• One in five companies with 20 to 99 employees still has no digital strategy; among larger firms, the figure is just 8 per cent
• Bitkom invites you to TRANSFORM in Berlin on 18 and 19 March
• Opening addresses by Bill Anderson (CEO of Bayer), Dr Roland Busch (CEO of Siemens) and Dr Bettina Orlopp (CEO of Commerzbank)

Small and medium-sized enterprises still frequently lack a plan for digitalisation. One in five companies (22 per cent) with 20 to 99 employees has no digital strategy. Whilst 57 per cent have strategies in individual business areas, only 21 per cent have a central strategy. And even among companies with 100 to 499 employees, one in six (17 per cent) has no strategy at all, 59 per cent have individual strategies and 23 per cent have an overall strategy. These are the findings of a representative survey of 604 companies with 20 or more employees in Germany, commissioned by the digital association Bitkom. Larger companies with 500 or more employees are already further ahead: only 8 per cent of them have no digital strategy, whilst 25 per cent have an overarching strategy and 62 per cent have individual strategies. “Digitalisation is an ongoing task for companies. And it requires a plan, regardless of size, sector or available resources,” says Bitkom President Dr Ralf Wintergerst. “With our tech show TRANSFORM, we aim to demonstrate over two days what digitalisation already means and can mean today, through real-world case studies, workshops and masterclasses. Direct exchange between world-leading technology companies and start-ups, and between small, medium-sized and large enterprises, is also very important.”

TRANSFORM will be opened by three DAX board members: Bayer CEO Bill Anderson, Siemens CEO Dr Roland Busch and Commerzbank CEO Dr Bettina Orlopp will provide insights into the digitalisation experiences of their companies and industries. More than 6,000 visitors are expected to attend this unique blend of expo and congress, practical workshops and dialogue forums over the two days. 320 speakers will deliver more than 200 hours of programming across three stages. Among those taking part are Dr Sven Deglow, CEO of Deutsche Kreditbank (DKB), Aletta von Massenbach, CEO of BER Airport, and Hauke Stars, Member of the Board of Management and Head of IT at Volkswagen AG, Dr Gundbert Scherf, Co-CEO & Founder of Helsing, Lieutenant General Michael Vetter, Head of the Innovation and Cyber Division at the Federal Ministry of Defence, and Claudia Plattner, President of the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI). Dr Karsten Wildberger, Federal Minister for Digital Affairs and State Modernisation, Bärbel Bas, Federal Minister for Labour and Social Affairs, and Karin Prien, Federal Minister for Education, Family, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, will be among the three members of the Federal Cabinet speaking at TRANSFORM, alongside Kai Wegner, Governing Mayor of Berlin.

On the first day of TRANSFORM, the Digital Office Conference will take place in parallel, focusing on practical applications of digital technologies in office environments. As part of the 18th Innovators’ Pitch, six early-stage start-ups in the categories “Future Technologies in Logistics” and “Future Technologies in Education” will present their ideas and solutions to a jury and the audience.

On the second day, Bitkom will host the Work & Culture event as part of TRANSFORM, where current issues in the digital workplace will be discussed. At the same time, the Career Day will take place, serving as a platform to bring job seekers and companies together.

All information about TRANSFORM is available online at transform.show.  

Note on methodology: The figures are based on a survey conducted by Bitkom Research on behalf of the digital association Bitkom. A total of 604 companies with 20 or more employees were surveyed by telephone. The survey took place between calendar weeks 2 and 6 of 2026. The survey is representative. The question asked was: “Does your company have a digital strategy?”