As long as I’ve been in this role, I’ve always ended the year with an emphasis on numbers. For those in business, and even more for those in data science like us, the numbers are always what lights the way. And in recent years, it has been rewarding to end the year by significantly increasing the previous year’s operating results. 2020 should have been particularly good in that regard. As of March 9, the day everything changed, we had billed nearly what we had achieved in the previous six months, a comforting roster. We felt we were riding a machine that had finally found the right set-up to aim for the title. Instead, in just a few days, we found ourselves in the pits, low on fuel and even a bit of a desire to park forever, surrendering to a season so unlucky as to put drivers, engineers and the entire team in trouble all at once.
And instead, continuing every morning to open the garage door, we found the corrective measures to put the car back on track with a new livery and, lap after lap, in the deafening silence of an empty racetrack, we proved, first of all to ourselves, that we are still competitive.
Of course our numbers are not the ones we hoped for but, with our objectives intact, we have observed in the world around us, some numbers to believe in, and some signals to focus on, to continue to run in 2021, and return to racing for real in 2022.
In a year marked by uncertainty and complexity, digital innovation played a key role in ensuring continuity for all organizations. And that’s precisely where Premoneo’s offering fits in. So, how has the approach of companies to innovation changed? A research of the Politecnico di Milano, tells us that the economic difficulties caused by the Covid-19 emergency have led to redefine company budgets. According to the university of Milan, companies have understood that it is not possible to ignore the push towards Digital Innovation. In which areas of development will companies invest? For Large and Very Large Enterprises, investment in Information Security ranks first, with 45% of preferences. But it is already in second place that the area of investment in Big Data and Analytics is indicated with 43% of choices and always in the first ten preferences we find: eCommerce, CRM and Data Center.
So, Premoneo will be at the forefront in responding to the need of Italian companies, with another reassurance, always coming from the Polytechnic, which explains how startups are increasingly considered sources of stimulus for Digital Innovation by Large and Very Large companies. If the sources used in the last three years are still the “traditional” ones, such as Top Management, internal company functions, Consultancy Companies, ICT Vendors and Sourcers, which occupy the first places in the choices; however, if we refer to the next three years, some top players lose many percentage points and are joined by new interlocutors. Among these, Startups, which occupy fourth position among the players that are sources of innovation ideas in the forecasts of managers (going from 13% to 28% of preferences and surpassing the forecasts of Consultancy Companies, Vendors and ICT Sourcers). On the other hand, the startups themselves have been an example, in full lockdown, of how it is possible to react to a crisis, putting in place skills, knowledge, patents, products and solutions. We want to restart from this turn of events, hoping to be able to talk about real numbers in 12 months.
Federico
