A survey of 103 IT decision-makers in Ireland showed that towards the end of last year, just 37% of enterprises were planning to increase investment in their e-commerce capabilities over the following 12-month period.

Equinix’s Tech Trends Survey was conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic forced businesses in Ireland and across the world to move their operations online. And the results showed that the overwhelming majority of medium to large-sized enterprises did not view investment in e-commerce capabilities as an imminent priority. 

The survey also found less than one-third (31%) of IT leaders in Ireland believed blockchain—which can make digital payments faster and more secure—would be essential to their organisation within the next three years.

These reported plans came despite the fact that global trends showed a move towards a more digitised way of doing business. Digitisation comes in many forms, and the survey did show digital transformation was on the agenda for many—enterprises in Ireland are looking at other ways in which they can digitise their businesses. More than two-thirds (68%) of organisations surveyed reported that improving their customer and user experience online was a top priority.

Commenting on the research, Managing Director for Ireland at Equinix, Maurice Mortell said, "COVID-19 has shown us that digital transformation is now so central to the global economy, enterprises can fail if they don’t, or are unable to, digitally evolve. Of course, none of us foresaw how 2020 would unfold, but the world was moving towards a more digital way of doing business long before COVID-19."

He added, "And while no one anticipates a pandemic, unexpected events can and do happen. Organisations must therefore continually look at trends and respond to them quickly and appropriately. Ensuring an organisation has the right digital infrastructure in place is one of the best ways business leaders can protect it against the unexpected."

Source: www.businessworld.ie