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EMC Survey Finds that Businesses in Qatar Place IT at Heart of Growth Strategy
Published Sep 13, 2012
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EMC announced the results of its survey on IT transformation, revealing that 78 per cent of Qatari businesses surveyed will undergo transformational change over the next year, with 29 per cent stating that this change will be ‘significant’. The findings revealed that the top business concerns for companies in Qatar include:
1. Improved governance and compliance – 50 per cent
2. Increasing revenue – 41 per cent
3. Enhancing customer experience/engagement/communications – 39 per cent
Such priorities demonstrate organizations are no longer simply undertaking business transformation to cut costs, but are instead using it to actively drive growth.
These findings are reflected in the approach businesses are taking to IT transformation. 78 per cent of businesses in Qatar have stated that they are progressing with transformational change to their IT function. The survey has also highlighted that the top six IT priorities for businesses in Qatar are:
1. Data storage/management – 58 per cent
2. Data backup and recovery – 53 per cent
3. Maintenance of existing technologies – software and hardware – 50 per cent
4. Network security – 46 per cent
5. Cloud computing – 46 per cent
6. Further technology (systems, applications and data) integration/process management – 46 per cent
The survey also demonstrates that organizations are looking to IT to support their business goals. In fact, eight in ten businesses can be seen to have directly aligned their IT strategies with their wider business goals, demonstrating that IT is now seen as a driver for growth rather than as a cost center.
Survey Findings:
IT skills are evolving
Importantly, the research reveals that it is not just businesses and IT functions that are transforming, but the roles of IT workers are also undergoing rapid change. There is growing awareness that the advent of cloud computing and Big Data analytics – two of the most disruptive technologies of this decade – will lead to the emergence of new roles within IT departments. In fact, over 62 per cent of businesses stated that they believe Big Data will create new roles and responsibilities for IT staff over the next three years, with 61 per cent stating that cloud computing would do the same. This will include job roles such as the Cloud Architect and the Data Scientist. Businesses in Qatar are confident that they are ready for this changing landscape, with 73 per cent of businesses confident their IT organization currently has the right level of skills and knowledge in place to achieve their IT priorities successfully.
Big Data to Create New Winners and Losers
In Qatar, 67 per cent of organizations strongly agree that Big Data analytics will create the new winners and losers in their industry over the next five years. Additionally, 70 per cent stated that they have either deployed Big Data analytics tools or plan to consider new analytics tools within the next 12 months, with a further 34 per cent stating that enhanced data management and analysis/analytics is a business priority for their organization. It is therefore clear that the race to make the most of this disruptive technology is now well underway, with the winners and losers to be decided by the rate at which they can deploy Big Data analytics.
Trust Remains Important to Qatari Businesses
As Big Data analytics works its way up the corporate agenda, there is also evidence that businesses in Qatar are beginning to realize that as the value of their data increases, so does the need to protect it. 83 per cent of businesses surveyed stated that data security and governance is a major concern for their businesses while a further 46 per cent named network security as an IT priority. In addition, 53 per cent of respondents cited backup and recovery as a priority. These results demonstrate just how important issues of data privacy, security and protection are to the modern enterprise.
Cloud Displaces Traditional IT Architectures
EMC’s research has also revealed that businesses are increasingly looking to the cloud to help transform their businesses, with 46 per cent stating it as a clear priority for their organization. In fact, 53 per cent of organisations across all sectors believe cloud architectures will replace traditional IT infrastructures within the next three years - except in the government (40%) and energy (27%) sectors. It is clear from this research that cloud computing is playing a critical role in helping businesses transform their business operations.
EMC Quote:
Samer Diya, Country Manager, Qatar, EMC
“This research shows that companies in Qatar are actively transforming their businesses to harness the benefits of cloud and Big Data analytics. It is clear that these changes are being pursued in order to meet the wider aims of the organization, demonstrating that IT transformation is not an end in itself, but a facilitator to wider business success. Organizations that wish to leverage the technologies fully will need to embrace new roles, such as the Data Scientist and Cloud Architect, and enable new ways of working. By transforming their business, IT and employee structures, companies in Qatar will find they have greater control of their operations and the ability to gain better insights into their markets, customers and products.”
Supporting Quotes:
Thomas Meyer, Vice President, EMEA Systems and Infrastructure Solutions, IDC
“Big data and cloud are two primary technology innovations that are transforming IT departments and business models. The ability to reshape the IT organisation and change the status of IT from ‘reactive’ to ‘proactive’ by delivering decision-making capabilities from multiple sources, in the shortest time and the most cost-effective way, is a fundamental step towards aligning the IT department with the business and turning it into a net contributor to the company’s success. EMC’s research demonstrates that for many businesses in Qatar this journey to IT and business transformation is already well underway.”
Survey Methodology
Conducted during the recent EMC Forum held in Doha on September 12th 2012, this research polled a total of 149 business and IT management and executives, technical architects, data scientists and storage/infrastructure managers from a range of Qatari businesses.
Posted by
VMD - [Virtual Marketing Department]
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