The World Economic Forum’s Global IT Report 2009-10 has ranked India 43rd on the Networked Readiness Index (NRI). The index, which measures how prepared the countries are to employ information and communication technologies (ICT) effectively, ranks India 83rd on ‘ICT Infrastructure Readiness’.

The country ranks 23rd on ‘Business Readiness’. The ranking includes a total of 33 countries. The rate of adoption of ICT has improved not only among larger companies but also small and medium enterprises. Selective functions such as accounting, inventory/purchase management, payrolls and invoicing have also seen greater computerisation.

The availability of these technologies is critical to the SME sector as it facilitates access to technology which is vital for their growth. The rankings of the country have shown an improvement of 11 places over the previous year.