Zoho
Corporation announced
the findings of its "Trends in Digital Workplace Transformation" study,
which surveyed 4,900 employees globally to assess their businesses' digital
workplace transformation (DX) maturity.
The Zoho
Workplace team developed a comprehensive digital
workplace transformation maturity model. The survey methodology measured two key areas: workplace
indicators (digital tools and processes) and employee performance
indicators (productivity, collaboration, and security preparedness).
The study reveals
that US businesses are falling behind globally, with security
weaknesses and slow tool adoption hindering progress. The report, based on 5,000
employees across industries and company sizes, finds that 39% of US
organizations are stuck at an early transformation stage, while
top-performing global counterparts move ahead.
"Particularly
concerning among the several hundred data points analyzed in this survey is the
extent to which US businesses lag behind their global counterparts in the
maturity scores. US businesses have strong foundations in collaboration and
digital tools, but security and process inefficiencies are major barriers to
transformation," said Raju Vegesna, Zoho's Chief
Evangelist."Companies that fail to address these gaps risk not only
data breaches but also lower employee satisfaction and productivity."
Process
Inefficiencies Bring Down US Digital Transformation Maturity
The study ranks US
digital transformation maturity at 61%, just below the global average of 62.2%.
Despite access to digital tools, limited integration, weak security
protocols, and inefficient workflows are preventing companies from reaching
higher digital workplace transformation maturity.
- Manual task delegation: 85% of
companies still rely on manual task delegation over automation.
- Sector struggles: Hospitality
(56%), logistics (53%), and retail (58%) fall behind tech (66%) and
finance (62%).
- Company size matters: Small and
medium businesses (58%) lag behind larger firms (63.5%).
- Unmet expectations: Only 15%
of employees feel workplace tools fully meet expectations
Key
Security Gaps Fuel Vulnerabilities
Many US businesses
remain vulnerable due to weak security measures and lack of awareness,
according to the study. While larger enterprises and tech firms have
made strides in security adoption, small businesses, remote teams, and
customer-facing roles continue to face high risks.
- Only 50% of US businesses
enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA), biometrics,
or one-time passwords (OTPs) for system access.
- Less than 25% of remote
workers receive secure access policies, such as VPN encryption or
device authentication.
- 30% of
organizations implement physical security controls (ID badges, restricted
zones), leaving the majority exposed to insider threats.
Many employees remain
untrained and unprepared for cyber threats, increasing the likelihood of
breaches:
- Fewer than 25% of employees
have received cybersecurity awareness training.
- Only 15% of
employees have ever reported a security incident through official
channels.
- 20% take
proactive measures against phishing or social engineering, such as
verifying identities before sharing information.
A
Path Forward: Integration, Automation & Security Overhauls
With reference to Zoho's
maturity model, to advance from Level 2 (Standardization) to Level 3
(Structured Operations), companies need to adopt integrated digital
suites, automate workflows, and enforce stronger security measures. The
study estimates:
- Advancing from Level 2 to Level 3
takes 3-5 years and costs $250-500 per employee annually.
- Reaching Level 4 (Optimized Digital
Operations) requires 10+ years and $500-1000 per employee annually.
The full results of the "Trends in Digital Workplace
Transformation" study are
available for download here.