Many will think that it is presumptuous, but it is a fact: until recently it was discussed about The democratization of technology in business was a mistake. The distribution of this elixir of progress represented by technological progress was remarkably uneven. Only a small number of large companies have been able to experience the significant benefits of digitization. In the digital economy we’ve all built, size has long mattered.
Both the epic of being at the forefront of the technology business and the humble ability to enjoy its solutions have always required scale, volume and network effects. This (often unconscious) glorification of the great a that contempt for the little ones in the world tech it’s end. Extension cloud and the AI revolution is still the stuff of giants, no doubt about it. But fortunately not only theirs. The rapid adoption of new technologies by SMEs across the continent means they are now growing up to two or three times faster. And so it is, “small tech is (also) beautiful“. What better context than this June 27, the International Day of Small and Medium Enterprises, to celebrate it.
The pandemic and the mobilization of a huge flow of European funds is a trigger that has reversed the trend of reducing the digital divide that plagues SMEs compared to large corporations. The digital economy is at the heart of the European institutions’ priorities, as the digital leap of SMEs (which represent more than half of Europe’s GDP) undoubtedly represents the most effective engine we have at hand for Europe to make a leap in innovationcompetitiveness and employment that the times require. The digital transformation of small and medium-sized organizations enables us to achieve a more open, sustainable, fairer and more competitive economic system.
In this sense, I hope that the interruption of the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU caused by early elections will not jeopardize the ambitious program that many on the continent and here have been working on. According to the latest Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI), the percentage of SMEs in Spain with a basic level of digitization is just above the European average: our country occupies a better eleventh place. We perform well in some indicators, especially SMEs with at least a basic digital level (60% compared to the EU average of 55%), electronic exchange of information (49% of companies compared to the EU average of 38%) and the use of ICT for environmental sustainability (76% versus 66%). But We focus on the adoption of more advanced technologies such as big data (9% compared to 14% in Europe) and cloud (27% vs. 34%).
Move in this ranking above all, a digital career requires not always easy cooperation of governments and administrations to promote a favorable environment and secondly, digitization agents who accompany SMEs in their daily lives. Small and medium-sized enterprises bear a great deal of responsibility on their fragile shoulders for a substantial part of the economic competitiveness of this country, and thus also for the well-being of their fellow citizens. And it is the digital economy that levels the playing field for SMEs, allowing them to compete with larger companies in terms of visibility and market access. Therefore, it is crucial that we develop a kinder view of technology.
These small tech They don’t aim to be revolutionary and disruptive at every turn (moving fast by breaking things is no longer in fashion), but brings efficiency, simplicity and accessibility to everyday work millions of small and medium enterprises. Each business must find its own path to the technological leap: some will need to strengthen their customer management tools to improve their business efficiency; others explore new online sales channels; or even transform the production chain to automate the supervision of its production.
2020 required companies to weather the adversity of the pandemic and not only do so, but reinvent themselves and expand their businesses in the digital universe. Now, ahead of the coming three years, we are forcing them to get on the digitization train for good comply with a new, demanding and sometimes confusing legislative framework. For example, in the field of digital invoicing. The new anti-fraud law requires the use of VeriFact to guarantee the integrity, traceability, availability and retention of invoices. For this, it will be necessary to use software that meets a number of technical requirements.
This requirement undoubtedly brings a significant acceleration impulse to digitization. And while not everyone always follows the pace of this race well, the squad that makes up this essential business structure cannot falter. Small businesses will be with technology or they won’t be. That is why it is crucial to listen to them and accompany them in their transformation.
What we call the digitization process actually means a transformation that is only successful in the context of a new business culture that transforms business models to generate a different value for society. Let’s trust the transformative power of our SMEs and stay close to their growth. Because only together we will make the impossible possible.
*Santiago Solanas is CEO of Cegid Iberia, Latam and Africa.