Gartner: Digital Business Incompetence to Hurt Businesses' Rankings

Digital business incompetence will cause a quarter of businesses to lose competitive ranking by 2017, according to a new report from Gartner. That could be positive news for managed services providers (MSPs) who can provide that competence to these businesses.

Digital business strategy creates value and revenue from digital assets, according to Diane Morello, managing VP at Gartner.

"The next decade will move beyond the notion of using technology to automate businesses and toward positioning technology as revenue builder, market maker and customer finder," she said, adding that digital business becomes real when businesses have these targets in mind.

"Relying solely on tactics of yesterday to find, acquire and develop digital business knowledge, skills and competencies will cause many businesses to fall behind as other businesses advance," Morello said.

Gartner suggested that businesses identify key strategic players — those who are both business and technology experts both inside and outside of the company — to jump-start business activity.  This is where MSPs have an opportunity to win business from prospects.