The field of information technology includes the development, implementation and management of computer-based information systems. The successful use of business software is often a key factor for productivity gains by other technologies.
Baden-Württemberg is an important national and international ICT location. More than 18 percent of the people employed in the ICT industry in Germany were accounted to work in Baden-Württemberg according to a study conducted by the State Statistical Office from 2012. By comparison, the share of the state of total labor force in Germany is around 14 percent. Overall, some 15,000 VAT registered companies in the ICT industry achieved according to this study, a turnover of around 47 billion euros.
Among these are several global players in the IT industry. SAP AG headquartered in Walldorf is world leader in the field of business software and IBM maintains in Böblingen one of the largest research and development centers outside the United States. However, a large number of small and medium-sized enterprises in this industry are at home in Baden-Württemberg. Often, these are very successful internationally and the so-called "hidden champions". A special focus in the country lies in the business software.
Besides numerous universities research on information technologies in Baden-Württemberg takes place in various non-academic institutions rather than, for example at the Fraunhofer Institutes or the research center for computer science in Karlsruhe. A special feature of the sectoral structure in Baden-Württemberg is the close integration of science and industry on the one hand and suppliers and users on the other side.
Strengthened by the high density of potential users of information technologies in Baden-Württemberg - for example from the automotive and mechanical engineering, medical technology or the media industry - the research and business landscape in information technology is a stable base for innovative developments in Baden-Württemberg.