The CompTIA IT Industry Business Confidence Index was unchanged in Q4, and information technology industry executives expect business conditions to hold steady over the next two quarters.

The Q4 index stands at 61.7 on a 100-point scale. The index is based on IT executives' opinions of the U.S economy, the IT industry and their own company. A total of 257 U.S. technology companies participated in the survey, conducted in early October.

Individually, the index's three components showed little movement from Q3 to Q4. Sentiment about the U.S. economy and the overall industry dipped slightly. The company self-assessment component recorded a modest increase of 0.8 points.

The survey data shows a few key differences in sentiment based on company size.

"The smallest of technology firms have a slightly more bearish view of the economy and the outlook for their business" said Tim Herbert, senior vice president, research and market intelligence, CompTIA. "This typically stems from being more sensitive to fluctuations in the economy or their customer base."

Overall, a strong majority of IT companies (74 percent) report being on target or ahead of revenue goals for 2016. This is a slight improvement over the Q3 result of 71 percent.

Looking ahead, industry executives expect little change in the business climate for the next two quarters.

"Beyond the usual concerns over customers cutting-back on spending, tech industry executives express a growing concern over new forms of competition and new types of competitors entering their space," said Herbert.