This is the test necessary to obtain the “digital bonus” for SMEs and the self-employed: 13 basic ICT questions that determine the granting of aid

The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation closed the year 2021 with the publication of the bases that regulate the granting of aid to accelerate the digitization of SMEs and the self-employed, baptized by the Government as a “digital bonus”. One of the requirements to obtain these grants is carry out a digital self-diagnostic test that assesses the “digital maturity” of the company or independent professional requesting them, as we have in Engadget, and that can already be done on the Acelera Pyme website.

The aforementioned test is composed of 13 basic ICT questions that evaluate aspects such as the digital knowledge of employees, the cybersecurity tools used, the speed of the internet connection, the use of professional software to optimize processes, presence in social networks, electronic devices present in the company and its distribution among workers or the percentage of turnover for online sales.

Once these 13 questions have been answered, the system assesses the level of “digital maturity” of the SME or professional based on the answers on a scale with four degrees: very low, low, high and very high. With this information, the Administration assesses the greater or lesser need for aid for the company or the self-employed and obtains information on the areas that need to be reinforced. According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, 62% of small and medium-sized companies in our country are currently at the low level of digitization.

The questions, as we have discussed, are quite basic. Some of them are: Do you have security measures for ICT in your organization? What is the maximum contracted download speed of your internet connection? Does your organization have a profile on any social network? Do you use a CRM that allows you to organize and manage the processes related to your clients? Or what is the average percentage of your workforce that has an electronic device and uses the internet?

The average duration for carrying out the test is, according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, ten minutes, although if the percentages requested in the different questions are clear, it is done in much less time. The test can be carried out as many times as desired, and for this The company or professional will have to register in advance on the Acelera Pyme website.

Other tests

In addition to the digital self-diagnostic test, Acelera Pyme also has other tests to evaluate in greater depth both the digitization of the company -called ‘Self-assessment of digital transformation’– as its strength in cybersecurity – named ‘Cybersecurity Self-Assessment’-. Are they are not necessary to obtain the “digital voucher”, but they can be useful to know the state in which the organization or professional is in digital matters.

The digital transformation self-assessment test is made up of 48 questions divided into eight sections: strategy, digital organization, infrastructure and technology, cybersecurity, customer relations, online marketing, digitized business processes and support processes.

Here the issues are somewhat deeper, such as the type of internet connection, the devices most used in the company, the digital sales channels available or the use of automation software and innovative technologies such as blockchain. Once completed, the Acelera Pyme website automatically generates a 13-page report detailing the strengths and aspects that should be improved in the digitization of the company.

The cybersecurity self-assessment test, on the other hand, has 12 questions in which the interested party is questioned about their level of knowledge of security regulations, the security systems of the organization’s devices, training in cybersecurity of the members of the company, access management, protocols for cybersecurity incidents and protection of corporate equipment and data. As in the previous one, at the end of it an automatic report is generated, although in this case not as exhaustive as in the digitization test.