Companies in Italy are becoming more and more digitalized, increasing investments on Artificial Intelligence technologies and of last generation. The presence of ICT specialists and the training of other employees is considered very important. This is what emerges from the latest ISTAT report “Business and ICT 2024“, in which markets, dynamics and trends are analysed.
Looking at the business investment sectors, for example, we can see a positive trend in technology, personnel and skills. In particular, one SME in four has a high level of digitisation, while in large enterprises the percentage of those with a low or high level is increasing.
ICT and digital services are therefore becoming more widespread, highlighting the need for companies to adapt to the latest technologies and always keep up with the times.
Not only large companies, but also small and medium-sized enterprises are trying to digitize themselves and train their employees in a competent and comprehensive way to adapt better to the digital market, which is constantly changing.
The use of AI technologies and future investments
The report also shows that in 2024, 8.2% of companies with a minimum of 10 employees use at least one of the seven technologies enabled by Artificial Intelligence (AI), an increase compared to 5.0% in 2023.
14% of companies with 50-99 employees also use at least one AI enabled technology, up from 5.6% in 2023. The same growth was also recorded in large companies, with a rate of 24.1% in 2023 compared to 32.5% in 2024.
Technologies enabled by AI, are mainly adopted in areas related to marketing and sales, business administrative processes and for innovative activities and development. In addition, there was an increase of about one third in companies that chose AI to enhance ICT security and financial management.
In short, there are really many areas where you can use this type of technology to benefit and profit and help the company also in its growth or development.
In the period 2025-2026, investment in key digital areas will also increase, both by small and medium-sized enterprises and by larger ones.
Online sales and the use of e-commerce
In line with the growth of AI technologies, in 2024 the number of companies that made online sales through e-commerce increased.
From 13.0% in 2023, the share of SMEs that made online sales for at least 1% of total turnover rose to 14.7%.
Among the companies that use online sales are those in commerce, accommodation and catering. Italian companies that sell online use in 78.8% of cases channels and websites, while in 60.4% they choose online platforms.
Sales are 84.3% to consumers as end customers and 64.4% to other companies. The online trade of SMEs with foreign, European and non-European countries is also increasing; a clear sign that companies are increasingly digitalising themselves, choosing tools to increase turnover and productivity.
The digitisation of enterprises: which factors are most decisive?
What future trends does the report reveal? Digital investments in 2025-2026 will increase further.
Both large and medium-sized enterprises will increasingly choose the latest technologies to improve safety and increase productivity. But what are the factors that most influence the digitisation of companies? What is more decisive for companies?
Whether large or small, any public funding or incentives received by companies have a significant impact. In practice, the more companies receive, the more they will invest in enabling and qualifying technologies.
Another determining factor is the development of ICT skills of employees: with the adoption of latest technologies, such as AI, qualification is one of the aspects to which companies pay more attention. The more skilled a worker is, the better he or she will be able to manage and perform his or her technology.
Enterprises are also investing more in training and specialisation courses. Other important factors are the development of a digitisation strategy and the ability to network.
An essential aspect for both larger and smaller companies is the ultra-broadband connection, fundamental in the use of latest technologies because it guarantees reliability and availability.
Equipping themselves with these technologies is now essential for all those companies that want to stay up-to-date and competitive in a market destined to qualify and specialize further in the coming years.
The data for 2024 is encouraging and underlines the will of companies to digitize themselves more and more.
The adoption of optical fiber makes each company even more competitive and technologically advanced, able to further qualify and equip itself with the most modern and sophisticated technologies, including those that will see their development in the coming years.
Tags: data, digitization of companies, Istat, report