It is almost taken as a matter of definition that IT is an integral part of trade facilitation (TF) which objective is to expedite the movement, clearance, and release of goods, including goods in transit. Yet for many developing and least developed countries, especially those from Asia, IT remains a distant but desirable goal. There are many and varied reasons behind this, and it is not the purpose of this chapter to lay them out. However there appears to be some confusion regarding IT in TF. The common perception is that adopting automation for trade transactions automatically leads to speedier movement of goods and people. This is tantamount to a mechanistic way of looking at IT. This kind of confusion is clearly misplaced. After all, the installation of computers, software, and other peripherals is only the instruments for TF and there is no immediacy to improvements in efficiency and reduction in transactions costs. Recall the “productivity paradox” associated with the use of IT in US industries...