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New SAP Survey Highlights KSA-Wide Commitment to Digital Transformation, Innovation, and Sustainability as LEAP 2023 Launches

  • More than 90% of IT decision-makers say their companies are planning further investment in digital transformation, with 69% believing customer service will reap the most benefit

  • Results show 91% of organizations recognize the value of sustainability as a business objective

RIYADH, KSA February 1, 2023 – As visitors from around the world descend on Riyadh next week for the second edition of major technology event LEAP, a survey commissioned by global technology company SAP highlights the positive changes already evident from the Kingdom’s investment in new technologies and its focus on becoming a global technology hub and model for sustainable development.

According to the new SAP-commissioned survey undertaken by YouGov, 87% of KSA companies recognize the value of digital transformation in achieving their organization’s objectives. At the same time, a significant majority (91%) recognize the value of sustainability as a business objective, with half (49%) describing it as vital to their success.

Focusing on digital transformation in particular, Ahmed AlFaifi, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, SAP Middle East Africa North, said the high proportion – more than 90% of respondents – who reported their companies were planning to invest further in digital transformation, cloud software and services in the coming 18 months, shows the ripple effect of government’s impressive digital transformation initiatives and the Saudi Vision 2030 framework.

KSA has been investing significantly in its push to become a global hub for science and technology in line with Vision 2030. At last year’s LEAP event, the Kingdom unveiled more than $6.4 billion worth of investments in future technologies and entrepreneurship to accelerate its digital transformation and boost its digital economy. In the same year, KSA ranked the best in the region and third globally for its digital government transformation by the World Bank’s GovTech Maturity Index for 2022.

“Multiple factors, including the Saudi Arabia’s early adoption of new technologies and creation of a robust digital infrastructure, its investment in innovation initiatives and training of digital workers, and the example set by digitally transforming government operations, have all inspired organizations to embrace the benefits of cloud computing and benefit from advances in areas such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics, data science, blockchain, and cybersecurity,” said AlFaifi. “These factors have also attracted significant investment from global companies such as SAP to support the accelerated transformation of companies across all sectors in a seamless, secure manner.”

The SAP survey also investigated the chief areas where companies expected to reap the benefits of their digital transformation. Customer service was ranked highest (69%), followed by human resources (60%) finance (53%) and supply chain (31%).

SAP’s participation at LEAP 2023 (booth H1, J10) is themed around “Enabling the New World”, showcasing its vision of a future world built on sustainable, intelligent and networked change. SAP experts are also speaking at LEAP forums on future energy, smart cities, IR4 and retail. The event runs from 6 to 9 February.

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