Mountain View, California –(Business Wire) — Systematic+, a professional development community for business technology professionals powered by Workato, has released its annual State of Business Technology Report. This data report is a continuation of the 2020 and 2021 State of Business Technology reports, which are dedicated to exploring core themes of the BT industry. This year’s results focus on how business technology teams can fundamentally change and become more strategic partners and expert innovators, and how these teams can maximize efficiency amid looming economic uncertainty on the rise. Continued shifts within organizations highlight the changing ways in which business technology teams deliver more and more strategic value, and this time of uncertainty will undoubtedly lead to creative solutions in a challenging environment.
So, what exactly does a business technology role entail? 62% of respondents are responsible for developing a long-term BT strategy that aligns with larger company plans, demonstrating BT’s increasing emphasis on partnering with other lines of business to drive value. Other important job responsibilities include planning and executing the IT project backlog across the organization, and building, leading and coaching teams. Compared to last year, these responsibilities are more focused on strategy, collaboration and direction.
Emphasizing efficiencies in 2022, 58% of leaders say they rely on automation to help save money and time across the enterprise. In addition to leveraging automation, 51% of respondents are using new technologies to ease the pain of time-consuming issues.
“Over the past few years, we have witnessed the growth and evolution of commercial technology teams, from tactical executors to strategic partners and innovators. It is clear that these teams are at the forefront of digital transformation, constantly adapting to changing business and the workforce environment,” said Carter Busse, CIO of Workato. “In 2022, it’s no surprise that maximizing efficiency across the organization is a top priority for BT leaders. Whether it’s reducing pressure on overall SaaS spend, or heightened expectations to invest more in cybersecurity with fewer resources By measure, business technology leaders are becoming an indispensable voice within the enterprise, and we will continue to see this trend rise as we move into next year.”
This year’s report highlights the following key findings:
- Businesses have bigger budgets than last year, but less room for experimentation and innovation. 82% of teams are currently expected to get more work done, with nearly half of those teams now measuring higher expectations with fewer resources than before.
- Most business technology leaders see automation as the answer to maximizing efficiency in an uncertain economy. The number of companies automating more complex processes, such as quote-to-cash (19% to 24%) and procure-to-pay (25% to 30%), has increased this year as 58% of leaders focus on using automation to increase efficiency ).
- 57% of business technology leaders are under pressure from leadership to reduce SaaS spending. BT leaders disagree on a single approach to this pressure. 40% of respondents said a major problem when consolidating application usage is a lack of awareness of all the applications the business is running.
- Artificial intelligence is a priority for the company right now. 92% of respondents said AI is their top priority, and 75% have already implemented an AI/ML (machine learning) solution. The majority of companies (37%) have implemented hybrid solutions built in-house and leveraged through third-party platforms.
- The top skills leaders look for in business technology candidates are information technology infrastructure library (ITIL) knowledge (36%), software development skills (34%) and cybersecurity expertise (30%). For companies with between 250 and 500 employees, “soft skills” were the number one element BT leaders looked for in candidates, followed by ITIL and cybersecurity knowledge.
- In 2021, business technology teams focused on their cybersecurity initiatives, and this year was no different, with 45% of leaders choosing this area as an area they are investing more in than ever before. Other top areas of focus include investments in cloud applications (38%) and data analytics (36%).
For this year’s report, Systematic+, a professional development community for BT professionals powered by Workato, commissioned independent market research firm Atomik Research to conduct an online survey of more than 100 employees of full-time IT and BT professionals at companies located across the United States. The resulting 519 respondents ranged in seniority from analysts to C-Suite executives.
Founded in 2018 as a community for business technologists, Systematic+ has grown to over 5,000 members worldwide, all working towards the same goal: supporting business through technology. Between monthly virtual and in-person meetups, private online forums, and annual meetings of community members, Systematic+ is an incubator for innovation in business technology.
Click here to download the 2022 State of Business Technology report. To learn more about Systematic+ powered by Workato, visit https://systematic.workato.com/.
About Workato
As a leader in enterprise automation, Workato helps organizations work faster and smarter without compromising security and governance. Built for business and IT users, Workato is trusted by more than 17,000 of the world’s top brands, including Broadcom, Intuit and Box. Headquartered in Mountain View, California, Workato is backed by Altimeter Capital, Battery Ventures, Insight Venture Partners, Tiger Global and Redpoint Ventures. For more information, visit workato.com or connect with us on social media: