IBM chief says sales uncertain following attacks

IBM chief executive Lou Gerstner said on Monday it was too early to tell what impact the 11 September terror attacks will have on technology spending.

Gerstner added that while the attacks will cause replacement technology spending it was too early to predict how much given weak market demand.

In a CNBC interview, Gerstner said that while there was likely to be a slowdown in spending as the global economy continues to flirt with recession, he expected an increase in orders for "secure, distributed, redundant networks".

Gerstner declined to comment on the effect of the disasters on IBM's results.