Saudi Arabia ranks 45th in eReadiness rankings among world's 60 largest economies

Saudi Arabia is one of the three Arab countries on the list, along with Egypt (51st) and Algeria (58th).

"This global recognition gives a further momentum to the development of IT in Saudi Arabia, which currently constitutes 60 per cent of the entire GCC's IT market," said Basel Humaidah, Business Development Manager, Al Falak, a leading pan-Gulf IT and communications solution provider with a strong base in Saudi Arabia. "The prestigious ranking crowns years of hard work that have gone into laying the foundations for a strong IT-driven business infrastructure in a large and buoyant economy. It is only a matter of time before Saudi Arabia figures among the developed countries in eReadiness."

The EIU's eReadiness Rankings used quantitative and qualitative criteria, organized into six categories: connectivity & technology infrastructure, business environment, consumer & business adoption of e-business practices, legal & policy environment, social & cultural infrastructure and supporting services. The main focus of the study was business environment and e-business adoption. The EIU ranking applied only to the world's largest economies and did not take into consideration the status of GCC countries such as UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait, which already boast much higher e-Readiness rankings.

"Several recent studies have shown that Saudi Arabia as well as the rest of the GCC are emerging markets with a potential to reach US$ 8 billion value in IT by 2005. This will naturally give a phenomenal boost to the demand for IT products and solutions," Humaidah added. "As a company that has been at the forefront of Saudi Arabia's IT development, Al Falak will be leveraging the new ranking to consolidate its gains in the Saudi market by creating end-to-end business intelligence solutions."

Humaidah said: "Al Falak is favourably placed to tap these markets because of its business partnerships with some of the world's leading best of breed solution and software providers, hardware and consumable manufacturers, networking and communication solution providers, business consultancy houses and implementation specialists. Our added strength is the skilled staff that is strategically placed throughout the Gulf region to offer a full range of local support and services."

Al Falak's growth strategy hinges on development of human skills. With this objective in view, the company has set up a Human Resources division dedicated to recruiting, retraining and developing fully skilled professionals in engineering, computer science, communications, technical, operational, safety and other vocational and academic disciplines.

Al Falak has a region-wide distribution operation based in Al-Khobar City, Saudi Arabia, enabling it to provide the Saudi markets with computer supplies and accessories from prestigious suppliers such as IBM, HP, Genius, Epson, Oki, Imation and Iomega and leading IT and communications solutions providers JD Edwards, SAS, Compuware, Candle, Sterling Commerce, Bluecoat and Marconi.