Rapid technological change is having a profound effect on operations and culture within the UK’s top enterprises, with 57% rethinking business models, according to the Nimbus Ninety annual Digital Trends Survey, in partnership with Ensono. For 60%, ‘business as usual’ is diverting crucial leadership attention away from digital transformation - confirming that resourcing is a critical problem for IT and technology teams.

Technology is driving 57% of companies to rethink business models but digital transformation is regularly derailed by misplaced leadership attention

The survey of over 250 senior IT and technology leaders from major UK sectors revealed that whilst technology investment would increase in 2017, 79% felt that spending needed to focus on different technologies to fulfil digital ambitions.

IT leaders cited a shortage of skilled staff, competition from digitally-driven companies and ‘keeping pace with the speed of change’ as the top business challenges for the year ahead. Platform technologies just pipped Artificial Intelligence as most likely to disrupt in 2017, underlining the ongoing impact of platform-driven businesses to upset the established order.

Emma Taylor, Nimbus Ninety Founder commented, “This year’s results show that enterprises are thinking more radically about how technology can shape their business models. The challenge is whether they transform in the right way, with the right skills and the right focus to compete effectively”.