The digital push

Equinix study Finds that Canadian organizations’ expansion plans were significantly impacted by Covid-19

Photo by John Schnobrich on Unsplash

DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE FIRM Equinix, Inc. today announced the findings of its annual global study of the views of IT decision-makers on the biggest technology trends affecting businesses worldwide and the impact of the Covid -9 pandemic on digital infrastructure plans.

Surveying 2,600 IT decision-makers from diverse enterprises across 26 countries in the Americas, Asia-Pacific, and EMEA regions, the study reveals that in Canada:

• Covid-19 significantly halted Canadian organizations’ expansion plans as only 35 per cent of respondents plan to expand into new regions, countries, or metros this year, compared to 52 per cent the previous year.

• More than half (52 per cent) of digital leaders in Canada feel that further lockdown as a result of Covid-19 is the biggest threat to their organization.

• Nearly half (46 per cent) of digital leaders in Canada have accelerated their digital transformation plans as a result of Covid-19.

• Sustainability is becoming increasingly important for businesses, as 56 per cent say their customers want companies to demonstrate the sustainability of their IT infrastructure.

Digital transformation in the post-pandemic future

Digitization and business investment in digital infrastructure have increased as a result of the pandemic. More than 46 per cent of the digital leaders surveyed in Canada said they have accelerated digital transformation plans because of the pandemic, while 40 per cent said their budgets have been increased to satisfy the rapid growth in digital demands.

There has also been a major overhaul of IT strategies to meet the challenges emerging from the pandemic. More than two-thirds (68 per cent) said they have revised their IT strategy as a result of Covid-19, while 58 per cent said they want to invest in technology to be more agile post-pandemic.

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“Digital leaders around the world were clearly already working to accelerate their organizations’ digital transformation,” notes Claire Macland, senior vice president, global marketing at Equinix. “This effort has been supercharged by Covid-19, as this study clearly relays.”

Asked about their biggest priorities for their organization’s digital strategy, 77 per cent of respondents cited migrating to the cloud was their top priority, followed closely by digitizing their IT infrastructure (75 per cent) and improving cybersecurity (75 per cent).

Of note, while 44 per cent of digital leaders are less concerned about security threats within the cloud compared to 62 per cent a year ago, almost half (47 per cent) cite data leaks and cyber threats as a result of more user distributed devices as a major threat to their organization.

5G is Making Progress in Canada

Respondents are more likely to say that Canada’s implementation of 5G is progressing well (42 per cent), with only 17 per cent believing the implementation is moving slowly.

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Nearly half (49 per cent) of digital leaders in Canada feel the biggest impact of 5G on their business will be allowing them to take advantage of new technologies like AI and IoT. This represents a significant increase compared to last year (38%).

Utilizing interconnection for success

Sixty-five per cent of IT leaders said they believe interconnection — the direct and private exchange of data between organizations — will help them to navigate the challenges they face due to COVID-19.

Sixty per cent believe interconnection is a key facilitator of digital transformation and that it will help their business gain a competitive advantage. The digital push equinix Technology

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