Digital transformation took off when the entire world was sent home to work amid the coronavirus pandemic. This practice not only makes business efficient, but keeps it modernized.
Innovations in technology have made business leaders sit up and take notice. Digital transformation was already on the agenda for many businesses in 2020, and while the COVID-19 pandemic may have altered plans, companies still see this as a necessary step. But what exactly is digital transformation and why should businesses care about it?
Digital transformation is the process by which businesses move their pen and paper or other analogue processes into the digital sphere. It can also be used to discuss the process of using digital technologies to make business more efficient and effective. For many businesses, this means cloud migration, artificial intelligence and/or big data. Which is why it is important to understand that digital transformation helps keep your business modernized.
Modernization is something that all businesses should practice. This is taking a full review of your systems and processes and ensuring that everything is secure and functioning at max efficiency using the newest methods available. This reduces fragility, meaning that your systems don’t break when in use and can handle the load requested. Modernization is important because keeping your systems and processes safe and functioning as expected means fewer soft spots for a bad actor to target.
While modernization is incredibly important, digital transformation is equally so. When you make processes streamlined and automated using digital technologies, it makes your business more efficient. It makes it more productive. This happens because you are taking menial or tedious tasks away from humans and freeing them up to do what machines cannot do: Use their own knowledge and talent for tasks and decision-making.
When your employees are free to use the knowledge and skills they’ve gained over the years, whether through school or experience, then they are doing the job you hired them to do. They aren’t wasting time doing things that a machine can handle for them, which makes them more efficient and productive.
When both your systems and your employees are efficient and productive, you will see a variety of benefits. Happier employees. Less turnover. Lower costs. Tighter security. All of that equates to higher revenue, which is the ultimate goal of any business.
If you are planning to take your business through a digital transformation of any kind, there’s a process to follow. You need to do a couple of things before you can even make a plan, let alone execute one. You need to research digital transformation and what options you might have. You need to have a meeting with your IT department to determine if systems and processes need updating. After you gather all of that information, before you sit down to make your plan, it is always helpful to bring in an expert consultant to help. It’s a good idea to get a third party, a fresh pair of eyes to take a look at your systems and processes. Not only does an expert know exactly what to look for, but they can tell you exactly how to fix it.
When you have your expert and that person has gone through your business with a fine-toothed comb, use that expert to then help you make a plan. Your consultant can even help implement the transformation and get fragile systems updated for maximum efficiency and security. Then you can execute your plan and feel confident knowing you did everything the way it was supposed to be done. Just don’t forget to keep a regular cycle of modernization and digital transformation reviews and updates!