IT Barometer of Spanish Companies 2023

20 July 2023 – SEIDOR, a consultancy firm specialising in technology services and solutions, presented the IT Barometer of Spanish Companies 2023, a study prepared by the company's Transformation unit. According to the report, 93% of the senior management of Spanish companies believe that technology is indispensable for promoting their sustainability and, therefore, achieving a positive impact on society. This is one of the main conclusions of the study, drawn up by Alfonso Ramos, director of the SEIDOR Transformation unit, and Alberto Delgado, SEIDOR's Director of Transformation Consulting, generated from a representative sample of 118 interviews with managing directors and CEOs, and 90 CIOs from medium-sized and large companies.

The development of a sustainable activity has become an essential variable in the business of companies and, in this context, technology is becoming a crucial ally to achieve this positive impact on the environment.

Thus, the business owners interviewed stated that the implementation of digital tools and process automation boosts energy efficiency and clearly contributes to reducing emissions. Similarly, increased connectivity has enabled organisations of all kinds to optimise the use of their resources, due to the rise in remote working and digital meetings.

Moving towards the circular economy

Along the same lines, the opinions of managers also coincided in pointing to the importance of digital transformation in moving towards a circular economy. Technology thus enables greater and more accurate product monitoring, allowing optimal supply chain management, reuse, recycling and re-manufacturing. As a result, thanks to the technological factor, waste is minimised and the value of materials and products is maximised throughout their life cycle.

In view of these conclusions, Alfonso Ramos, director of SEIDOR's Transformation unit, stated that the Barometer data is very revealing in terms of the relationship between technology and the extent to which it has a positive impact on the environment. Specifically, Ramos points out that "as companies take on greater sustainability commitments, their managers are becoming aware of the value of technology in delivering on them".

Consequently, tasks that previously seemed unmanageable or that required significant investments of time and resources can now be completed more quickly and efficiently. For this reason, Alberto Delgado, co-director of SEIDOR's Transformation unit, added that "we at SEIDOR encourage companies to make progress in adopting new technologies, as they are key to enhancing competitiveness and overcoming challenges with regard to economic, social and environmental sustainability"

More competitive and agile companies

The impact of digitalisation on companies' profitability strategies is also reflected in SEIDOR's IT Barometer. Specifically, 8 out of every 10 managers ensure that digital transformation drives competitiveness, as new digital tools accelerate understanding of the environment, its analysis and its responsiveness. In short, the technological factor increases the ability to adapt business to new market trends and demands.

The study also reveals that 9 out of 10 managers believe that this greater responsiveness is decisive for their companies, but they also admit that organisations are often unable to implement this technology in their teams as effectively as they would like. Therefore, it is concluded that the pending issue for companies whose agility to adapt to the environment is stagnating is to focus on enabling the adoption of new technologies and methodologies.

In this sense, one of the barriers that is being overcome is the awareness of company managers themselves. Although only 1 out of every 4 executive directors believe that technology is key for the transformation of their businesses, 9 out of every 10 state that it is very important.

Along the same lines, 4 out of every 5 CEOs interviewed say that the transformation of business with digitalisation will be essential for their company. Thus, the data paints a picture in which, at the highest levels of business management, it is assumed that, with digital process automation and collaboration tools, companies reduce errors, save time and increase the productivity of their employees, among other positive values.

This Barometer was conducted by Alfonso Ramos, director of SEIDOR's Transformation unit and Alberto Delgado, co-director of SEIDOR's Transformation unit.