IT decision makers agree that focusing on the digital experience of consumers is more important than ever.
That’s according to a WSO2 survey of 500 IT decision makers that found 85 percent of those surveyed agreed a shift is underway towards focusing on digital experiences. The same survey found that 73 percent of respondents say that the move to focus on the digital experience in their own organisation was sudden.
Organisations must consider as they deliver innovative and differentiated digital experiences for their customers. Most of the decision makers surveyed indicate that the accelerated use of digital channels is reshaping both their organisational and technology strategies.
“For the majority of survey respondents, the ability to rapidly deliver innovative digital experiences is becoming a critical factor in their ability to compete,” said Eric Newcomer, WSO2 chief technology officer. “Cloud native benefits, such as scale, resilience and agility, are integral to the experience, but not easy to achieve. Automating deployment is also essential but adds a complexity of its own. Developers, especially those with these skills, are in short supply, and need better tools to compete and succeed.”
However, not everyone is in agreement on whether organisations really understand what their customers’ needs are.
Among C-level executives, 52 percent say their organisation understands its customers’ digital experiences extremely well, compared to 30 percent of directors and 22 percent of managers.
However, the vast majority of IT decision makers agree that four factors are key to driving better digital experiences, as well as gaining and maintaining a competitive advantage: improved security (90 percent), cloud adoption (89 percent), API integration (82 percent), and total data control (81 percent).
Seeking ways to speed innovation
The push to accelerate innovation is putting additional pressures on enterprises already facing a shortage of software developers. In fact, 51 percent of IT decision-makers say the talent shortage of developers has had a negative impact on their business. Over half (54 percent) of respondents say that the shortage of developers has delayed projects and reduced productivity while 48 percent report that it has slowed the pace of innovation.
To address the shortage, enterprises are relying on a combination of staffing, professional development, and technology strategies. Among IT decision makers, 40 percent report that they are increasing automation, and 87 percent think it is likely that more non-developers will use low-code or no-code development tools over the next three years. Meanwhile, 54 percent of respondents say their organisation is training other employees on developer skills, and 65 percent identify cloud-native development as the developer skill their organisation is most in need of.
