According to a new YouGov survey, nearly all (92 per cent) of Saudi Arabia’s government IT decision-makers agree that the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated its digital transformation over the past year.
The survey was launched by global technology company SAP in the run-up to LEAP, the platform attracting leaders worldwide to be held from February 1 to 3, 2022.
“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is in a large-scale phase of digital transformation, especially in the public sector, and we are proud to partner with some of the most strategic projects leading with our innovation business software solutions”, said Ahmed Al-Faifi, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Middle East North, SAP.
“Thanks to initiatives such as Saudi Vision 2030, Smart Cities and among others NEOM and The Red Sea Project, the Kingdom is on the path to becoming a technology hub leading with innovations in the Cloud.”
Regarding the top three priority areas for Saudi government organisations’ digital investment in 2022 and beyond, 67 per cent said human capital management, 61 per cent cited enterprise resource planning, 56 per cent core solutions, 41 per cent customer experience, 41 per cent predictive analytics and 34 per cent said procurement.
With emerging technologies continuing to develop and mature, many of the kingdom’s government and public sector organisations are at the forefront of adopting innovative solutions.
Among the top three emerging technologies that the respondents said their organisations would prioritise in 2022 and beyond are: artificial intelligence and machine learning (77 per cent), the Internet of Things (65 per cent), cloud (51 per cent ), predictive analytics (38 per cent), robotic process automation (36 per cent), and blockchain (35 per cent).
“The Kingdom’s National Strategy for Data and AI is already seeing a ripple effect, with 77 per cent of government IT decision-makers prioritising artificial intelligence and machine learning for the next year to optimise operations, talent development, and citizen experiences,” added Al-Faifi. “As Saudi Arabia begins to emerge from the pandemic, the kingdom is playing an important role in creating a platform for diversified entrepreneurship in emerging sectors. With SAP’s knowledge exchange programs, the youth skills and talent are constantly developing, creating a new generation of leaders.”
