digital" era, where success will be based on an organization's ability to master a set of new technologies that can deliver personalized realities and experiences for customers, employees and business partners, according to Accenture Technology Vision 2019, the annual report from Accenture (NYSE: ACN) that predicts key technology trends that will redefine businesses over the next three years. According to this year's report, "The Post-Digital Era is Upon Us — Are You Ready for What's Next?," the enterprise is at a turning point. Digital technologies enable companies to understand their customers with a new depth of granularity; give them more channels with which to reach those consumers; and enable them to expand ecosystems with new potential partners. But digital is no longer a differentiating advantage — it's now the price of admission. In fact, more than four in five (83%) business and IT executives in Saudi Arabia surveyed believe that digital technologies — specifically social, mobile, analytics and cloud — have moved beyond adoption silos to become part of the core technology foundation for their organization. There has been a big appetite for digital transformation in Saudi Arabia. Backed by the government's Vision 2030 strategy, it is one of the most significant drivers that will unlock the economic value and will help support the transformation into a more diversified economy. "In the past few years, we've seen the Kingdom make major strides towards achieving Vision 2030's transformation agenda for the local ICT sector," said Khaled AlDhaher, Accenture's country managing director in Saudi Arabia. "Backed by strategic investments and initiatives from the government and public sectors, Saudi Arabia is striving to become a global leader in the application of AI technology. As cutting-edge technologies continue to be rolled out across the country, Saudi organizations must leverage these innovations to create hyper-personalized experiences for their customers, while ensuring that they continue to build trust." The Technology Vision identifies five emerging technology trends that companies must address if they are to succeed in today's rapidly evolving landscape: • DARQ Power: Understanding the DNA of DARQ. The technologies of distributed ledgers, artificial intelligence, extended reality and quantum computing (DARQ) are catalysts for change, offering extraordinary new capabilities and enabling businesses to reimagine entire industries. In Saudi Arabia, 93% of organizations are already experimenting with one of more DARQ technologies. When asked to rank which of these will have the greatest impact on their organization over the next three years, 50% of Saudi executives ranked AI number one — more than twice the number of any other DARQ technology. • Get to Know Me: Unlock unique consumers and unique opportunities. Technology-driven interactions are creating an expanding technology identity for every consumer. This living foundation of knowledge will be key to understanding the next generation of consumers and for delivering rich, individualized, experience-based relationships. More than four in five Saudi executives (84%) said that digital demographics give their organizations a new way to identify market opportunities for unmet customer needs. • Human+ Worker: Change your workplace or hinder your workforce. As workforces become "human+" — with each individual worker empowered by their skillsets and knowledge plus a new, growing set of capabilities made possible through technology — companies must support a new way of working in the post-digital age. Four in five (80%) Saudi executives believe that their employees are more digitally mature than their organization, resulting in a workforce "waiting" for the organization to catch up. • Secure Us to Secure Me: Enterprises are not victims, they're vectors. While ecosystem-driven business depends on interconnectedness, those connections increase companies' exposures to risks. Leading businesses recognize that security must play a key role in their efforts as they collaborate with entire ecosystems to deliver best-in-class products, services and experiences. Only 15% of Saudi executives said they know their ecosystem partners are working diligently to be compliant and resilient with regard to security. • MyMarkets: Meet consumers at the speed of now. Technology is creating a world of intensely customized and on-demand experiences, and companies must reinvent their organizations to find and capture those opportunities. That means viewing each opportunity as if it's an individual market—a momentary market. The majority of Saudi executives (95%) said that the integration of customization and real-time delivery is the next big wave of competitive advantage. According to the report, innovation for organizations in the post-digital era involves figuring out how to shape the world around people and pick the right time to offer their products and services. They're taking their first steps in a world that tailors itself to fit every moment — where products, services and even people's surroundings are customized and where businesses cater to the individual in every aspect of their lives and jobs, shaping their realities. — SG
