The research highlighted some priorities and assumptions that companies have in common, and some areas where opinion is divided on the best way forward.
What companies have in common:
- 97% believe their business is resilient
- 95% believe technology will help them tackle future challenges
- 90% believe that customer expectation will increase in the next year
Where companies differ:
- Whether to consolidate (50%) or diversify (48%) tech portfolios
- Whether to prioritize product and process (48%) or customer support and service (52%) improvements
- Who the biggest beneficiary of digital investments has been, or will be, with customers, employees and ‘the business’ all cited as top priority
“The COVID pandemic redefined digital transformation in the enterprise,” commented Dr. Stefan Sigg, CPO, Software AG. “While transformation has been an imperative that IT leaders have been championing for years, it took these historic circumstances for many business leaders to make it a priority. The resulting acceleration was nothing short of miraculous, albeit necessary. Organizations had to take some big dramatic steps – and in some cases a leap of faith – to make their businesses work in the most difficult circumstances. The reward is that the benefits will stretch well beyond the pandemic.”
Of the technologies essential in 2021, global IT leaders listed the following as areas of focus: Cloud computing (67%), 5G (51%), AI (43%) and Integration (43%).
Source: AIThority