IDC Canada Directions Tech to Scale the Digital Business

Join IDC Canada’s Industries, Research Vice President, Nigel Wallis for a discussion on the impact of technological innovation in the Canadian public sector, manufacturing, retail, financial services, healthcare, professional services, and energy industries. With these markets accounting for over 90% of Canada's IT spending in 2022, we believe that they will continue to be the primary drivers of the Canadian economy in the future. Don't miss this important opening keynote session to gain an understanding of the new era of multiplied innovation, even as economic headwinds increase.

This session, featuring Jean Philippe Bouchard, Data & Analytics, Vice-President for IDC Canada, provides an update on the current state of the global IT market, and the outlook for Canadian technology budgets in 2023, with a special focus on the latest forecasts for IT spending by vertical industry. As the global economy remains volatile and teetering on the edge of a possible recession, IT budgets are facing increased scrutiny as businesses seek to identify areas for potential cost-savings and spending cuts. Surveys continue to suggest that technology projects are highly prioritized by most organizations, but the reality of an economic recession will lead to disruption and short-term delays or adjustments to IT projects.

The presentation will address questions such as:

• What is the current outlook for IT spending in Canada in 2023, in the context of the most recent leading indicators?
• What is the current and future outlook by industry?

To engage with customers, taking a “digital–first” approach to new products and services is becoming an imperative for Canadian organizations in many industries. There is an urgent need to build trust within these digital ecosystems to drive future competitive advantage. IDC’s Future of Trust (FoT) framework provides essential guidance to Canadian business and IT leaders to build trusted digital ecosystems and actualize trust for their customers.

Unpredictable. If one word could be used to describe the past few years of the SMB business landscape, that might well be it. From COVID to the rapid shift to remote work, to skills shortages, and now—today’s economic uncertainties, SMBs have dealt with—and still are dealing with—a range of ever-changing, complex challenges. However, the most resilient and innovative SMBs are turning to technologies to not only weather the storms but to come out stronger and more prepared for any challenges that may lie ahead. This fireside chat will reveal key findings from the just-released IDC survey of 2,600 global SMB IT decision-makers to reveal top technology and business challenges, spending priorities, tech and connectivity investment plans, and more.

Canadian organizations are building out their digital dream team with the CEO at the helm to provide direction and champion the need to leverage technology to transform. How are CEOs embracing this transformation, how are they navigating the economic slowdown and how exactly are they prioritizing tech? Join IDC Canada’s Research Vice President, Megha Kumar for a fireside chat with Eric Wright, CEO of LexisNexis Canada as he shares his thoughts on growth, innovation, automation, and sustainability, best practices for IT vendors to better engage with the professional services ecosystem, and the CEO views on technology leadership during a beyond and economic slowdown.

In this session, Megha will also showcase key findings from IDC’s CEO Study 2023, a quantitative survey of more than 400 CEOs across the world, including Canada.

There is an art and a science to creating and delivering engaging customer experiences. Enterprises have started to capitalize on digital innovations that deliver customer experiences characterized by speed and convenience anchored by customer data and insights. Digital engagement is contiguous across the customer journey, moving beyond the marketing team into sales, service, and back-office functions. Companies will need to navigate the human connection at scale in a digital-first world that is constrained by regulations as consumers reach for hyper-digital personalization and convenience across channels, devices, and mediums. Join IDC’s Research Vice President, Marci Maddox for this closing keynote session as she explores elements that influence connected relationships and how organizations are revolutionizing their approach to the customer experience.