The secret to successful digital transformation – according to KPMG

By: Trademagazin Date: 2025. 05. 20. 12:10

Companies continue to watch their competitors’ moves with a wary eye, but this is no longer the main influencing factor when deciding on digital investments. In the past two years, 89 percent of companies have managed to use technology to increase profits. However, successful leaders have also understood that the value of developments goes far beyond financial gains. Meanwhile, the desire for new technologies often overshadows the management of errors and technical debt in existing systems, even though these disrupt business operations on a weekly basis for more than half of companies. Almost three-quarters of companies are already realizing some business value from AI investments, but only one in three has been able to implement this at the organizational level – this is what KPMG has found in its Global Tech Report 2024 study.

KPMG experts surveyed representatives of eight industries and prepared the Global Tech Report 2024 based on the responses of 2,450 leaders from 26 countries. Overall, survey respondents believe their organizations are performing well and have made measurable improvements in many areas over the past year. They see mistakes as opportunities to learn and are optimistic about the future. By taking a measured approach to technology investments, leaders are already reaping the benefits of key developments while maintaining a solid business model and running the company successfully. Of course, the willingness to enter the realm of innovation should not mean abandoning good business practices.

Consideration rather than herd mentality

The pace of digital transformation can be daunting for many, but research shows that many companies are making significant progress in implementing it, particularly in the areas of AI, XaaS and cybersecurity. The incremental gains achieved through transformation so far are encouraging, and organizations are looking for value beyond that. “Meanwhile, the technological changes of the past year have intensified the fear of being left behind, which is why some people make hasty decisions. However, this is not without risk and can also be very costly,” says Huba Kulcsár, senior manager of KPMG’s technology and project consulting business. So we should not blindly follow the herd, the desire to develop and prevent competitors should not cloud the judgment of decision-makers, it is worth finding a balance between value creation and the willingness to take risks.

According to the research, leaders are learning from their mistakes. They continue to consider trends set by their market competitors as guidelines, but they are taking an increasingly balanced approach to investment decisions. The emphases have shifted. While following competitors is still ranked as a top decision-making factor by 82 percent of respondents, it has slipped to third place behind third-party guidance (89 percent) and in-house experimentation and proof of concept (83 percent).

How much is technology worth?

Organizations are getting better at investing in technology. 87 percent of respondents say they have used technology to drive profits in the past 24 months. 72 percent agree that their digital transformation decision-making processes generally deliver business value, and 69 percent are generally satisfied with the results. 59 percent of respondents have achieved at least 11 percent profit growth over the past two years as a result of their digital transformation efforts.

According to the KPMG survey, organizations are generally satisfied with the results of their digital transformation investments, and this is largely due to informed decisions. Accelerating change is putting pressure on technology leaders, but organizations must be careful not to let rushing compromise the quality of their decisions. The top-performing companies in the study understand this: 53 percent of them strategically evaluate their technology investment portfolio to ensure it aligns with their long-term goals, compared to 41 percent of all companies surveyed.

Successful leaders also understand that the value of technology goes beyond financial gain. For example, 70 percent of respondents also believe it is important for technology investments to directly address sustainability and social responsibility.