Filipino firms still willing to spend on information technology

MORE businesses in the Philippines are ramping up investments in information and communications technology (ICT), despite the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.

That's according to industry analytics firm GlobalData, which found that 84 per cent of enterprises raised their ICT budget in 2020 - up from the 66 per cent that did so in 2019.

Managed cloud services and team collaboration applications were some of the top areas earmarked for enterprise ICT spending in the next two years, while operational efficiency and customer satisfaction were the main goals of adopting these digital solutions.

For instance, enterprises plan to invest in the Internet of Things, as well as analytics tools such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, for tasks such as predictive maintenance or real-time asset tracking in the logistics sector.

GlobalData analyst Alfie Amir said that "ICT purchasing today is significantly influenced by outcome-based objectives", as information technology is increasingly a business enabler.

Still, the firm found that more funds will be allocated to "business as usual" operations on existing ICT systems, rather than developing new software for business transformation.

"There are several key areas providers need to focus on to fill the gap, such as professional services to address business challenges in the post-Covid-19 era, as well as cloud and network infrastructure," Mr Amir added.