The latest research commissioned by Dell Boomi, a provider of cloud integration and workflow automation software to build, has revealed 86% of IT decision makers believe becoming a more connected business would mean revenue growth for their organisation over the course of twelve months.

Despite the potential to achieve an average revenue growth of 10% or approximately $500million (£357 million) within this timeframe, the report found that six in ten think their organisation is struggling to become more connected. What’s more, over half believe their CEO doesn’t fully realise the potential of a connected business.

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There is some hope though, as 97% of organisations plan on investing in emerging technology trends, with 57% investing in cloud native applications and platforms, 52% in security automation, 47% in real-time data analytics and insight platforms and 43% in AI/cognitive IT.

It’s clear organisations understand emerging technology trends will affect their future business, but it’s worrying to see the vast majority of respondents reporting ongoing challenges surrounding the deployment of additional applications.

This poor integration has led to nearly two thirds of organisations missing at least one opportunity in the past twelve months, with a further 11% admitting they may be missing opportunities without even realising.

Almost all respondents said there would be benefits to their organisation if it could improve integration and become more connected. To overcome these issues and help connect new applications, data sources and business functions, an integration solution is vital.

Four in five of those surveyed agree the right integration solution would greatly improve their organisation’s performance, with those already using integration solutions saving, on average, $2.7 million since implementation. It’s reassuring then that 37% of those surveyed are planning on adopting an integration solution in the future.

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“Our report found nearly eight in ten IT decision makers think their organisation’s number one priority should be striving to become more connected. To build a truly connected business and drive real change as part of a digital transformation project however, organisations need specialist support,” said Ian Currie, EMEA director at Boomi.

“A trusted integration solution, built in the cloud, which can quickly connect any combination of cloud and on-premise applications should play a key role in driving this.”

“Only with dedicated technology, such as integration platform as a service (iPaaS), in place can organisations embrace new innovations and easily transfer, analyse and learn from data, in real-time, between applications. Not only is this something which is proving invaluable as businesses seek to remain competitive in the digital era, but is also vital to those looking to take advantage of potential opportunities and new revenue streams.”