Experts and market analysts have advised organizations to speed up digital transformation for years now, but it has taken a global pandemic to force many into action.
This is according to a new report from cloud and hosting services provider IONOS, which found that almost two thirds of UK’s SMEs believe Covid-19 has impacted their digitization efforts.
Polling 1,003 UK SMBs for the report, IONOS found that many won new customers through digitization, receiving positive feedback in the process. These companies also feel more confident about the near future and their ability to weather potential crises.
Digital transformation, which involves employing cloud infrastructure, mobile technologies, artificial intelligence (AI) and the like, is seen by many as the future of business. It allows for a better customer experience, cleaner data management, more streamlined operations and improved employee collaboration.
However, some business owners still believe digitization to be a fad. The IONOS report states that almost a quarter (22 percent) of businesses believe digitization isn’t necessary.
“It’s worrying to see that more than a fifth don’t actually think transformation is required,” said Achim Weiss, CEO of IONOS.
“This shows a real gap in knowledge of the benefits for these businesses – something that the tech industry needs to work together to plug, and to ensure SMEs are as supported and well-informed on the topic as possible.”
