ITWeb ran a survey in November on ICT maturity to gain a clear, data-driven understanding of where SA businesses stand in terms of ICT maturity.
Survey sponsor MTN Business wanted to assess not just the technology, but also how it’s integrated into the business strategy, how well it’s governed, and how effectively it supports people and processes.
A total of 151 valid responses were captured, with 73% of respondents being at executive or middle management level. While 34% of respondents came from the IT sector, there was a good spread of respondents across all sectors, with public sector (15%), financial services (12%) and telecommunications (11%) well represented.
Here are some of the key findings:
- Almost half (48%) of all survey respondents said ICT was fully embedded in strategic planning and execution; 36% said it was regularly aligned with business goals; and 14% said ICT was occasionally considered in strategic decisions.
- Questioned on whether they have a clear governance structure in place, 45% of respondents say they have comprehensive governance with clear roles and KPIs; 34% said they have formal governance with limited scope; and 15% said they have informal or ad-hoc governance.
- Asked to describe their current IT infrastructure, 45% said it was modern and partially integrated; 33% said it was scalable, secure, and fully integrated; and 19% said it was basic but functional. Only 3% of respondents said their IT infrastructure was outdated and fragmented.
- Respondents were polled on the level of cybersecurity practices in place, with 42% of them citing proactive security with regular audits; 36% citing advanced, enterprise-wide security with continuous monitoring; and 15% having basic policies with limited enforcement.
- When it comes to the effective use of data for decision-making; 48% said data was used regularly for insights and planning; 28% said data was central to decision-making, with predictive analytics; and 21% used data occasionally for reporting.
- The extent to which the respondent companies have adopted emerging technologies such as genAI, agenticAI or automation varied, with 42% indicating moderate adoption in key areas; 28% saying they used them for limited pilot projects; and 21% citing widespread adoption driving innovation. 9% of respondents cited no adoption of emerging technologies.
- Polled on the effectiveness of ICT support in enabling productivity, 46% of respondents said ICT support was responsive with defined SLAs; 32% said they experienced proactive support with high user satisfaction; while 19% cited basic support with long resolution times.
- The levels of digital profiency amongst respondent companies’ employees also varied, with 43% citing moderate proficiency with regular training; 30% saying high proficiency supported by continuous learning; and 21% indicating basic proficiency with occasional training
- Almost half (45%) of respondents said their organisations were mostly compliant with ICT regulations and standards, with some gaps. 43% were fully compliant and regularly audited, and 9% were partially compliant.
- Survey respondents were asked whether ICT performance and improvements were tracked. 46% said they had formal KPIs with periodic reviews; 29% cited continuous improvement driven by data and feedback; and 19% indicated informal tracking.
- The top three ICT services organisations are currently focusing on are cloud (82%); security (82%); and connectivity (71%).