 
Infographic: 
Global Digital Employee Experience Survey 2023
1,800 leaders share views on user expectations, hybrid work, IT, and obstacles & strategies for DEX
Creating a great digital employee experience is a top priority for organizations. However, meeting heightened user expectations of ‘Digital Natives’ –Gen Z and Millennials– is easier said than done, and there’s tremendous pressure on IT leaders to deliver.
The survey, fielded by Sapio Research in May 2023, polled a combined 1,800 IT decision-makers (ITDMs) and business decision-makers (BDMs) across 10 countries and seven industries. Here’s what they said:
The Riverbed Global Digital Employee Experience (DEX) Survey 2023 explores generational expectations, hybrid work, IT’s evolving role, and obstacles and strategies to delivering an exceptional digital experience.
Top Four Challenges Hindering DEX
 
 
 
 
36%
Budget 
Constraints
29%
Inadequate 
observability tools
35%
Talent shortage or 
lack of skilled personnel
29%
Lack of appropriate cloud services and SaaS apps
Solutions cited by at least one out of three decision-makers as becoming increasingly business-critical in
the next 18 months:
Companies Must Meet the High 
Expectations of Younger Workers
 
 
91%
Believe they will need to provide more advanced digital experiences at work in the next five years to meet the high technology expectations of millennials and Gen Z workers
Failing to meet the digital experience demands of younger generations can have major consequences according to business and IT leaders. 
 
Hybrid Work Continues Requiring IT to Support DEX Everywhere
 
 
 
 
47%
Of surveyed workforce is operating in a hybrid model
92%
Plan to invest in technology to support their hybrid workforce
 
 
92%
Plan to invest in technology to support their hybrid workforce
What Keeps Employees Most Engaged?
 
 
 
 
 
 
49%
25%
14%
11%
 
81%
Of respondents reported that 
the COVID-19 pandemic and shift 
to a hybrid workplace has increased 
the relevance of IT within the C-suite 
and business
Of ITDMs surveyed say they currently have a seat at the C-suite table
 Agree IT is more responsible for business innovation now than three years ago
0+
4%
18%
33%
46%
59%
77%
85%
92%
0+
2%
11%
21%
35%
42%
56%
69%
80%
Unified Observability is a Must-Have for DEX
Overcome Your Challenges With Alluvio Unified Observability and Riverbed Acceleration
The Alluvio Unified Observability portfolio enables organizations to unify data, actions, and insights across the entire digital ecosystem. With Alluvio, companies can optimize their digital experiences, enhance operational efficiency, and drive performance and business growth. 
The Alluvio portfolio includes: 
Alluvio IQ: a SaaS-delivered unified observability service leveraging AI and automation to surface impactful issues with context to solve problems fast. 
Riverbed enables organizations to transform data into actionable insights 
and accelerate performance for a seamless digital experience.
 
 
For more insights into the priorities of IT and business leaders, check out Riverbed DEX Global Survey 2023:
LEARN MORE
 
VIEW REPORT
 
DEX Is Critical to Competitiveness
 
Say delivering a seamless DEX 
is important (56% critically important) to remain competetive
95%
 
92%
Agree investing in DEX is among their top priorities for the next five years
 
Say it will be disruptive, 
impacting productivity, 
reputation, and performance
63%
 
68%
Believe younger generation employees would consider 
leaving their company
Free Coffee 
and Snacks
Company Swag & Giveaways
Weekly Office Happy Hours
A Seamless 
DEX 
 
 
 
 
Delivering a Better Digital 
Experience Is Getting Harder
95%
Of leaders identified at least one major obstacle to delivering a seamless DEX
 
 
IT is More Important Than Ever 
But Talent is Hard to Come By
 
 
 
 
37%
Face a shortage 
of IT personell
 
41%
Say staff lacks key 
skills to do their jobs
86%
Agree that unified observability with greater automation can help bridge the skill gap
 
 
 
Emerging and Key Existing Technologies Will Make or Break a Business
 
Creating a great digital employee experience is a top priority for organizations. However, meeting heightened user expectations of ‘Digital Natives’ –Gen Z and Millennials– is easier said than done, and there’s tremendous pressure on IT leaders to deliver.
The Riverbed Global Digital Employee Experience (DEX) Survey 2023 explores generational expectations, hybrid work, IT’s evolving role, and obstacles and strategies to delivering an exceptional digital experience.
The survey, fielded by Sapio Research in May 2023, polled a combined 1,800 IT decision-makers (ITDMs) and business decision-makers (BDMs) across 10 countries and seven industries. 
Here’s what they said:
Say delivering a seamless DEX is important (56% critically important) to remain competetive
95%
 
92%
Agree investing in DEX is 
among their top priorities 
for the next five years
 
91%
Believe they will need to provide more advanced digital experiences at work in the next five years to meet the high technology expectations of millennials and Gen Z workers
 
47%
 
Of surveyed workforce is operating in a hybrid model
Believe hybrid work enhances their ability to attract and retain talent
96%
Plan to invest in technology to support their hybrid workforce
92%
95%
Of leaders identified at least one major obstacle to delivering 
a seamless DEX
 
Of ITDMs surveyed say they currently have a seat at the C-suite table
 
 Agree IT is more responsible for business innovation now than three years ago
 
00
%
00
%
86%
Agree that unified observability with greater automation can help 
bridge the skill gap
 
 
 
Acknowledge unified observability is important (52% criticallyimportant) 
to deliver DEXand stay competitive
91%
 
 
Say there must be greater investment in unified observability solutions for DEX
94%
 
 
Are accelerating digital experience adoption and implementation
89%
 
 
80%
92%
App and Network Acceleration
 
 
DEM 
Solutions
 
 
Automation
 
 
Cloud
 
 
Artificial Intelligence
 
 
45%
43%
34%
35%
35%
Industry-leading visibility tools for Network Performance Management (NPM) and 
Digital Experience Management (DEM), including APM and EUEM.
Riverbed Acceleration solutions empower users to harness the full potential of enterprise applications and services, regardless of their location. With Riverbed Acceleration, users experience peak speed and seamless performance, enabling them to maximize productivity and enjoy better digital experiences. Products include SteelHead® for WAN optimization, 
Cloud Accelerator, and Client Accelerator.
 
Hybrid Work Continues Requiring IT to Support DEX Everywhere
Companies Must Meet the High 
Expectations of Younger Workers
49%
25%
11%
14%
Delivering a Better Digital Experience 
Is Getting Harder
Of leaders identified at least one major obstacle to delivering a seamless DEX
IT is More Important Than Ever But Talent 
is Hard to Come By
Of respondents reported that 
the COVID-19 pandemic and shift to a hybrid workplace has increased the relevance of IT within the C-suite and business
Agree that unified observability with greater automation can help bridge the skill gap
Unified Observability is a Must-Have 
for DEX
 
 
 
49%
25%
14%
11%