Modern business leaders face a choice – they can make the most of digital transformation or they can get left behind. The impact of advanced technology is such that every business and sector is feeling the force of change.
To avoid being disrupted by new market entrants, CIOs and their c-suite peers must make use of modern digital technologies – like the cloud, analytics and mobile – to help create deeper customer insights and adaptable business models. Becoming flexible is no easy task, especially for established organisations in traditional sectors.
However, there is hope. Companies can build a strong bedrock for constant change by focusing on their IT infrastructure now. Meeting digital transformation head on is the best way for your organisation to plan for what will be an uncertain future.
What does digital transformation mean for your business?
It is almost impossible to attend an IT conference and not be confronted with stories about service-focused firms like Uber and Airbnb. These new market entrants have turned long-standing sectors upside down through an effective use of digital innovation and agile service.
The focus on these disruptors at events might be strong, but the concentration makes great business sense. Smart companies in all sectors are using digital technology to offer their customers new experiences. These experience-focused companies are not just service-based startups, either.
Traditional businesses are finding ways to use digital transformation to create new business models. As experts at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) recently concluded, companies in all industries are using artificial intelligence, advanced data analytics and 3D printing to create new levels of value.
How is this data-driven approach disrupting traditional IT infrastructure?
But it is not all good news. BCG recognise that firms in some industries, such as energy, transportation and healthcare, continue to take a slow, methodical approach. These industries are rigid and process-oriented. Here, IT transformation might take as long as five years, suggests BCG.
As a recent article on CIO.com outlined, too many process-oriented businesses are still wedded to an outdated infrastructure that cannot possibly keep pace with digital change. Rather than focusing on innovation, IT leaders and their business counterparts are still fixated on operational concerns, leaving digital transformation neglected.
IT managers, in short, must move to a new way of working. Rather than trying to keep outdated and outmoded data centres up and running, they need to engage with their business counterparts and help create a business case for a move towards a new, advanced IT infrastructure that can support digital transformation.
What does a modern IT infrastructure look like?
As stated at the outset, the era of digital transformation can be characterised by its focus on almost constant change. To remain competitive in a flexible market place, your business must have access to an adaptable, high quality IT infrastructure.
The modern data centre must be fast and efficient, and should include a series of key elements. It should be software-defined to help provision resources automatically and preferably use all-flash storage to deliver best-in-class performance.
All the required virtualised compute, storage and networking assets should be integrated to provide resiliency, high performance and flexible pooling. The key is that your organisation should also be able to scale its IT infrastructure outwards, taking advantage of on-demand IT and hybrid cloud facilities as the business need arises.
Now is the time for your business to ensure its IT infrastructure is up for the challenge. Is your business ready for digital transformation? Click here to find out.
References
https://www.bcg.com/d/press/31january2017-digital-transformation-opportunities-ebook-143809
Mark Samuels
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