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The Path to Digital Transformation: Where IT Leaders Stand in 2024
IT decision-makers in 2024 are prioritizing activities in four core areas. What’s more: They’ve activated multiple strategies in each area to better realize their top transformation goals.
AI strategies | Cloud providers | As-a-service models | Security investments
Top goals in 2024
When it comes to digital transformation all up, primary objectives have remained relatively consistent, with the addition this year of a new focus on AI:
Top objectives for enabling digital transformation:
- #1 three years running: Optimizing data and analytics capabilities such as AI, machine learning and IoT (47%)
- #2 three years running: Increasing cloud adoption via multicloud or hybrid models (43%)
- #3 new for this year: Leveraging generative AI to enhance innovation (37%)
- #4 for two years running: Mitigating risk with stronger cybersecurity programs (37%)
The core four
Drilling down, we see decision-makers’ digital transformation priorities showing up as multipronged initiatives spanning four core technology areas:
AI: AI efforts are booming as organizations work to match solutions to top use cases:54% of AI users are combining two approaches to execution:
- Off-the-shelf AI
- Building custom AI
High-priority AI use cases include:
- Threat analysis (77%)
- Process automation (67%)
- Real-time information access (64%)
Multicloud: Use of multiple cloud providers has become a strategic choice for meeting cloud priorities:
98% report current or planned use of a multicloud approach over the next 12 months.
Rationale includes:
- Spreading workloads across multiple providers (58%)
- Using specific providers for specific applications (46%)
- Using providers in different regions to meet local requirements (32%)
As-a-service models: As-a-service adoption has increased 50% or more* in the past two years:
81% of enterprises now use 3+ as-a-service delivery models.
Top as-a-service models in use:
- Infrastructure as a service (81%)
- Storage as a service (63%)
- Security as a service (52%)
*With the exception of device as a service, which has increased 43%.
Cybersecurity: Cybersecurity plans are shifting to address newer concerns in the threat landscape:
89% say their organizations are updating security strategies in response to a perceived increase in risk.
Top planned cybersecurity initiatives:
- Endpoint/IoT security (43%)
- Edge protection (43%)
- Security operations (41%)
- Application security/DevOps (41%)
Prepare for impact…
Prioritizing several initiatives at once has incredible potential for high-impact results — but do organizations have the resources to take these projects to the finish line?
Despite a flurry of fresh modernization efforts, respondents say the top roadblocks to innovation persist.
Top challenges inhibiting innovation
- Gaps in technology skills and knowledge (44%) (#1 in 2022, 2023, 2024)
- Budget constraints (43%) (#2 in 2023, 2024)
- Infrastructure not optimized to support new technologies such as gen AI (42%)
The bottom line
Reliable resources are needed more than ever. <-> Organizations are locked in a pattern of resource deficit.
As-a-service adoption rates seem to confirm the obvious: Third-party expertise has a growing role to play in digital transformation.
Especially as organizations begin to reap the benefits:
Improved reliability | Improved risk management | Continuous innovation | Flexible, consumption-based pricing
But as-a-service models aren’t the only option for streamlining your transformation efforts.
Think beyond price and performance.
Achieving your biggest priorities is possible, especially when you partner with a Solutions Integrator.
Insight is your go-to Solutions Integrator, working as an extension of your teams across every facet of IT to ensure efficacy across multiple complex initiatives at once. With decades of expertise and deep partnership with industry leaders, we help organizations like yours take digital transformation to the next level.
Address skills gaps. | Align priorities. | Advance capabilities. | Alleviate risk. | Accelerate growth.
How do your strategies stack up?
See how your organization’s priorities line up with top IT decision-makers’. Explore more results here: insight.com/stateofinnovation
Source:
MarketPulse Research by Foundry Research Services. (June 2024). The Path to Digital Transformation: Where IT Leaders Stand in 2024. Commissioned by Insight.
