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Large enterprises in the Nordics have been implementing business process automation over the last three years, and more organizations now see the urgency of adopting these technologies to stay competitive as COVID-19 strains the regional economy, according to a new report published today by Information Services Group () (Nasdaq: ), a leading global technology research and advisory firm.

The 2020 ISG Provider Lens™ Intelligent Automation – Solutions and Services report for the Nordics finds banking, financial services and insurance companies have led the region in adopting business process automation, seeking higher productivity, cost savings and improved customer experience. Manufacturing, retail and other sectors are also embracing the technologies, which include conversational AI, natural-language processing and AI for IT operations (AIOps).

“Early adopters of automation in the Nordics are stepping up digital transformation to gain an advantage when they need it most,” said Jan Erik Aase, partner and global leader, ISG Provider Lens Research. “We are seeing a majority of service provider customers increasing their automation spending, not despite the economy, but because of it.”

The report focuses on providers that offer proprietary platforms and related integration and delivery support services. Many customers prefer this type of solution, while others prefer to work with consultants and providers, such as , that are platform-agnostic and offer integration and support services across a range of platforms.

Automation technologies continue to grow in the region despite some setbacks, the report says. Nordic enterprises, especially banks, have experimented with conversational AI technologies for virtual agents to answer basic customer questions. But companies found the agents’ language abilities in Finnish, Danish and Swedish were too elementary. To address this problem, Finland launched Aurora, a statewide initiative to provide timely services using AI.

In addition, more enterprises in the region have been deploying intelligent OCR (optical character recognition), together with process mining, which can help companies glean insights about their operations from event data, ISG says. The high cost of process mining and low awareness of its benefits have held back its implementation, but early adopters are forging ahead.

Service providers operating in the Nordics are collaborating with local AI and automation startups in delivery-led innovation hubs to produce innovative solutions for clients, according to the report. They are also partnering with local universities to find skilled workers and improve the skills of current employees. Some global providers are establishing nearshore capabilities in Poland, taking advantage of a good cultural fit and the ability to work in the same time zone, which can speed up delivery of intelligent automation projects.

As in other countries, enterprises in the Nordics are embracing low-code/no-code development so citizen developers can build conversational AI bots or virtual assistants. Another important trend playing out in the region is the integration of business process automation solutions with leading enterprise technology stacks, especially through application programming interfaces (APIs).

The 2020 ISG Provider Lens™ Intelligent Automation – Solutions and Services report for the Nordics evaluates the capabilities of 40 providers across three quadrants: Intelligent Business Automation, Artificial Intelligence for IT Operations (AIOps) and Conversational AI. The report evaluates only those providers offering their own proprietary automation platforms; it does not cover independent providers, like ISG Automation, that offer solutions across a range of platforms.

The report names Accenture, Capgemini, HCL, IBM, TCS, TietoEVRY and Wipro as leaders in two quadrants. It names Artificial Solutions, Genpact and IPSoft as leaders in one quadrant each.

In addition, Infosys is named as a Rising Star—a company with a “promising portfolio” and “high future potential” by ISG’s definition—in two quadrants. LTI and Tech Mahindra are named as Rising Stars in one quadrant each.

A customized version of the report is available from .

The 2020 ISG Provider Lens™ Intelligent Automation – Solutions and Services report for the Nordics is available to subscribers or for one-time purchase on this .

About ISG Provider Lens™ Research

The ISG Provider Lens™ Quadrant research series is the only service provider evaluation of its kind to combine empirical, data-driven research and market analysis with the real-world experience and observations of ISG's global advisory team. Enterprises will find a wealth of detailed data and market analysis to help guide their selection of appropriate sourcing partners, while ISG advisors use the reports to validate their own market knowledge and make recommendations to ISG's enterprise clients. The research currently covers providers offering their services globally, across Europe, as well as in the U.S., Germany, Switzerland, the U.K., France, the Nordics, Brazil and Australia/New Zealand, with additional markets to be added in the future. For more information about ISG Provider Lens research, please visit this .

A companion research series, the ISG Provider Lens Archetype reports, offer a first-of-its-kind evaluation of providers from the perspective of specific buyer types.

About ISG

ISG (Information Services Group) (Nasdaq: ) is a leading global technology research and advisory firm. A trusted business partner to more than 700 clients, including more than 75 of the world’s top 100 enterprises, ISG is committed to helping corporations, public sector organizations, and service and technology providers achieve operational excellence and faster growth. The firm specializes in digital transformation services, including automation, cloud and data analytics; sourcing advisory; managed governance and risk services; network carrier services; strategy and operations design; change management; market intelligence and technology research and analysis. Founded in 2006, and based in Stamford, Conn., ISG employs more than 1,300 digital-ready professionals operating in more than 20 countries—a global team known for its innovative thinking, market influence, deep industry and technology expertise, and world-class research and analytical capabilities based on the industry’s most comprehensive marketplace data. For more information, visit .

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