Join Transform 2021 this July 12-16. Register for the AI event of the year.
The divide between organizations that derive maximum financial benefit from IT investments and comparative laggards is widening in the wake of the economic downturn brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Accenture today published a report based on a survey of 4,300 business and IT leaders that finds industry leaders are now growing revenue at 5 times the rate of rivals that have not invested as much in IT. That’s twice the growth rate a similar Accenture study found in 2017. Leaders represent the top 10% of that sample, while the bottom 25% are considered laggards.
Leaders, leapfroggers, and laggers
Cloud security and internet of things (IoT) technologies tied for top areas of IT investment among leaders, followed closed by hybrid cloud (68%) and AI and machine learning (59%), according to the survey. Nearly two-thirds (65%) of leaders have also prioritized flexible work arrangements using digital technologies, the survey found.
But while Accenture identified many of the same leaders in the two reports, in today’s report the consulting firm also identified 18% of the organizations it surveyed as “leapfroggers,” defined as companies whose aggressive investments in digital transformation initiatives are having a significant impact on revenues.
The existence of a leapfrogger category proves it’s not too late for laggards to make strategic IT investments that will enable them to compete more effectively, Accenture Integrated Global Services lead Ramnath Venkataraman told VentureBeat.
“It’s become a matter of survival,” he said. “It’s not an option.”
Overall, leapfroggers increased their investments in advanced and emerging technologies by 17%, the report finds. For example, 80% of leapfroggers had already adopted some form of cloud technology by 2017, but that figure rose to 98% by 2020. More than two-thirds of respondents (67%) said their organizations are also seeking to aggressively increase revenue from non-core lines of business.
Narrowing the divide
It’s not yet clear to what degree industry laggards will be able to remain viable in the face of more aggressive competition, even as the global economy continues to improve, Venkataraman said, adding that leaders and leapfroggers both cited leadership teams’ strategic commitment to investing in IT. In the absence of such commitment, Venkataraman said it will become even more difficult for laggards to close the gap that will grow as AI technologies are employed more widely.
Another attribute leaders and leapfroggers share is that they have narrowed the divide between IT and the rest of their business, Venkataraman said.
Laggards that want to become more competitive will need to not only become comfortable taking on additional risks, but also migrate as many legacy platforms to the cloud as possible to become more agile, Venkataraman said. As part of that effort, these organizations need to honestly assess their current digital capabilities, he added.
Venkataraman said the pandemic has shown how much more resilient organizations that make the right strategic IT decisions can be in the face of great economic uncertainty. Many of those organizations will soon be in an even better position to capitalize on their investments as governments around the world continue to stimulate the economy, he added.
While the post-pandemic future is still uncertain, organizations that consistently invest in IT have shown an ability to pivot in the face of adversity that rival organizations can now only envy.
VentureBeat
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative technology and transact. Our site delivers essential information on data technologies and strategies to guide you as you lead your organizations. We invite you to become a member of our community, to access:- up-to-date information on the subjects of interest to you
- our newsletters
- gated thought-leader content and discounted access to our prized events, such as Transform 2021: Learn More
- networking features, and more
"fruit" - Google News
April 28, 2021 at 07:00PM
https://ift.tt/3t2xU8K
Accenture says IT investments are bearing fruit - VentureBeat
"fruit" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2pWUrc9
https://ift.tt/3aVawBg
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Accenture says IT investments are bearing fruit - VentureBeat"
Post a Comment