TRENDING
Organizations across industries have experienced a rapid shift toward interacting with customers and employees through digital channels .
Based on a global survey of 800 CIOs and IT decision makers , the 2021 Connectivity Benchmark Report also highlights new challenges and opportunities for businesses as they navigate a digital-first world :
Increased demands pressuring businesses to deliver digital faster
The last 12 months have seen a profound shift in the way people work and how organizations operate . Employees and customers alike want seamless digital experiences and expect organizations to deliver on these experiences , faster .
• New initiatives to enable success from anywhere : This past year , organizations relied on IT to support a rapid shift to remote working and the need for increased productivity and efficiency . Migrating apps to the cloud ( 51 %), enabling remote working ( 48 %) and automating business processes ( 47 %) were cited as the key initiatives that organizations are focusing on for 2021 . They were closely followed by using IT to create a safe working environment , modernizing legacy systems and integrating SaaS apps ( each 45 %).
• When demand surpasses supply : Demands on IT have increased massively . Organizations asked IT to deliver on average 30 % more projects this year , a number that is constantly growing year-over-year ( 315 projects in 2021 compared to 242 projects in 2020 ). Only 37 % of respondents say they were able to deliver all IT projects last year ( compared to 41 % the previous year ).
• Go digital or get left behind : More than threequarters ( 77 %) of organizations say a failure to complete Digital Transformation initiatives will impact revenues over the next year .
• The cost of ‘ keeping the lights on ’: IT is spending over two-thirds of its time ( 68 %) on running the business , leaving little time for innovation and development of new projects .
Integration challenges hold businesses back
Data silos remain a challenge for 90 % of organizations ( unchanged since last year ’ s report ). And almost nine in 10 respondents point to integration challenges as a blocker to delivering on Digital Transformation . If this trend continues , it risks stalling key business initiatives for many organizations . Integration will continue to be a major area of focus as organizations look to connect
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