BT has today announced the findings of new global research based on a survey conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) with 400 CEOs in 13 countries (including Ireland) across five continents, which reveals the critical importance of digital transformation in multinational organisations.

The research shows that in Ireland, 42% of Irish CEOs surveyed saw Digital Transformation as their top priority. When asked about their approach to Digital Transformation, 50% described themselves as fast followers – watching and learning from other organisations’ Digital Transformation efforts.

Irish CEOs also expressed concerns about their barriers to digital transformation. Fifty per cent felt inflexible technology was a stumbling block, with 54% seeing lack of technology skills causing problems. Forty three percent of Irish CEOs worried that lack of customer insight would be a barrier. This was echoed as 73% saw customer satisfaction online, with another 70% seeing online customer acquisition as crucial to their digital objectives for their organisation.

Overall, 73% felt security played a vital role in digital transformation with 81% believing security technology and the calibre of IT security staff being crucial in ensuring success in Digital Transformation. This was in stark contrast to nearly 25% of global CEOs who saw security as a ‘necessary evil’.

Commenting on the research, Managing Director at BT Ireland, Shay Walsh said, “Our most recent research confirms that digital transformation has become a prevalent topic on the boardroom agenda. It also shows that CEOs all around the world identify the skills shortages, lack of insight into what customers and employees really want or need, and security as the main obstacles to delivering an optimal digital experience. It’s interesting that these are primarily human factors and it illustrates that digital transformation strategies should always be built around people.”

He added, “We see this as a great encouragement for BT to accelerate its own digitalisation, and are taking on board this new insight to make sure that our global portfolio is more firmly positioned than ever around the strategic objectives highlighted by our customers.”

Article Source: Business World