With many companies currently at the beginning or in the progress of implementing digital business initiatives,
IDC has predicted that by 2017 two-thirds of global 2000 enterprises will have digital transformation at the centre of their corporate strategy. Although this has the potential to bring business benefits in the form of productivity and customer experience, embarking on a digital transformation programme comes with a set of challenges that require a significant amount of change and careful planning.
Andrew Smith, Technical Director at Annodata, commented: “There’s a lot of pressure for organisations to keep up with the rapid pace of the digital economy. Digital transformation is often held up as a nirvana as we hear stories of new digital challengers displacing traditional incumbents. However, it can often be difficult for organisations to know where to start on their path to digital transformation. In fact, adopting new technologies at an excessive rate without a concrete strategy can disrupt the everyday working functions of a business, causing more harm than good. Care must be taken to ensure that the technology follows the strategy and not the other way around.
“Companies should look to achieve attainable goals that will bring tangible benefits to the way they operate. To this end, a migration to Office 365 sits well within the digital transformation agenda and can completely transform the way businesses work, communicate and collaborate. Additionally, adopting smarter technology around print can be considered a beneficial step towards digital transformation, supporting their business objectives at a cost that allows them to grow and achieve their targets.
“The path to digital transformation can be a hard one to navigate and although organisations want to concentrate on constantly improving their business, they should not feel pressured to immediately change everything within their business. Fortunately, organisations can reduce the burden of their digital transformation decisions by working with trusted partners. A reliable solution provider can offer the appropriate guidance and can help companies assess the new technology that will be most suitable for their business. There are great gains to be had by working with multi-skilled ICT providers. Doing so will deliver true value to businesses, allowing them to react to changing requirements of today’s digital world,” concludes Smith.
