1. Google’s tools have had a significant economic impact on Colombia, generating annual economic benefits of $6.37 trillion (in Colombian pesos) for the country. The tools have also enabled significant time savings for users, leading to increased productivity in the workplace.
  2. Google is committed to supporting digital transformation in Colombia through education, partnerships, and strategies such as the Turimso Activo program and courses with the University of Los Andes. The company recognizes the importance of overcoming cultural resistance to change and supporting internal process improvements to achieve successful transformation.
  3. Colombia’s growing digital market, fueled by high mobile device usage and a thriving ecosystem of IT companies, presents significant growth potential for Google’s tools and services. The company’s presence in the country is expected to continue to drive economic growth and promote digital transformation for businesses and individuals alike.

According to Giovanni Stella, Google’s Manager in Colombia, the company’s tools have not yet reached their full potential in the country. A report by Alphabeta, a consulting firm, found that Google’s tools generate annual economic benefits of COP 6.37 trillion in Colombia, not including Google Cloud and Waze, but including the search engine, advertising platforms Google Ads and Adsense, video platform YouTube, app store Google Play, and the Android operating system, which is the most widely used in the country. Stella stated that this number demonstrates how Google’s technology is impacting companies in the country and supporting them.

The report also found that using Google’s tools saves time, with people using Google for work saving up to 16 minutes per day searching for work-related information. Those using Google Workspace saved up to 46 minutes per day through online document storage and sharing and virtual meetings, resulting in increased productivity and the ability to complete other tasks.

Stella emphasized Google’s commitment to education and partnerships to drive digital transformation in Colombia. He mentioned initiatives such as Turimso Activo with Amcham and a massive online course with the University of Los Andes to help people learn digital marketing. Additionally, Google partnered with Sena to train 400 instructors in cloud and digital marketing so they can teach their apprentices.

Stella believes Colombia has significant potential for digital growth, with some products still not reaching their full potential. He acknowledged that digital transformation requires not only resources but also patience, as it involves changing internal processes and impacting technology, processes, and people at various levels within a company. He stressed that this is a cultural issue that requires overcoming resistance and recognizing the necessity of digital transformation.

Stella noted that Colombia is a mobile-centric market, with many people first accessing the internet through their phones. This has led to the development of a startup ecosystem, which he finds exciting and believes is making Colombia a reference point in the region.

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