Cost analysis of digitalization of companies
First of all, corporate digitalization requires a dedicated budget, distributed mainly between the IT and Marketing departments. In particular, 58% of Large SMEs have already invested in solutions to reduce energy impact, while 48% are focused on ESG ratings. The main investment items include:
- Cybersecurity and high-speed connectivity
- Cloud systems and big data management
- Automation of production processes
- Staff training and digital skills acquisition
Maintenance costs represent a significant component, ranging between 15% and 60% of the cost of the finished product. However, the implementation of predictive systems can significantly reduce these expenses, despite requiring a significant initial investment in ICT and sensors.
Furthermore, small and medium-sized enterprises show a growth in digital investments of 3,7% and 4% respectively for 2025. Overall, 92% of large enterprises have already integrated digital innovation into their strategic plan, although only 5% consider it the main lever.
In particular, only 28% of companies have a budget dedicated to Open Innovation that covers all the activities developed in this area. Despite this, well-executed digitalization processes can generate annual growth and increased cost efficiency of 5% to 10% over the next three to five years.
Digital Signature Software: A Fundamental Building Block
A crucial element in corporate digitalization is the adoption of digital signature software. These tools allow you to apply legally valid signatures to electronic documents, eliminating the need to print, manually sign and scan documents. The benefits are many: you save time and money, simplify administrative processes, increase security and reduce environmental impact. In addition, digital signatures guarantee the authenticity and integrity of documents, preventing fraud and disputes. Integrating digital signature software with other business systems, such as document management or CRM, allows you to further optimize workflows and improve overall efficiency.
ROI of Digital Transformation
The calculation of ROI (Return on Investment) represents a fundamental indicator for evaluating the effectiveness of investments in digital transformation. The basic formula involves dividing the operating income by the invested capital, allowing to quantify the economic benefits of digital initiatives.
In the first three years of application of the Transition Plan 4.0, Italian companies have accrued 29 billion euros of tax credit for investments in the digitalization of the production system. In particular, 23 billion euros, equivalent to 80% of the total, were allocated to tangible assets 4.0.
Tangible benefits of digitalization include:
- Increase operational efficiency
- Greater agility in responding to market needs
- Creating new value for employees and customers
- Reduction of operating costs
Furthermore, the analysis of success stories demonstrates significant results. Safilo has optimized the customer experience in physical stores through the digitalization of points of sale, while Barilla has improved productivity through the implementation of innovative technologies.
Consequently, to effectively measure ROI, companies must monitor specific digital KPIs that evaluate the progress of the digital strategy. Therefore, it is essential to establish clear objectives and specific metrics to quantify the success of digital initiatives, considering that the average duration of a digital transformation project is around six months.
In particular, well-executed digitalization processes can generate annual growth and increased cost efficiency of 5% to 10% over the next three to five years. This shows how a structured approach to digital transformation can lead to concrete and measurable results in the long term.