Intelligent CIO Europe Issue105 | Page 40

FEATURE
in five regard it as the single biggest obstacle preventing further migration.
Cost also continues to influence investment decisions. Organizations cite installation expenses alongside the financial burden of replacing or removing existing infrastructure as significant factors delaying cloud programmes. These concerns illustrate that Digital Transformation is rarely constrained by technology availability alone. Financial
Five takeaways from the Digital Maturity Index 2026
• Europe’ s overall digital maturity score increased to 69 / 100, up six points year on year.
• The UK leads Europe with an overall score of 74 / 100.
• Cloud maturity rose to 74 / 100, with 42 % of organizations now operating largely in the cloud.
• AI and automation recorded the fastest growth, increasing by 14 points since 2025.
• Content services was the only category to decline, highlighting the need for stronger information management foundations. planning and risk management remain equally important components of successful implementation.
Interestingly, resistance to cloud adoption has not disappeared entirely. Around 16 % of European enterprises still believe cloud technologies would deliver little benefit to their business, rising above one-fifth in Germany and the Benelux region. Such scepticism suggests that while cloud computing has become mainstream, not every organization is convinced the operational advantages outweigh the perceived complexity, security concerns or migration costs.
Regional differences also continue to shape Europe ' s cloud landscape. In the Nordic countries, one-third of organizations identify shortages in skilled personnel as a major obstacle to further cloud adoption. The challenge highlights an issue increasingly affecting Digital Transformation initiatives across Europe. Technology investment can progress only as quickly as organizations develop the workforce capable of deploying, managing and optimising increasingly sophisticated digital environments.
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