems, computer hardware and security software are top priorities of corporate CIOs, the poll found.  Just over 48% of respondents plan to increase spending on storage systems, up from 46.1% in June. Among large companies, 64.1% of CIOs predicted increased spending (vs. 57.7% previously).

Meanwhile, 46.9% of respondents plan to increase spending on computer hardware, versus 48.1% previously.