US Tops IT Competitiveness

Recession or no, when it comes to running a tech company the US is still the best place to do business, according to a new study released on Sept. 17 by the Economist Intelligence Unit. Commissioned by the Business Software Alliance, a trade organization that represents the software industry, the study analyzes data on 66 countries around the world to determine which have the most competitive information technology sectors. Now in its third year, it examines such variables as a country's overall business climate; the pervasiveness of its tech infrastructure; the strength and transparency of its legal system; and the availability of a workforce that is both well-educated and technologically literate. Home to some of the world's most recognizable tech companies, such as IBM, Oracle, Intel, Apple, Hewlett-Packard, and Google, the US has topped the survey every year, but the country's predominance is vulnerable in key ways. For instance, in the all-important research and development category, which accounts for 25% of a nation's score, the U.S. ranks fifth, well behind Canada, which led that category, as well as Singapore and Israel.