New Delhi, May 11 (IANS): More than 60 per cent of digital leaders in Asia-Pacific believe there will be long-term changes to where and how people work within their organisation, according to a new study by global digital infrastructure company Equinix.

The study surveyed 2,600 IT decision-makers from diverse enterprises across 26 countries in the Americas, Asia-Pacific and EMEA regions on the biggest technology trends affecting businesses worldwide and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on digital infrastructure plans.

The findings showed that 57 per cent of businesses have rearchitected their IT infrastructure to meet new remote and hybrid working demands, with tech budgets increasing to accelerate digital transformation.

More than half (60 per cent) of the companies still intend to expand into new regions, countries or metros, despite the disruption experienced as a result of Covid.

Digitisation and business investment in digital infrastructure have increased as a result of Covid. In Asia-Pacific, 46 per cent of the digital leaders said they have accelerated digital transformation plans because of the pandemic, while 44 per cent said their budgets have been increased to satisfy the rapid growth in digital demands.

About 76 per cent reported digitising their IT infrastructure was a top priority, while 61 per cent said they see interconnection as a key facilitator of digital transformation, up by 12 per cent on last year's results.

"During the pandemic, Asia-Pacific has seen demands for interconnection from digital leaders to manage distributed workforce and make the best use of resources. This is reflected in the findings of our study with over 60 per cent of IT decision-makers in Asia-Pacific confirming that interconnection will help them to navigate the challenges faced as a result of Covid-19, and 56 per cent believing interconnection can help their business gain competitive advantage within the marketplace," said Jeremy Deutsch, President, Asia-Pacific, Equinix, in a statement.

"With our global footprint, robust ecosystem and a wide array of interconnection solutions, we plan to continue to bring and interconnect the digital infrastructure to help digital leaders thrive in the new era," he added.