Profound differences have always existed between the U.S. and Europe. Languages, cultures, business practices, and legal requirements are among the obvious distinctions, along with unique ways in which technology is adopted and advanced. Rarely, however, do we get much of a glimpse into the contrasting market dynamics or the similarities from one region to the next.

As an industry organization that is expanding on a global basis, the GTDC is gaining more insight than ever into how the tech wheels are turning in different parts of the world. Now we can see even more clearly what’s happening in IT on both sides of the Atlantic, with the GTDC PC Market Index, tracking from a normalized starting point the progress of this comprehensive industry category from Q1 2009 to Q4 2010. Based on actual distributor sales data aggregated by The NPD Group in the U.S. and Context SalesWatch in Europe, the index tracks the entire category’s recovery from the tumultuous recession that began in the fourth quarter of 2008.

Products in the index range from desktops, notebooks and tablets to workstations and servers. Among the interesting findings you’ll see is how these different subcategories are advancing either in revenue, unit volume, ASPs or all three variables in the U.S. and Europe. The paths of recovery also differ dramatically when considering the sharp seasonality fluctuations that affect Europe.

The GTDC PC Market Index provides a new window into IT industry dynamics – the window that IT distributors open to the channel, which is increasingly embraced as the best route to small, midsize and large enterprises worldwide. And when you look closely at each index for Europe and the U.S., you’ll see very encouraging signs in both regions, as the U.S. steadily climbed higher quarter after quarter over the past two years, and Europe achieved significant gains in each quarter of 2010 compared to the same period in 2009.

How do you see IT market trends shaping up in your part of the world? Is 2011 off to a solid start?

I’ve started this blog to give a bit more exposure to what’s happening behind the scenes in IT distribution. It’s true that the industry operates outside the general public limelight, as is typically the case with other types of wholesalers. As the chairman of the Global Technology Distribution Council, I have a personal goal to do what I can to help raise the industry’s visibility. My writings here are just one step in the process, and I welcome your feedback and suggestions any time on this topic — as well as any others you consider relevant to the GTDC’s role and activities.

If you’re not familiar with the GTDC, please take a moment to check out our Web site, beginning with the home page at www.gtdc.org. Here you’ll see entry points for each of our four primary audiences: IT vendors, investors, media, and, of course, GTDC members – the world’s leading providers of IT products and services throughout the world.

In this first entry of Curran’s Cuts, I want to shed some light on current macro trends based on NPD and Context databases that aggregate the actual sales-out results of IT distributors in the U.S. and Europe. We’ve analyzed year-to-date developments in detail against historical trends, and think you’ll agree that the picture is pretty encouraging. While distributors have certainly shown strong revenue growth compared to last year, such comparisons are less compelling because of the weak demand environment in 2009. What’s far more telling is that 2010 results are exceeding peak levels achieved prior to the industry slowdown in 2008. Of course, we can’t declare that we’re completely out of the woods, but that’s an indicator worth crowing about.

Want to learn more about the overall IT industry trends – including major drivers fueling the recovery? Check out the latest edition of our TechView Webcast. You can also access a related press release the GTDC recently distributed.

What trends are you seeing? Share your thoughts here!