Survey: Role of ICT in Business Growth Continues to Rise in Latvia
A new Bite Latvija and SKDS survey finds that 44% of company executives consider ICT solutions important for growth. Firms are also rating their own digital maturity more positively.
Latvian business leaders are placing growing importance on information and communication technologies (ICT), according to a study by Bite Latvija and the research centre SKDS.
Rising importance
In 2026, 44% of executives said ICT solutions play a significant role in their company's growth and development. A year earlier the figure was 43%, and in 2023 it was 33%. Over the past year, the share of leaders who rate the importance of ICT as moderate fell from 24% to 22%.
Digital maturity
Self-assessments have also improved. 43% of executives believe their company is on a par with competitors in using ICT, up from 40% last year, while 15% think they are ahead. In total, 48% of respondents consider their firms equal or superior. The share of companies that see their competitors as ahead dropped from 33% to 27%.
Challenges
Māris Priekulis of Bite Latvija said ICT is increasingly becoming part of business strategy, but that as cyber risks grow, technologies must be introduced securely and thoughtfully. The study also points to a gap between awareness and action: small and medium-sized businesses in particular often lack the knowledge, resources and reliable partners needed to choose a suitable solution, assess its benefits and implement it safely.
Imants Martinsons, a board member of the Green and Smart Technology Cluster, stressed that adopting technology does not by itself guarantee growth. He said companies should start from a specific business need and also consider staff competencies and cybersecurity.
Guna Puce, director of the Artificial Intelligence Centre, noted that AI can amplify both an organisation's strengths and its vulnerabilities, and that cyber attackers can use it to make existing methods faster, cheaper and more convincing. In her view, adopting AI is also a matter of management and governance, as leaders must know the purpose of the technology, where it is used, what data it relies on and who is accountable for the outcome.
