The revenue growth business software company SAS is seeing this year is being powered by new customers and existing customers buying new products.

Such "new sales" are experiencing "strong, double-digit growth" worldwide, including more than 20 percent in the U.S., chief marketing officer Jim Davis told a group of two dozen journalists this morning during the company's annual media day at its Cary headquarters.

Overall, SAS expects sales -- including renewal of existing software contracts -- to increase 5 percent this year, more than double the 2.2 percent growth of last year, when the recession put a damper on new sales.

After a strong fourth-quarter surge helped SAS post higher 2009 sales, one of the Cary company's top executives is optimistic about prospects for this year.

SAS this morning reported revenue of $2.31 billion last year, up about 2.2 percent from a year earlier. That's the 34th straight year revenue increased, despite the recession and increasing competition.

"Momentum is good for us right now," chief marketing officer Jim Davis said in a phone interview. "Given that we did 2.2 percent [revenue growth] in the toughest economy we've ever seen, I'm very optimistic."

For starters, SAS does business in 120 countries. Of those, 83 percent saw growth last year. "That's a good sign for our business, but also for the broader economy," Davis said.

Another rival of Cary-based SAS is getting swallowed by a tech industry giant.

But IBM's $1.2 billion acquisition of SPSS announced Tuesday won't create "much competitive threat," said Jim Davis, SAS' chief marketing officer. SAS competes with SPSS in selling software that helps businesses predict trends, but IBM also uses SAS software, he added.

"It illustrates the importance that analytics play in today's market," Davis said. "It's good to be in a sector that adds value when the economy is down."