The COVID-19 pandemic and shift to remote work have underscored the importance of embracing digital technologies. Despite an overall decline in IT investments, many organizations are accelerating their Digital Transformation (DX) initiatives. In the 2020 State of Digital Transformation survey by TEKsystems, a whopping 93 percent of company executives said that digital technologies have the potential to fundamentally change the way people work. 

That statistic shows that Business leaders recognize the true meaning of DX. It’s not simply technology adoption or the automation of workflows but a radical rethinking of how technology is used to deliver value to customers. DX enables organizations to make better decisions, create new business models and revenue streams, and respond more quickly to changing market conditions and customer demands.

DX can also deliver tangible business benefits. A recent TechAisle study found that 46 percent of organizations adopt DX to reduce costs, 32 percent to improve operational efficiency and 28 percent to increase productivity. Additionally, 38 percent use DX to accelerate the development of new products and services and 31 percent to drive business growth.

Four key DX trends are enabling both short-term business value and long-term competitive advantages:

IT modernization. Many organizations are leveraging the cloud to support their DX initiatives, but that doesn’t mean on-premises IT infrastructure is going away. In fact, the 2021 Tech Trends report from Deloitte finds that organizations are modernizing their IT infrastructure to reduce operational costs and technical debt. This frees up budget for the adoption of strategic technologies that form the foundation of digital transformation.

Multi-cloud integration. The multi-cloud strategy has become ubiquitous, providing a means to avoid vendor lock-in and maintain flexibility. It has become especially important during the pandemic as a means of supporting work-from-home models. Now organizations are looking to utilize tools that streamline multi-cloud management and containerization that enables the orchestration of workloads across multiple clouds.

Artificial intelligence (AI). The 2020 McKinsey Global Survey on the state of AI found that half of 50 percent of respondents said their organizations have implemented AI to automate at least one business function. Service operations, product and service development, and sales and marketing are the primary departments implementing AI applications. AI facilitates DX by improving efficiency, minimizing errors and predicting customer behavior.

Real-time data analysis. The ability to process and analyze data in real time speeds decision-making, reduces risk and drives innovation. In light of that, many organizations are adopting more powerful platforms, highly scalable architectures and edge computing as part of their DX initiatives. These technologies help ensure fast, uninterrupted access to all types of data across the enterprise.

How Rahi Can Help

The TEKsystems survey found that 40 percent of IT decision-makers are dissatisfied with their organization’s ability to respond to technology trends. Capitalizing on the promise of DX requires more than simply implementing the latest solutions — organizations must embrace cultural change and adopt new business models that take full advantage of advanced capabilities. Without the right guidance, the process can be complicated, lengthy and expensive.

Rahi can help facilitate DX initiatives through our ELEVATE framework of services. From planning through assessment, design, implementation and long-term support, Rahi’s ELEVATE framework provides a model for achieving technology objectives within agreed time and cost parameters. Adherence to industry standards and a thorough analysis of business and operational requirements helps to reduce risk and maximize value.

As organizations continue to modify their processes and workflows to address today’s business challenges, digital transformation has become a focal point. Rahi has the expertise, methodologies and strategic approach that can help minimize the cost and complexity of DX initiatives.