Startups can act as great promoters of this process
Only one in four companies in Brazil is at the higher maturity levels for Digital Transformation, a theme that will remain in evidence for the next three years. This is one of the conclusions of the Softex survey “Priorities of Brazilian ICT Executives for Digital Transformation” released during the B2B Summit, an event promoted in partnership by the entity and Oria Capital, on November 28, in São Paulo.
The objective of the survey, which involved chief executive officers (CIOs) of 101 companies from all regions of the country, was to understand the behavior of corporations and technology buyers to know how they are positioning themselves in the face of Digital Transformation, to identify which will be the internal decision-makers for this transformation, how the relationship with providers takes place and what is the future scenario for the absorption of new technologies.
Of the companies interviewed, 73,2% admitted to starting this process. "This means that most Brazilian companies are already at a level where managers are aware of the Digital Transformation and understand its urgency, but they still don't know exactly how they will carry out the change that could make a difference to their competitiveness. company”, explains Guilherme Amorim, executive manager of Softex.
Regarding the motivation for adopting Digital Transformation, 44% admit to considering it to maintain their competitiveness, 38% to remain in the lead in this hyperdigital era, 6.9% due to pressure from customers and consumers, and 1% to optimize processes and the quality of service provision. Among the CIOs interviewed, 9% did not know or did not inform the motivator.
As for the intention to adopt emerging technologies in the short term, in a period of three to 12 months, the highlights were the Internet of Things – IoT (23.8%), Cloud Computing (Public and Private) and Blockchain, both with 19.9%. By extending the adoption forecast period from one and a half to three years, the use of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (Machine Learning) with 34.7% emerges with force.
A worrying finding of the survey is that only 4.6% of the companies consulted understand innovation as something important, which explains the very low level of awareness of the opportunity present in a startup: 71.3% of the companies interviewed stated that they have no relationship with a technology-based emerging company.
“This is a trend that can and must be reversed, as the Digital Transformation opens up a wide range of opportunities for Brazilian technology companies. And, in particular, for startups that are born with an innovative mindset and can act as great promoters of this process”, analyzes the Softex executive.
As the main resource to be used primarily to support and/or execute the Digital Transformation journey, 56.4% of companies plan to use internal resources, 19.8% to contract with technology companies and 13.9% to contract with business consultants. Softex's research also indicates that the IT area should lead this process in 46.5% of the companies interviewed.
In 2019, the theme will gain even more weight not only as a strategy to increase the competitiveness and productivity of the Brazilian economy, but also because it is now supported by the Brazilian Strategy for Digital Transformation. Launched by the Federal Government, it establishes a set of 100 actions to boost the digitization of productive processes and of Brazilian society over a four-year horizon. Its aim is to create an environment for transformative impacts in agriculture, commerce, education, finance, industry and services.
Digital Transformation is vital for maintaining competitiveness, not only in the international market, but also in Brazil. “We believe technology companies must take the forefront of this journey for their customers and corporations. Therefore, our effort to show an X-ray of the CIO's agenda for the coming years”, concludes Guilherme Amorim.
The objective of the survey, which involved chief executive officers (CIOs) of 101 companies from all regions of the country, was to understand the behavior of corporations and technology buyers to know how they are positioning themselves in the face of Digital Transformation, to identify which will be the internal decision-makers for this transformation, how the relationship with providers takes place and what is the future scenario for the absorption of new technologies.
Of the companies interviewed, 73,2% admitted to starting this process. "This means that most Brazilian companies are already at a level where managers are aware of the Digital Transformation and understand its urgency, but they still don't know exactly how they will carry out the change that could make a difference to their competitiveness. company”, explains Guilherme Amorim, executive manager of Softex.
Regarding the motivation for adopting Digital Transformation, 44% admit to considering it to maintain their competitiveness, 38% to remain in the lead in this hyperdigital era, 6.9% due to pressure from customers and consumers, and 1% to optimize processes and the quality of service provision. Among the CIOs interviewed, 9% did not know or did not inform the motivator.
As for the intention to adopt emerging technologies in the short term, in a period of three to 12 months, the highlights were the Internet of Things – IoT (23.8%), Cloud Computing (Public and Private) and Blockchain, both with 19.9%. By extending the adoption forecast period from one and a half to three years, the use of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (Machine Learning) with 34.7% emerges with force.
A worrying finding of the survey is that only 4.6% of the companies consulted understand innovation as something important, which explains the very low level of awareness of the opportunity present in a startup: 71.3% of the companies interviewed stated that they have no relationship with a technology-based emerging company.
“This is a trend that can and must be reversed, as the Digital Transformation opens up a wide range of opportunities for Brazilian technology companies. And, in particular, for startups that are born with an innovative mindset and can act as great promoters of this process”, analyzes the Softex executive.
As the main resource to be used primarily to support and/or execute the Digital Transformation journey, 56.4% of companies plan to use internal resources, 19.8% to contract with technology companies and 13.9% to contract with business consultants. Softex's research also indicates that the IT area should lead this process in 46.5% of the companies interviewed.
In 2019, the theme will gain even more weight not only as a strategy to increase the competitiveness and productivity of the Brazilian economy, but also because it is now supported by the Brazilian Strategy for Digital Transformation. Launched by the Federal Government, it establishes a set of 100 actions to boost the digitization of productive processes and of Brazilian society over a four-year horizon. Its aim is to create an environment for transformative impacts in agriculture, commerce, education, finance, industry and services.
Digital Transformation is vital for maintaining competitiveness, not only in the international market, but also in Brazil. “We believe technology companies must take the forefront of this journey for their customers and corporations. Therefore, our effort to show an X-ray of the CIO's agenda for the coming years”, concludes Guilherme Amorim.
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