Data Strategy: Where do German companies stand on the path to becoming a Data-Driven Enterprise?

Everyone’s aspiring to be one, but few already are: a true data-driven enterprise. In other words, a company that uses its data across all organizational areas strategically to make business decisions, optimize processes, and develop new digital services and products.

But where do German companies stand on their path toward becoming data-driven enterprises?

According to a Computerwoche study (April 2023), 9 out of 10 companies consider themselves “data-oriented,” and 66% claim to pursue a general digitalization strategy. The survey indicates that more than four out of five companies engage in data-based value creation. However, while 82% of C-level executives confirm this, only 74% in specialized departments agree. Mainly, data is used for these purposes:

• Improvement of administrative workflows
• Optimization of business processes
• Ensuring business decisions

The report from Databricks and MIT Technology Review (June 2023) confirms the trend towards the data-driven enterprise: Each of the 600 companies surveyed will increase its spending on modernizing data infrastructure and implementing AI in the coming year. Nearly half (46%) will see an increase in data strategy investments of more than 25%. With a future-proof data strategy, they aim to meet the following challenges:

• Rising customer expectations
• New competitive pressure
• Difficult economic conditions
• Unprecedented speed of innovation

However, a closer look at the companies’ statements reveals a contradictory picture: Although the vast majority of companies in the DACH region describe themselves as data-oriented, only 36% of respondents confirm that their company has a data strategy. A mere 29% use a dedicated data management approach. A contradiction in itself.

The need for companies to refine their data strategy is indirectly confirmed by an ifo economic survey (August 2023) focused on basic technologies: Even established technologies like cloud computing are only used by 46% of respondents. Technologies such as AI lag far behind at 13%. A silver lining: In the industry comparison, the industrial sector leads the way in the use of cloud computing and AI as part of a data strategy.

The Databricks report paints a similar picture: Half of the respondents from industry stated they are deploying AI applications for data analysis quickly or even very quickly. This shows that German companies have the will and the power for innovation – it’s just the implementation that is complex.

You can read about the core of a data strategy and the stumbling blocks on the way to a data-driven enterprise on the blog of our IoT specialist Device Insight: