Page 12 - EngineerIt March 2021

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

Research shows that 79% of

South African companies are fast

tracking digital transformation

ell Technologies’ ‘Digital Index 2020 compares South African respondents with global peers.
Transformation Index 2020’ report In one of the first local studies to measure business behaviour amid the pandemic,
Dfor South Africa shows that 79% the study found that 79 percent of South African organisations have fast-tracked some
of South African companies are actively digital transformation programmes this year. A further 84 percent are in the process of
working on digital transformation. re-inventing their business model, which is 5 percent more than the global average of
The study highlights that 79 percent.
organisations are accelerating their Despite these findings, only 23 percent of South African organisations are planning
digital transformation programmes and to invest in virtual/augmented reality (greater than the global average of 16 percent),
are on the path to fast-track technology 44 percent intend to invest in artificial intelligence (also greater than the global average
implementation to drive long term of 33 percent), and a mere 20 percent plan to invest in distributed ledgers within the
business success. The Dell Technologies next one to three years.
Digital Transformation Index is a global
study that analyses and maps the digital A new digital transformation curve
transformation progress of mid-to large- When comparing the South African results from 2018 until 2020, digital leaders (the most
sized companies across the world. With digitally mature organisations) have remained the same, at eight percent. Digital adopters
5300 C-Suite respondents surveyed (the second most digitally mature group) have grown considerably from 23 percent in 2018
globally from 23 countries from a variety to 49 percent in 2020 – a 20 percentage point increase. The digital evaluators (the third
of industries and functions, the Dell most digitally mature group, characterised by gradual digital transformation and planning)
Technologies Digital Transformation have seen a four percent drop between 2018 and 2020.

Using a curve visual, the DT Index plots digital transformation progress in South African in 2018 vs 2020

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