Digital transformation will move into large scale investments and projects

Feature
January 19, 2021 12:29 pm
Wejdi Harzallah, Partner, Head of Digital Strategy, KPMG Lower Gulf.

In 2021, KPMG expects to see a continuation of the swift transformation that characterised 2020, as digital leaders take on more large-scale projects. In response to the pandemic, companies initially rushed to enable mass remote work for their employees and adapt their distribution channels. In 2021, KPMG anticipates additional digital transformation, but geared towards larger investments in cloud adoption and ICT consolidation. 

Such initiatives are further fueled by the government’s vision to digitalise their ecosystem, while retaining their current policies regarding data protection. The associated cybersecurity and data governance imperatives will necessitate a more prudent tempo than what we have seen in 2020. 

As the recent KPMG CIO survey revealed, artificial intelligence and SaaS marketplace platforms are expected to play key roles in digital transformation. Machine learning and AI will drive gains in automation, but more importantly, it will help enhance customer experience by leveraging insights gathered from big data. 

Even before the pandemic, customer experience was paramount to a company’s competitive standing. In 2021, making it robust yet scalable will be crucial. SaaS marketplace platforms will play a large part in business transformation, given the large breadth of their applications and the government’s venture to modernise our digital ecosystem.

Wejdi Harzallah, Partner, Head of Digital Strategy, KPMG Lower Gulf.
Wejdi Harzallah, Partner, Head of Digital Strategy, KPMG Lower Gulf.

Key takeaways 

  • Companies rushed to enable mass remote work for employees and adapted distribution channels. 
  • In 2021 KPMG anticipates additional digital transformation.
  • Cybersecurity and data governance imperatives will necessitate a more prudent tempo than what we have seen in 2020. 
  • Artificial intelligence and SaaS marketplace platforms are expected to play key roles in digital transformation. 
  • Machine learning and AI will drive gains in automation and enhance customer experience.
  • In 2021, making customer experience robust yet scalable will be crucial. 
  • SaaS marketplace platforms will play a large part in business transformation.

 

Tags: