Back to Previous

CITE Research for Dassault Systèmes: AI and Cybersecurity Skills Boost Smaller Business Opportunities

Dassault Systèmes has unveiled trends that present significant opportunities for startups and small to mid-sized businesses (SMBs) to surpass larger corporations constrained by traditional processes and existing organisational structures.

These trends, emerging from a survey conducted by CITE Research across 1,000 technology sector employees in the US, the UK, France, Germany, and Italy, focus on untapped artificial intelligence (AI) potential, IT and cybersecurity expertise, and the advantages of digital platforms in the realms of AI, skill shortages, and digital transformation.

The survey explored participants' views on AI in the workplace, concerns regarding cybersecurity, the impact of insufficient IT and cybersecurity skills, the extent of digital transformation, and more. Notable insights include:

  • AI is set to profoundly alter industries and society. However, initial oversights and misunderstandings of its full advantages offer startups and SMBs an advantage, especially with critical computing capabilities.
  • While 84% of businesses have adopted AI and 68% have implemented chatbots, more transformative technologies like machine-aided design, integrations, and machine learning are ready to boost user efficiency significantly.
  • 64% of respondents find it challenging to recruit employees with necessary competitive skills. 73% are worried about cybersecurity threats, yet only 40% possess the essential cybersecurity skillset to combat these issues.
  • The cybersecurity skill shortage leads to increased costs, safety concerns, delayed market entry, and reduced revenue, highlighting improvement areas for smaller companies with the right expertise.
  • 87% of organisations acknowledge the potential for further digital transformation. Over a third of large corporations view the costs and managerial requirements of digital transformation as obstacles, creating an opening for smaller businesses to exploit digital platform opportunities.

“We wanted to explore timely topics that are impacting our SOLIDWORKS and 3DEXPERIENCE Works community. The trends that emerged from this survey highlight the unique advantages that smaller businesses gain by becoming more agile, innovative, empowered and collaborative,” said Gian Paolo Bassi, Senior Vice President, 3DEXPERIENCE Works, Dassault Systèmes.  “Our SOLIDWORKS applications, part of the 3DEXPERIENCE Works portfolio on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, enable this community to harness the power of virtual twins to achieve these and succeed in all aspects of their business.”