Digital transformation is an essential survival strategy that businesses can not resist. The technology that was implemented in 2020 is mature and has influenced the business culture.
Digital transformation must be responsive to the macro-environment of the business, the economic and social backdrops, and the macro-environment. Businesses need to think about how they can adapt their approach to meet business objectives and needs.
Strategic Transformation
Digital transformation enabled businesses to survive the worst pandemic. However, many businesses are now thriving and need to take a step back to evaluate their approach.
We now find ourselves in quite different circumstances to the fully remote working model of 2020 and most of 2021. This has allowed us to see things from a new perspective.
The pandemic caused IT departments to rush through digital transformation efforts. They had to deal with the many challenges of moving entire workforces online in a matter of hours. Complex transitions from cloud to on-prem workloads required organizations to deal with a variety of cyber threats.
Over the past two years, businesses have learned a lot from trial and error. Fortunately, they are now able to put their learnings into action and begin a smoother transition.
Businesses have realized that digital transformation does not need to be limited to high-pressure situations like those created by the pandemic. It is important to note that many organizations were already operating remotely, so the pandemic did not have a significant impact on business operations.
While digital transformation can be a lifeline for many, it can also provide a way to transform businesses. It's now being seen as a tool to encourage and enable innovation, and business growth.
When developing and implementing digital transformation initiatives, business leaders must ask key questions such as: How will this project allow employees to work in new capacities? How will this help to achieve business goals? How will this ultimately create long-term, sustainable value?
A new window from IDCOpens has shown that there is a shift in alignment between digital transformations and an organization's plan for business.
According to the report, 50% of businesses have a digital and business roadmap. This is in stark contrast to the situation two years ago when nearly three-quarters of businesses did not have a digital roadmap.
This clearly shows that attitudes and actions have drastically changed since the lockdown-era transition. Digital transformation is now a key component of businesses' growth strategies.
Achieving Successful Transformation
Digital transformation is complex. Digital transformation is a complex undertaking. Sometimes, efforts are stalled or abandoned.
The Boston Consulting GroupOpens another window and found that 70% of digital transformation projects fail to achieve their goals.
Digital transformation has become an integral part of growth and success. Organizations must learn how to prepare for it.
Digital transformation must be approached with an eye on the reasons and how people will use it. This is fundamentally what causes problems.
Digital transformation is often seen as "tech for technology's sake" - which means it introduces new technologies, but the purpose and value of these capabilities are not clear or communicated to cross-functional teams.
It is important to adopt technology with people in mind, rather than vice versa. This requires deep reflection on your business culture.
Leaders of businesses must ensure that employees are encouraged to innovate and learn. This will bring about a change in attitude at all levels.
Digital transformation can be seen as a positive learning curve. It's normal to face challenges and obstacles when implementing large-scale changes.
However, if you mold your transformation around your employees, this can be seen as a learning opportunity that will lead to future success.
Future Success: Paving the Way
Digital transformation is not viewed as temporary. This is another key difference in how it is seen today. Digital transformation is here to stay.
This means that we must be ready to address any issues as they arise. This is critical for the success of the project and for maintaining positive attitudes.
This will encourage employees and contractors to be more creative in dealing with problems than to let them stop or thwart projects. Cyberattack vectors are one of the most prominent examples of this issue.
The transition to hybrid work presents many challenges. One of the most difficult is sharing information and accessing it beyond the office walls.
Employees can now work remotely from their homes, with access to more people than ever before who can gain sensitive information.
Other issues to consider include the existence of unsecured IoT devices that have become an increasingly common feature in households.
Which? research shows that there have been more cyber attacks than ever before. Which? Opens a new tab. The increased use of IoT devices at home has resulted in more than 12,000 cyberattacks per week. Digital transformation is dependent on us being innovative and creative.
We must also combat the negative aspects of digital transformation. We are seeing this working out, fortunately.
The ClubCISO Information Security Maturity Report for this year shows that hybrid and remote work has brought about positive changes in organizational security attitudes, with 46% of organizations reporting an improvement.
This is a testimony to the power and effectiveness of cultural changes that promote learning and collective responsibility. Employees feel empowered to take responsibility for their safety as part of the collective defense against attacks.
Although we are now closer to the 2020 digital transformation, it doesn't mean that the journey is over. Its objective is to increase growth and business success. Therefore, it must be ready to adapt to any business changes so that the journey can go on.