Disrupted by COVID-19, German Enterprises Speed Up Digital Transformation to Compete Under New Conditions
ISG Provider Lens™ report finds companies setting more aggressive digitalization timelines to reap benefits in manufacturing, supply chains, customer service and other areas
Changes wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic have accelerated enterprise digital transformation programs in Germany by months or years, according to a new research report published by Information Services Group (ISG) (Nasdaq: III), a leading global technology research and advisory firm.
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“Enterprises in Germany are revamping their operations and business practices to remain competitive post-pandemic”
The 2021 ISG Provider Lens™ Digital Business – Solutions and Service Partners report for Germany finds German companies faced with pandemic-era changes to supply chains, work modes, manufacturing processes and customer service are responding with new technologies and organizational approaches. Digital business services and solutions that utilize AI, machine learning, automation and other new technologies are on the rise, often deployed across hybrid clouds and over software-defined networks that enable secure edge computing.
“Enterprises in Germany are revamping their operations and business practices to remain competitive post-pandemic,” said Anna Medkouri, partner, ISG EMEA, in Germany. “Providers are partnering with German companies to accomplish this quickly, especially in the country’s large manufacturing, engineering and supply-chain sectors.”
Digital services offer several advantages that have led German enterprises to choose them over less digitalized approaches, the report says. These include guaranteed service performance, predictive analysis, automated customer engagement and sustainability.
Many German engineering and manufacturing firms are undergoing digital transformations to achieve guaranteed service delivery at any utilization rate and on any platform, ISG says. Automated, predictive provisioning tools provide for reliable service delivery over software-defined networks and both wireline and wireless infrastructure, including narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) networks, which are quickly gaining popularity in Germany.
Self-monitoring, reporting and forecasting capabilities are increasingly important for detecting and solving problems, often with machine learning, the report says. Germany’s supply chain and manufacturing sectors are especially motivated to implement these systems and share the collected data with relevant team members through DevOps methods.
In the German retail and financial industries, digital transformation often means introducing virtual assistants and chatbots and utilizing highly automated and distributed customer experience services. These services can be provided by remote agents in secured environments, including employees’ homes, using new tools such as advanced environmental monitoring.
Digital services are also helping German companies achieve sustainability and decarbonization goals, which are becoming more critical as potential tax increases and regulatory issues loom on the horizon. These may include consulting and advisory services, monitoring and dashboards, and in some cases, larger initiatives such as clean energy supply systems or new office configurations to reduce carbon footprints.
The 2021 ISG Provider Lens™ Digital Business – Solutions and Service Partners report for Germany evaluates the capabilities of 44 providers across four quadrants: Digital Business Consulting Services, Digital Customer Experience Services, Digital Supply Chain Transformation Services and Sustainability and Decarbonization Services.
The report names Accenture, Arvato Systems, Atos, IBM and T-Systems as Leaders in all four quadrants. It names Capgemini and Infosys as Leaders in three quadrants each and Cognizant, DXC Technology and Siemens as Leaders in two quadrants each. Axians, CGI, Computacenter, HCL and Publicis Sapient are named as Leaders in one quadrant each.
In addition, Tech Mahindra and TietoEVRY are named as Rising Stars—companies with a “promising portfolio” and “high future potential” by ISG’s definition—in one quadrant each.
A customized version of the report is available from T-Systems.
The 2021 ISG Provider Lens™ Digital Business – Solutions and Service
