The Marketing Minute: Staying Positive When the Market Isn’t
Marcy’s Musings: Continuing to Invent the Future With SEL
It’s Only Common Sense: Why Failure Is an Opportunity for Growth
Businesses Invest in AI, Machine Learning to Expand Digital Business Plans
August 16, 2021 | Globe NewswireEstimated reading time: 3 minutes
IDG Communications, Inc. – the world’s leading tech media, data, and marketing services company – releases its third annual Digital Business research, which was conducted to gain a better understanding of where organizations are in adopting a digital-first approach. This year’s results found that 61% of IT decision-makers (ITDMs) agree that the global pandemic forced their organization to begin/implement a digital-first strategy, and 42% found themselves in catch-up mode, trying their hand at a digital-first strategy to stay at pace with their competitors. Similar to past results, 91% of organizations have adopted or plan to adopt a digital-first strategy, however a greater percentage are already in the adoption stages (52%) compared to 48% in 2019. To support these digital-first plans, technology buyers anticipate investing more dollar in artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML).
Pandemic’s Impact on the Digital Business Landscape
Changes accelerated by the pandemic, such as the shift to remote work and new forms of online customer interactions, forced organizations to evolve and adapt, especially by using new technologies. Two-thirds of respondents to the 2021 Digital Business study shared that their IT organization has shifted to a remote-first mindset when making technology purchases, and more than half (54%) said that the amount of time it takes their organization to implement new technologies has decreased over the past 12 months, likely attributed to the sudden necessity of specific tools and solutions.
While the percentage of companies adopting a digital-first strategy mirrors the landscape of 2019, the definition of digital business has shifted to focus more on employees, customers, and data, most likely in response to priorities dictated by the global pandemic. When asked what digital business means to their organization, the top responses were:
- Enable worker productivity (mobile apps, data access, AI-assisted automation) (49% and was the number two meaning in 2019)
- Increase the understanding of customer needs through data collection and analysis (43% and number four in 2019)
- Better manage business performance through data availability and visibility (42% and number three in 2019)
Aligned with the focus on worker productivity, the ability to improve employee productivity/ performance is the top objective of a digital business strategy this year compared to being the eighth objective in 2019. When asked how their digital business objectives changed in importance due to the global pandemic, 58% of ITDMs said that the focus on business agility/resiliency and security increased in importance.
“The global pandemic redefined and accelerated many things over the past 18 months, and the approach to digital business is no different,” says Sue Yanovitch, VP of Marketing, IDG Communications, Inc. “As businesses shifted to remote work and new forms of customer engagement, technology leaders were forced to identify and implement new solutions. We anticipate these investments will continue as organizations evolve and plan for the future of work.”
Investments Supporting Digital-First Strategies
Organizations are making strides to successfully become a digital business. Looking at which stages have already been completed, data security/protection strategy (25%), technology needs assessment (24%), and IT skills assessment (23%) top the list. When it comes to areas that are still in progress, we can expect ITDMs to continue to work on a data management strategy (50%), data security/protection strategy (47%), and change management (44%). Respondents also need assistance developing a business case/roadmap for their overall digital strategy – 41% list this as the most crucial step for digital business success, however only 20% have completed this step, 42% are in progress, and 27% are still planning.
To support these strategies and advance on their digital business journey, organizations will invest an average of $16.5 million on digital initiatives over the next 12 months. The technologies being actively researched to better understand how they fit into tech leaders’ plans are artificial intelligence (AL)/machine learning (ML) (33%), 5G (27%), Bots (26%), and augmented reality (AR)/virtual reality (VR). However, these high percentages do not always translate into investment levels. AI/ML does lead the way with 38% saying that they anticipate investing more dollars towards those tools and solutions over the next 12 months to become a digital business, followed by data/analytics (34%), public cloud (32%), multi-cloud (30%), and private cloud (30%).
Share on:
Testimonial
"The I-Connect007 team is outstanding—kind, responsive, and a true marketing partner. Their design team created fresh, eye-catching ads, and their editorial support polished our content to let our brand shine. Thank you all! "
Sweeney Ng - CEE PCBSuggested Items
Lessons From a Thousand Columns: Dan Beaulieu on Writing, Selling, and Staying the Course
08/21/2025 | Michelle Te, I-Connect007For 20 years, Dan Beaulieu has been a steady voice in sales and marketing, offering weekly columns that challenge, inspire, and guide professionals in the electronics industry and beyond. Soon, he will reach a remarkable milestone—his 1,000th It’s Only Common Sense weekly column. In this Q&A, we look behind the scenes of Dan’s writing journey, exploring what has kept him motivated, the lessons he’s learned along the way, and how two decades of weekly columns have shaped his career and the industry conversation.
Marcy’s Musings: Continuing to Invent the Future With SEL
08/19/2025 | Marcy LaRont -- Column: Marcy's MusingsTwo years ago, PCB007 Magazine devoted an issue to Schweitzer Engineering Labs (SEL), a new captive greenfield PCB facility in Moscow, Idaho. We highlighted some of the most cutting-edge achievements in facility layout, design, and equipment in the PCB fabrication industry. SEL was a shining example of what was possible, providing insight and inspiration to PCB fabricators looking toward growth and expansion.
Coherent Announces Agreement to Sell Aerospace and Defense Business to Advent for $400 Million
08/15/2025 | AdventCoherent Corp., a global leader in photonics, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its Aerospace and Defense business to Advent, a leading global private equity investor, for $400 million. Proceeds will be used to reduce debt, which will be immediately accretive to Coherent’s EPS.
COVID, Tough Sales, and What Made Me a Better Salesperson
08/12/2025 | Daniel Beauvois, The Component StoreBefore 2020, we approached sales differently. A persistent, gritty salesperson could approach businesses daily without an appointment. They would often be turned away, but sometimes, they would be given a shot. Then, in March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic became official, and things started to shut down. When we finally came back, everything had changed, creating an impenetrable barrier for outside salespeople.
It’s Only Common Sense: Stop Chasing New Customers and Start Keeping the Ones You Have
08/11/2025 | Dan Beaulieu -- Column: It's Only Common SenseCustomer retention is not glamorous. It doesn’t have a flashy ad campaign, it’s not going viral on social media, and nobody’s handing out “Best in Retention” awards at trade shows. However, if you’re running a proper business, not a popularity contest, then customer retention is where you make your money. However, too many companies treat customer retention as an afterthought.