AI, Big Data still a low priority for hospitality sector: Softcat

Cybersecurity, in contrast, continues to be prioritised following a slew of cyber attacks this year.

Hospitality businesses continue to prioritise utility services such as cybersecurity, data compliance and cloud, despite the growing hype for emerging technologies, according to Softcat’s 2019 Business Technology Report.

The report showed that the hospitality sector, along with other industries, have placed a premium on cybersecurity (83%) due to fear of cyber attacks that have plagued over half of the country’s firms in 2019.

This came as a surprise for the business technology solution group, which noted that the hospitality industry ranks emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and Big Data as their second lowest priority for the past three years.

“It’s surprising to see low interest in Big Data, IoT (Internet of Things) and AI but for many organisations, these aren’t “business as usual” technologies yet. Instead, organisations continue to prioritise “utility” services which are essential for day-to-day operations,” Craig Lodzinski, Softcat’s Chief Technologist for Data and Emerging Technology, said.

Second to cybersecurity is data compliance, which shows the sector’s commitment in following the new GDPR regulations and in securing personal data.

Generally, however, most sectors prioritise end-user computing and mobility next to cybersecurity as more than two-thirds of global employees are in need of secure and optimised data.

Meanwhile, investment in datacentre and cloud comes third for most industries as part of their strategies in gaining a competitive edge through access to critical business data.