INTELLIGENT SOFTWARE
92 % of government IT decision-makers agree KSA is accelerating towards Digital Transformation
Ahmed Al-Faifi , Senior Vice President and General Manager , Middle East North , SAP
N early all ( 92 %) of Saudi Arabia ’ s government IT decision-makers agree that the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated their Digital Transformation over the past year , according to a new YouGov survey launched recently by global technology company SAP in the run-up to LEAP , the platform attracted leaders from around the world last month . “ 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 .”
In terms of the top three priority areas for Saudi government organisations ’ digital investment in 2022 and beyond , 67 % said human capital management , 61 % said enterprise resource planning ( ERP ), 56 % said core solutions , 41 % said customer experience , 41 % said predictive analytics , and 34 % 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 will prioritise in 2022 and beyond are : Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning ( 77 %), the Internet of Things ( 65 %), cloud ( 51 %), predictive analytics ( 38 %), robotic process automation ( 36 %), and Blockchain ( 35 %).
“ The Kingdom ’ s National Strategy for Data and AI is already seeing a ripple effect , with 77 % of government IT decisionmakers 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 programmes , the youth skills and talent are constantly developing , creating a new generation of leaders .” •
INTELLIGENT TECH CHANNELS Issue 49 49