India to lead second wave of IT adoption: IBM

India may lead the second wave of IT (information technology) adoption as companies here kept up investments despite the recession and seemed more forward-looking than their counterparts globally, according to IBM Corp.

Forty per cent of Indian companies, surveyed by IBM in July, said they wanted to be first to adopt a new technology, while only 11 per cent said they would wait till technology was widely available.

"In India, companies have cut back less and have really continued their investments. I think India is poised to lead the second wave of IT adoption and small-and-medium businesses are the engines driving this economic growth," IBM Corp's vice president general business and marketing, Surjit Channa, told PTI in Mumbai.

"I know of many companies that suffered from the recession but Indian companies have continued and survived...because they seem to be more forward-looking than their counterparts in the West and round the world," Channa said.

The recession had forced 37 per cent companies world-wide to slash their IT budgets compared to only 15 per cent in India, the survey said.

The US-based multinational has identified India as one of its major growth markets and will continue to invest here along with Brazil, China and Russia.

"We embarked on a geographical expansion in India and opened 13 new offices in Tier II cities. We will continue to invest here and in other growth markets, mainly BRIC countries," IBM India/South Asia director Ramesh Narasimhan said.

IBM intends to cash in on the business coming from SMBs, which represent more than 90 per cent of all businesses and employ over 90 per cent of the world's workforce, producing more patents than large firms.

IBM's general business unit accounts for about 20 per cent of the company's total revenue world-wide and is one of the fastest growing units for IBM India.

"The SMB market is, and will remain, a key focus for IBM India. Mid-size business is important to IBM as 75 per cent of the worlds GDP comes from SMBs," Channa said.

Today, companies are under pressure to act quickly in response to economic uncertainty and maximise returns on their investments while improving service to customers, at lower risk and reduced budgets, he added.

"We are reducing cost, improving service delivery and enabling business innovation for SMBs. IBM will continue to invest in the mid-market," Channa said.