Digital transformation (DX) is fundamentally changing how business is done, as disruptive in its way as the steam engine and the computer were. Nearly every organization has started its DX journey, but the results of IT projects to support this initiative have been uneven. In this blog we’ll look at some of the factors that are common in the most beneficial and impactful projects. It is important to understand that different factors are prominent depending on the type of project. Hybrid cloud projects differ from data analytics solutions, which differ from IT infrastructure projects, and so on. However, the key factors described in this blog do have more general applicability.
Align technology with business need/strategy: Numerous new technologies support digital transformation, but becoming enamored with technology can lead to projects that aren’t aligned with business needs or strategy. Begin with a clear understanding of what the business drivers are and choose the right solutions that will enable you to deliver the business benefit, not a cool technology implementation.
Leverage IT service providers: Most organizations don’t have enough extra bandwidth or expertise to build new digital services, infrastructure, or business applications. Using an IT consulting partner that can bring very specific skills and proven processes/expertise can jump-start most projects. From an efficiency standpoint, this approach allows transforming firms to “buy” exactly what skills/expertise they need for only as long as they are needed.
Use AI/machine learning: Intelligence delivers numerous benefits to every DX project. It makes it possible to evaluate huge datasets in seconds and move to real-time operations, a key tenet of DX. Intelligent systems can also complete many of the basic operational tasks for themselves, freeing up precious IT resources for higher-value tasks. Machine learning enables digital systems to learn and understand patterns. One example is using it to sort through terabytes of log data and highlight only the outliers for evaluation by security engineers.
Establish new processes and apps that are data-driven: Many people tend to think “analytics” when this topic comes up. However, it’s much more than that. Leveraging huge amounts of information or big data in new ways and combining multiple datasets for a 360-degree perspective are how digital businesses will be run. Management by intuition is now anathema. Digital systems create and deliver huge amounts of new data that provides the foundation for making fact-based decisions.
Don’t expect a finish line: DX does not have an endpoint, and neither do the systems that support it. Unlike prior projects that are “done” when the app is launched, new solutions are living, changing, and dynamic systems. They need to be conceived and designed as such. Using IT tools and platforms that support agility and flexibility are critical to long-term success.
Successful transformation is enabled by projects that start with a thorough understanding of the factors that drive success. The new apps and systems that support DX are different than legacy systems. Maverick has broad experience successfully completing many DX projects. If you’d like more information, check out our services page!
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