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Approximately half of UAE CIOs expect their IT budget to increase over the next 12 months
Dubai: UAE management boards are enthusiastic about digital transformation in their organizations, and are especially interested in its capacity to increase operational efficiencies, the 2019 Harvey Nash/KPMG Chief Information Officer Survey has found.
The UAE is on par with global organizations when it comes to investing in digital strategies, with nearly half of UAE-based organizations employing a Chief Digital Officer or someone serving in that capacity.
In fact, the UAE performs better than the global average in four out of five technology-related capabilities, including using suitable internal and external resources to access the right technology skills; changing ways of working to maximize value from technology; using cross-functional teams; and ensuring business leaders work collaboratively to deliver technology change improvements.
Farhan Syed, Partner, Digital & Innovation at KPMG Lower Gulf, said: “Our study shows that UAE companies tend to be more effective than their global peers across a range of digital-related capabilities. This is very encouraging, especially as the UAE has embarked on a long-term mission to transform the public and private sectors by adopting innovative digital strategies that improve the customer experience and drive business efficiency.”
When it comes to data security and trust, only 14 per cent of UAE CIOs reported cyber attacks in the past two years compared with 32 per cent of global CIOs. Interestingly, nearly all UAE CIOs feel their organization is capable of dealing with cyber attacks now and in the near future.
In terms of technology adoption, UAE CIOs are widely embracing cloud technologies (67%) and are increasingly implementing more emerging technologies such as robotic process automation (29 per cent), and artificial intelligence/Machine Learning (24 per cent).
Albert Ellis, CEO, Harvey Nash said: “The fact that UAE CIOs are implementing more emerging technologies such as AI and Machine Learning is very significant - as both are accelerants which when added to the normal evolution of automation are exponentially changing the pace of change and shortening the life of each separate and incremental innovation.
It’s therefore important that the CIO and their IT team remains at the heart of these new technologies, working with the business and helping shape the AI strategy. Innovation will be the lifeblood of any business, and IT will be its enabler."
Approximately half of UAE CIOs (49 per cent) surveyed expect their IT budget to increase over the next 12 months, on par with global (52 per cent). Notably, 33 per cent of UAE-based organizations’ IT departments control all IT spending (versus 21 per cent globally).
UAE-based decision makers are more concerned about leveraging digital innovation to drive down operational costs, while global organizations are more likely to invest in technology that generates revenue. Complementing this finding, CEOs in the UAE are significantly more interested in IT projects which save money (53 percent in the UAE, 36 percent globally) rather than make money. This indicates that while IT may drive business model transformation in other markets, enterprise model transformation is key for organizations in the UAE.
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About the survey
In its 21st year, the 2019 Harvey Nash/KPMG CIO Survey is the largest IT leadership survey in the world in terms of number of respondents. The survey of 3,645 CIOs and technology leaders was conducted between 13th December 2018 and 4th April 2019, across 108 countries, and representing approximately USD $250 billion of IT budget spend. The UAE findings are based on survey responses from 57 UAE-based IT leaders on a selection of the key topics, comparing local findings against the global ones. For global report: https://home.kpmg/ae/en/home/insights/2019/07/harvey-nash-kpmg-cio-survey-2019.html For local report: https://assets.kpmg/content/dam/kpmg/ae/pdf/uae-cio-survey-2019.pdf
About KPMG International
KPMG is a global network of professional services firms providing Audit, Tax and Advisory services. We operate in 153 countries and have 207,000 people working in member firms around the world. The independent member firms of the KPMG network are affiliated with KPMG International Cooperative ("KPMG International"), a Swiss entity. Each KPMG firm is a legally distinct and separate entity and describes itself as such.
About Harvey Nash Harvey Nash has helped over half the world's leading companies recruit, source and manage the highly skilled talent they need to succeed in an increasingly competitive, global and technology driven world. With over 2,500 employees in 36 locations, the company has the reach and resources of a global organization, whilst fostering a culture of innovation and agility that empowers its people across the world to respond to constantly changing client needs. The firm works with clients, both large and small, to deliver a portfolio of services: technology recruitment, IT outsourcing and leadership services To learn more, please visit www.harveynash.com. Follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/harveynashgroup.
For more information, please contact:
Mara Carpencu
+971 4 506 5563 mara.carpencu@bpgorange.com
Dharti Chatterjee
+971 4 506 5561 dharti.chatterjee@bpgorange.com
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