The digitization of Norwegian companies is in full swing, despite the rapid digitization caused by the pandemic. A recent survey by Computas shows this. 6 out of 10 companies will implement new digitization measures over the next 12 months. The use of external IT consultants in the public sector will continue to be high.
For the third year in a row, Norstat, on behalf of the IT company Computas, asked Norwegian business leaders and organizations from the public and private sector about the digitization activities that were carried out last year, as well as what they plan for the future. This year's study shows that the pace of digitization continues.
– The numbers clearly show that not only the necessary emergency measures have been taken during the pandemic, but that Norwegian businesses are in the process good wave of digitalization. As many as 3 out of 4 companies will adopt new solutions and services in the coming months, says Trond Eilertsen, CEO of Computas.
Deeper digitization
Research from previous years showed that digitization focused primarily on enabling companies to function during a pandemic. Interactive solutions such as Teams for employees as well as solutions for customers and users were implemented. There are many indications that this has prepared companies for deeper digitization. The survey shows that 45 percent. of companies use or will benefit from artificial intelligence, compared with 26%. last year.
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– More than half of companies now believe that the use of artificial intelligence is important. Last year, that number was less than a third. This is a rewarding achievement as the use of automation and artificial intelligence delivers huge opportunities for efficiency and value creation – says Eilertsen.
High demand for IT consultants
The government's restriction of the use of external consultants in state-owned enterprises has created uncertainty in the consulting industry. However, recent data show that this has not prevented SOEs from hiring IT support and that utilization will remain high in the coming year.
The survey shows that 43 percent of companies hired external consultants to implement their digitization initiatives over the past year. 41 percent said they will use or hire external IT expertise over the next 12 months. Consumption is higher in the public sector than in the private sector.
IT expertise is lacking
"Only one in five companies believes that it is not important to use external IT consultants to succeed in digitization plans," says the director, who is in great demand from both the public and private sectors. It is clear that we as a society will lose our competitiveness if we pursue a symbolic policy in this area.
- IT expertise is lacking and it will not be sustainable if companies employ expertise in all areas of digitization. Specialist knowledge for a shorter period is often needed, and the added value is that consultants have experience from other companies, he concludes.
Source: computas
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