Because of the growing role of information technology in the nations’ economies, the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has given it top priority. During the past forty years, the IT sector witnessed drastic changes. When the computer was used for the first time in the year 1382H, it was limited to very few applications in the civil governmental sector by the Public Statistics Department. By the early nineties H., information technology began to be used on a large scale by many government sectors. A new computer center was established and supplied with the necessary equipment. This stage was characterized by using huge computers that cost a lot. However, it began to draw the attention of the private sector, and a number of specialized institutions and companies began to focus on selling and providing maintenance to computers and developing systems and programming. IT applications spread rapidly to cover so many sectors for the purpose of enhancing productivity and advancing performance in the fields of finance, industry, commerce, education, government and health care.
ARAMCO had the privilege of becoming the first private sector to use information technology in the kingdom, as early as the 70s of the past century. Nowadays, all Saudi companies, especially the great ones, such as ARAMCO, SABIC, SAUDI Telecom Company, Saudi Airlines, and Saudi banks, all use up to date IT and its applications. Statistics show that more than 80% of industrial companies use computers and their applications.