How To Make Sure You Get The Most Out Of Your IT

There are very few businesses that don’t have an IT system in place. In fact, more and more companies are moving towards complete digitization of their business processes, given the numerous advantages it brings. IDC predicted that about 65% of the world’s GDP will be digitized by 2022. It is universally accepted that technological capabilities are essential for a business to succeed in this digital era. And, so, every organization does try to develop some digital transformation abilities. But not everyone manages to succeed.

It has been estimated that around 70% of all digital transformation plans fail due to a lack of proper training and support. And only around 8% of companies are said to achieve the goals they aimed for.

Digital transformation promises better operational efficiency, increased productivity, reduced costs, improved customer satisfaction, optimized workflows, and more. But if it is done only for the sake of digitizing it is not going to bring in these coveted benefits. You need a comprehensive transformation strategy and a complete rethinking of your core business processes to achieve the technological maturity required to face the ongoing challenges you might face on your digital transformation journey.

In the last article we talked about the importance of digital transformation. In this article we will help to guide you along the right path.

Understanding the difference between digitization and digital transformation

 

There is a huge difference between your traditional IT systems and an organization-wide digital transformation. You cannot say you have accomplished digital transformation just by adopting some software or setting up new computer systems in your office.

Digital transformation is a comprehensive process that encompasses the whole of the organization, including its business procedures, workflows, consumer interfaces, technology, organizational hierarchy, and overall work culture.

Digitization means converting any manual process or informational archive to a digital form. Digitization is the next step that refers to using technology to enhance an existing process. Say, for example, you use order processing software to store all information related to your orders. You need to ensure that the salesperson always enters the details and prints receipts from the software as part of the order processing workflow.

While such use of the software does optimize the workflow, it does not effectively use technology to achieve the full benefits of what digital transformation can bring you. It still requires a good deal of manual intervention. Also, it causes information silos as other teams from the organization will not be able to access the order details when required.

In digital transformation all silos are removed, and the entire organization uses integrated systems to ensure data integrity and easy access to data at all times.

How to adopt digital transformation?

 

Taking up digital transformation can be a lot more complex and challenging compared to isolated digitization efforts. Here are some ways you can face those challenges and ensure you are on the right path toward effective digital transformation:

Define your objectives and goals that you seek to achieve from digital transformation

 

Establish the metrics required to track your progress towards your goals. For instance, if enhancing productivity by 30% is your goal, you need to establish metrics such as quality of work, work completed, hours tracked, and so on, to ensure you can measure your progress.

Fix your budget and time constraints as part of your goal setting

 

Identify the areas of your business where you can benefit the most from digitization and start your journey from these areas. Taking an incremental approach to digital transformation can be quite helpful as you learn along the way and can more effectively plan for continued improvisations.

Communicate the changes with your team and ensure you have stakeholder buy-in before trying to implement any digital transformation effort. Resistance to change is one of the major reasons why many digital transformation efforts fail. You need to encourage the culture shift towards a digital workplace and ensure proper training and support is provided to your employees for easy adoption.

Make long-term strategic plans rather than focusing on current problems only

 

Get help from experts and partner up with the right service partners to get the needed guidance and expertise for successful digital transformation. Every business has unique requirements and thus needs customized digital transformation plans. Experts can help you understand your business model and adapt digital solutions to become a good fit for your company in the best way possible.

Getting the best value from your IT

 

If you do already have an in-house IT team or a traditional IT infrastructure, it is time to re-analyze your IT systems and upgrade them to support your digital transformation requirements.

Make use of up-to-date software, identify tech silos and eliminate them, and ensure your security systems are up-to-date and patched.

 

One good way to maximize your IT efficiency is to augment it with cloud technology. Adopting cloud solutions allows you much more flexibility in terms of cost, infrastructure requirements, and access options. Cloud technology plays a very important role in any company’s digital transformation and provides the foundation for remote access from anywhere, anytime.

Here are some reasons why adopting the cloud could be beneficial for your business:

 

On-demand access to resources

Flexible price offerings and pay-per-use subscription services

Efficient scalability

Advanced security options include encryption, multi-factor authentication, and fine access level management

Easy integration with AI and data intelligence systems

Easy adherence to data and security compliances

Easy backups and restoration of data.

Cloud technology accelerates digital transformation and provides cost-effective solutions for any type of business. We can help you adopt the right strategy and make the best use of cloud services to enhance your digital transformation process. For more in-depth guidance on technology adoption and digitization, contact us today. Our business analysis experts will analyze your business model and guide you towards efficient technology adoption.