The future of IT investments in 2022 and beyond
Editor’s Note: Rafael Sweary, President and Co-Founder at WalkMe, was recently interviewed by Vmblog.com and shared his thoughts and predictions for 2022, as part of their 14th annual series exclusive featuring top industry executives and experts. Here are his top 3 predictions:
The year of extreme technology overload
More and more software will be marketed to organizations of all sizes, creating a technology overload on employees. Given the large number of startups that have been able to raise money over the past 2+ years, we will see more offerings available for organizations to add to their tech stacks, resulting in a: “There’s a system for every problem,” kind of problem. And as we saw during the pandemic, organizations bought. A lot.
This technology overload was driven in large by the necessity of a digital-first approach due to the COVID-19 pandemic. And the rise of digital transformation and increase of IT investments are not likely to die down. In 2022, it’s estimated that spending on digital transformation will reach 1.8 trillion U.S. dollars, according to Statistica.
Organizations will start investing in even greater scrutiny, and as a result, a hybrid-approach will become the new norm. Then, we will start seeing more of a focus on seeing a return on investment (ROI) to justify their IT spend.
The shift to analytics on all tech investments
In 2022, we will see organizations analyzing and measuring those investments they made to their technology stack. What’s working? What’s not? It’s time to reap the benefits. It’s no longer going to be ok to have shelfware. For years, organizations have been running analytics on their websites but not doing the same for their other tech platforms, software, and apps. The shift to the need, and mandate, for analytics on all tech investments is coming, if not already here. No one can justify spending millions without proving its worth through strong analytics.
Then, in terms of measurement, there is no one-size-fits-all definition for the success of a new system. Companies must come up with clear definitions regarding success, once they have implemented a new software. What metric is most important to track? Is it the number of users using it? Does it achieve key business objectives? These types of questions need to be answered, and we can really tailor measurements to fit business needs.
The relationship between the digital and the human-user
As part of the “measure what you got” stage, organizations will use analytics and data to see how well employees are using the technology platforms provided to them. Organizations will be able to see where employees are being held up, if their tech investments are proving productive, and where improvements can be made.
When those areas have been identified, this is where automation can come in. In recent years, we have mainly seen organizations centered on “back office automation,” which includes connecting systems together to help streamline operations. What is more essential for many organizations is “front office automation,” which is focused on making employees more efficient in their roles and focused on assisting versus replacing. This will help solve key pain points and lead to overall better user experience.
In 2022 and beyond, we will see organizations measuring their IT spend and tracking their success. The user experience will become paramount for true digital adoption that will lead to greater return on organizations’ technology investments. And while technology is indeed digital, the user is human. Those organizations that bridge the gap between the digital and the user will achieve greater ROI.
For more 2022 insights, read our latest predictions from industry leaders and analysts.