Companies lack the experts and knowledge to digitize business

For 61% of companies, the biggest barrier to implementing document digitization tools is the lack of specialists in the field, according to an Asseco report titled "The Paperless Gap and Other Challenges on the Road to Digitization of Documents in Business." Interestingly, this problem was felt more strongly by companies that already use digital solutions and have implemented electronic signatures in their organization (65%). Among those that have not yet done so, the shortage of specialists is perceived by 49%. The premiere of the entire report will take place on June 8 at the Trusted Economy Forum, the largest international conference on electronic trust services, digitization of business processes and cyber security.

According to a report compiled by Asseco, the main barrier preventing companies from digitizing documents is the shortage of specialists in this field. It is felt by more than 60% of companies. It is estimated that Poland currently lacks 50,000 IT professionals including: programmers, developers and architects, but also managers who are capable of leading an organization through digital change.

The IT industry has long struggled with a shortage of specialists, which is driving up the cost of providing services. Digitization covers so many areas of our lives that the shortage of human resources will translate into the entire economy in the long term. Our survey shows that the problem is also recognized by entrepreneurs in other industries who would like to digitize their business, but often do not have the knowledge and competence in their teams to implement the right solution. The problem arises from the very beginning, as many companies are not even able to formulate their expectations when it comes to digital or cyber security solutions. And digitization requires not only technical expertise, but also a comprehensive approach at different levels and an understanding of the change within the organization. Therefore, a broad cooperation of various business communities, industry experts, administration and universities is needed in order to improve the competencies of current employees on the one hand, and on the other, to intensively develop the education system for future generations of IT professionals. Asseco, as a leader in digitization in Poland, is already involved in initiatives such as Cyber Science to support the academic community in the preparation of curricula and specialized fields of study," says Andrzej Dopierała, President of Asseco Data Systems, Vice President of Asseco Poland

Entrepreneurs also see poor legal environment (43%) among the barriers to digitization, as well as a lack of good, industry-specific examples of successful digitization cases that have brought real benefits to companies. Such a limitation is seen by 41% of respondents.

The report, "The Paperless Gap and Other Challenges on the Road to Digitization of Documents in Business," is based on a survey conducted by Civitta Poland on behalf of Asseco Data Systems using the CATI method on a sample of 316 companies with 100 or more employees. The distribution of the surveyed sample reflects the structure of companies in Poland in this size segment. The surveyed companies included entities from manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade, healthcare, construction, finance and insurance, and transportation, among others.

The results of the entire report will be presented on June 8 in Warsaw at the Trusted Economy Forum. Register for the event at www.trustedeconomyforum.pl.