A large majority of business leaders in Saudi Arabia believe that demands from Saudi Vision 2030 will necessitate the need to rethink the ICT strategy and investments within their own organisations, a study said.

They also consider information and communications technology (ICT) as an essential building block for achieving the Saudi Vision 2030, said the study released at the Dell EMC Forum held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Over 2,000 senior business and IT leaders attended the event, where Dell EMC showcased its solutions portfolio and united capabilities of the newly combined company to help enterprises across the kingdom accelerate business and national transformation initiatives.

The one day event focused on delivering key insights and best practices to help enterprises in the kingdom maximise performance demands to stay ahead in an ever competitive and changing business environment.

About 47 per cent of business leaders reported the announcement of mandates set down by the vision to have had an immediate impact of their organisation’s plans and vision for IT and IT related services.
These business leaders believe ICT solutions to play a crucial role in helping their business optimise the use of budgets and enhance efficiency across operations. While 46 per cent of the respondents believe that the journey to Saudi Vision 2030 will likely lead to a demand for new business models and services necessitating the need for a rethink of  ICT strategy and investments in the near future.
The study also revealed a significant interest from business leaders to invest in core ICT related skill sets to help the organisation sustain competitive differentiation:
o    43 per cent of businesses said technical engineers would be crucial to their own ICT vision for 2030
o    32 per cent of businesses reported that subject matter experts would be crucial to implementing their ICT vision for 2030
o    25 per cent of businesses said solution architects would be the need of the hour as they progress in their journey towards 2030

Business leaders also cited top areas in need of investment to advance the business and ICT vision for 2030:
o    53 per cent - Infrastructure
o    32 per cent- Applications
o    15 per cent- User Enablement

In light of the above, the Dell EMC Forum 2016 showcased the company’s complete set of capabilities to help customers in Saudi Arabia thrive in rapidly evolving digital economy. The event featured keynotes and breakout sessions designed to help enterprises resolve pressing business challenges through the adoption of technologies like cloud, converged infrastructure, security, and mobility in the public, financial services, energy, education, and SME sectors.  

Mohamed Talaat, vice president, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt and Libya at Dell EMC, said: “Vision 2030 has ushered in a new era for businesses across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as we collectively work together to achieve a larger objective for sustainable economic and capital growth for the betterment of our people and community. Saudi Arabia is already witnessing a paradigm shift as Vision 2030 fuels the business landscape with new opportunities. Today, it is imperative that organizations transform the way they approach ICT strategy, adopt new technologies and most importantly, invest in new skillsets to drive the vision for our digital future.  At Dell EMC, we remain committed to our customers and partners, with an unmatched portfolio of solutions and deep industry knowledge to serve as a trusted adviser and work together to help businesses stay ahead of the curve and fully leverage new opportunities as we embrace a new digital future.” – TradeArabia News Service