Dive Brief:

• A study released Wednesday found 52% of the surveyed IT decision makers say they are challenged to keep pace with digital transformation.
• The research, conducted by Sungard Availability Services, found digital transformation is a high priority for 84% of businesses, but several obstacles can slow progress.
• Some of the primary digital transformation challenges IT decision makers face are a lack of skills and insufficient budgets.

Dive Insight:

The study questioned 700 IT decision makers and 1,400 office workers from the U.S., U.K., France, Ireland and Sweden.

Effectively adopting and implementing a digital transformation strategy can give businesses the speed and agility they need to react quickly to changes in the market and to capitalize on new opportunities, experts and consultants say.

Sungard AS’ research found that digital transformation is a high priority for businesses, with 84% of those surveyed stating digital adoption "is critical in remaining competitive within their industry."

But actually completing a digital transformation is not easy, and 37% of those surveyed admitted their company "cannot drive digital transformation as fast as their competitors."

"Almost every business states that adopting the latest digital technologies is vital in remaining competitive, and if IT fails to deliver, everything from staff retention and employee productivity to customer engagement and ultimately business growth is at stake," said Keith Tilley, executive vice president, Global Sales & Customer Services Management at Sungard AS in a statement.