More than 50% of companies in the Valencian Community and Murcia consider technology to be the key factor for their business

Press release. 11 October 2021.- According to a survey on the State of Digital Transformation in Companies of the Valencian Community and Murcia, carried out by the Universitat of Valencia with the collaboration of the technology consultancy SEIDOR, 51% of company CEOs from these autonomous communities believe that digital technologies are essential for their business and are the second most important factor after the economic situation. For their part, IT managers believe that the role of digital technologies and IT in their organisations needs to take on greater strategic weight.

This is the main conclusion of the first edition of a study that aims to be released annually and become a benchmark for companies in the regions on the role of technology in boosting competitiveness.

Another relevant figure indicates that 40% of companies consider innovation as one of their main objectives for 2022, while 38% prioritise making decisions and implementing business processes more agile. As a result, when it comes to technological projects, the most important areas will be Customer Experience, Analytics, ERP and Cybersecurity. In addition, 53% of IT managers cite the need to transfer their infrastructure and solutions to a cloud. Senior management also points out that new tech, such as IoT and AI, are key to offering an innovative response to business challenges.

According to Tomás F. Gonzales Cruz, Chair of Business and Humanism at the University of Valencia, "fully immersed in the digital transformation of the whole of society and, in particular, the business environment, it became necessary to perform an objective analysis on the actual incorporation of digital technologies in businesses from the Valencian Community and Murcia, noting their relevance to boosting competitiveness".

Meanwhile, during the presentation of the study, Ignasi Pons, Director of SEIDOR in the Levante Region, stated, "One of the key findings of the study identifies the main technological trends in organisations and specifies the most relevant challenges in this area for entrepreneurs in the region in the short and medium term".

The study highlights that the level of business digitisation in the Valencian Community and Murcia is 60%, pointing to the lack of digital skills and competences among professionals as one of the main barriers to this process. Connecting with customers, automating back office processes, incorporating services and communication channels, as well as improving prediction and success in decision-making, are the main objectives of business digitisation.

Fifty-six percent of companies say that the main barrier to their digital transformation plans is resistance to change by internal teams, which underlines the need for a simultaneous cultural transformation in organisations.