target audience: TECH BUYER  Publication date: Oct 2023 - Document type: IDC FutureScape - Doc  Document number: # US51281523

IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Small and Medium-Sized Business 2024 Predictions

By: 

  • Katie Evans Loading
  • Jason Blackwell Loading
  • Supriya Deka Loading
  • Daniel-Zoe Jimenez Loading
  • Cynthia Li
  • Stuart Wilson Loading

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Table of Contents


  • IDC FutureScape Figure

    • Figure: IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Small and Medium-Sized Business 2024 Top 10 Predictions

  • Executive Summary

  • IDC FutureScape Predictions

    • Summary of External Drivers

    • Predictions: Impact on Technology Buyers

    • Prediction 1: By 2025, Half of Medium-Sized Businesses Will Be Using GenAI-Based Applications to Automate and Optimize Marketing and Sales Processes

    • Associated Drivers

    • IT Impact

    • Guidance

    • Prediction 2: By 2028, 60% of SMBs Will Use Services from Vendors That Leverage GenAI in an Effort to Capitalize on the Benefits of the Technology More Easily

    • Associated Drivers

    • IT Impact

    • Guidance

    • Prediction 3: To Meet Their Goals for Energy Efficiency and Sustainability, More than Half of Medium-Sized Businesses Will Consider Investing in Sustainability Technology Solutions by 2026

    • Associated Drivers

    • IT Impact

    • Guidance

    • Prediction 4: By 2025, 40% of SMBs Will Use Data Analytics to Evaluate Investments in Cloud and to More Closely Monitor DevOps Spending

    • Associated Drivers

    • IT Impact

    • Guidance

    • Prediction 5: By 2025, Cyberattacks Targeting SMBs Will Become Much More Prevalent, Leading to at Least 40% of These Companies Taking Proactive Measures to Mitigate Risks and Work on Addressing Major Skills Gaps

    • Associated Drivers

    • IT Impact

    • Guidance

    • Prediction 6: To Become More Agile and Resilient, Investments in Public Cloud Technologies at SMBs Across the Globe Will Increase by 20% in 2024, with SaaS Applications Expected to Take the Lion's Share

    • Associated Drivers

    • IT Impact

    • Guidance

    • Prediction 7: 65% of Medium-Sized Businesses Will Increase Their Investments in Analytics by 2027 as They Seek to Make Sense of the Consumer Data They Collect and Use It to Improve Business Outcomes

    • Associated Drivers

    • IT Impact

    • Guidance

    • Prediction 8: By 2026, 35% of New Small Businesses Created Worldwide Will Rely on 5G and Fixed Wireless Access for Critical Business Connectivity

    • Associated Drivers

    • IT Impact

    • Guidance

    • Prediction 9: 25% of SMBs Will Account for More than 50% of SMB Technology Spend by 2025 as Technology Intensity, Spending Capacity, and Digital Business Models Become Leading Indicators of SMB Spending Propensity

    • Associated Drivers

    • IT Impact

    • Guidance

    • Prediction 10: During 2024, 80% of SMBs Will Require Case Studies, Clear ROI Evidence, and Assurance of Spending Guardrails to Unlock Their Investment in GenAI Technologies for Generic Productivity Use Cases

    • Associated Drivers

    • IT Impact

    • Guidance

  • Advice for Technology Buyers

  • External Drivers: Detail

    • AI Everywhere — Generative AI Takes the Spotlight

    • The Drive to Automate — Maximizing Efficiency and New Opportunities

    • Economic Uncertainty — IT Malaise and Market Volatility

    • Cybersecurity and Risk — Building Resilience Against Multiplying Threats

    • The Digital Business Imperative — Competitiveness and Outcomes

    • Everything as a Service Intensifies — Transforming Models to Drive Change

    • Operationalization of ESG — Measuring and Implementing Sustainability

  • Learn More

    • Related Research