Answer: A hotch-potch collection of Asian nations and Pacific islands, programmed by India, serviced by Australia, outsourced to the Philippines, manufactured in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia, and powered by the massive economic dragon of China.
Conclusion: Watch this space...
A report by research group Gartner released in October this year forecast IT&T growth in the Asia Pacific region to hit 18 percent over the next four years, a full six percentage points above the projected worldwide growth rate of 12 percent. Similarly, their IT research counterparts IDG are also predicting Asia Pacific growth rates to outstrip the rest of the world, despite a recent growth rate revisions made necessary by the chilly international climate.
However, the Gartner report takes pains to point out that the region is by no means homogenous, either culturally or economically, and that any growth will be lumpy to say the least. For this reason Gartner warns potential investors to assess risk on a country-by-country - rather than regional - basis.
"Every country should be considered in the context of its own economic and political conditions", says the report, comparing the politically unstable Indonesia, with emerging developer hot spot India.
The IT potential of the region has its origins in a diverse range of pre-existing industries, economic establishments, educational institutions and government interest groups. As a result, cultural sensitivity, and an understanding of how and why the countries have developed in certain directions, is the key to unlocking the limitless potential of the region.
Piyush Singh, managing director of analyst group IDC in the Asia Pacific, has observed these ebbs and flows from his Singaporean offices. He points out that in a global economic environment, success is often based on the way economies relate to each other.
"Most of it has to do with the dynamics of what the economy does and how it relates to other economies," Singh said. -You have to understand how it all fits in together to see the real potentials."
Singh cites the example of the "Tiger economies" of Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong. Lauded during the nineties they have, in more recent times, found themselves sucked into the demand vortex created as the US economy slumped into recession.
"All those countries that were dependant on exports into US markets are experiencing problems," Singh said. "Basically there is only one economy to sell components to, you need to sell to the Dells and HPs and Compaqs of the world, and all these companies are based in the US."
Meanwhile the services-based Australian IT sector, oft-criticised for its excessive reliance on imported hardware, has suffered locally at the hands of a buoyant US dollar, with demand falling dramatically. On the flip side however, it has made the IT services Australia offers, such as project management and education, an attractive option for many in the industry.
And, as the rest of the world struggles in the grip of economic recession, the relatively closed economies of India and China have continued to display bullish growth. In fact, most analysts agree that these two countries will largely drive growth in the rest of the Asia Pac region.
"If you look at current figures, we have recently revised ITC growth down in the region, from 11 percent to about 8.5 percent, but China alone represents 33 percent of the market, and its growth more than makes up for the lackluster 1.3 percent growth registered in Australia, and the manufacturing economies basically facing a recession," Singh said.
Although many of the countries in the Asia Pac region have been caught up in the world-wide economic freeze, the impressive year on year growth rates predicted by both IDC and Gartner can be largely attributed to the widely held notion that economies throughout the region will be well placed to catch a perfect wave back to prosperity when the tide eventually turns.
