Raise awareness of the benefits of ICT

One of the key problems facing the region has been the fact that many SMEs are not aware of the benefits and the direct financial gains to be attained by adopting ICT. A weak understanding of the potential integration of ICT solutions within business models also leads to a great degree of inefficiency. This scenario is compounded by the fact that there are a large number of competitive ICT products and services available on the market, which causes a great deal of confusion to companies with limited ICT literacy and capacities. In addition, the high cost of acquiring and maintaining ICT solutions further creates barriers to their adoption.

Governments could assist in creating awareness and reducing the psychological barriers to ICT acquisition by showcasing SME success stories, best practices, and benefits gained through ICT adoption. By clearly demonstrating the modern systems approaches to ICT/business integration, the failure rate of ICT adoption by SMEs can be reduced. For example, Enterprise-wide Business Process Management (EBPM), representing the third wave of Business Process Management, is a deliberate and collaborative approach to systematically manage all of a company’s business processes. It facilitates seamless integration of ICT solutions into a business model. In addition, business approaches such as Business Technology Management (BTM), an emerging management science grounded in research and practice, demonstrate methods to unify decision-making from the boardroom to the ICT project team.

Specific actions that governments could consider exploring are:

  • Providing financial or non-financial support to business organizations that promote best practices in the field of ICT/business integration
  • Organizing annual Business-Technology Alignment Award programs
  • Generating and promoting SME success stories, emphasizing benefits gained from ICT adoption and integration
  • Providing financial and non-financial support to Software as a Service (SaaS) firms that give SMEs access to latest software without incurring high up-front capital costs.

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