Digital business transformation becomes an indispensable part of our everyday life. As studies show, by 2022 about 50% of workforce will be transformed into “digital natives” who are virtually connected 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To remain competitive, it is essential to tailor your business to evolving market demands and customer needs.
Digital business transformation… how to drive your company’s success?
Digital transformation becomes an indispensable part of our everyday life. As studies show, by 2020 about 50% of workforce will be transformed into “digital natives” who are virtually connected 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To remain competitive, it is essential to tailor your business to evolving market demands and customer needs.
Is the next industrial revolution coming?
The First Industrial Revolution used water and steam power to mechanize production while the second used electric power to create mass production. The Third Revolution used electronics and information technology.
The amazing speed of progress and technological innovation is one of the key factors driving the Fourth Industrial Revolution. It is characterized by a combination of technologies used to process and collect data and by the blurring of the line between the physical, digital and biological spheres.
“We stand on the brink of a technological revolution that will fundamentally alter the way we live, work, and relate to one another. – said Klaus Schwab, the Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum. – In its scale, scope, and complexity, the transformation will be unlike anything humankind has experienced before.”
The potential of the Fourth Revolution
The appropriate use of digital transformation is an essential action towards development and innovation. Today’s leaders should concentrate on the right targeting of technological solutions, productivity growth and the proper use of resources. It concerns the approach towards Internet of Things (IoT) device integration, but also a dynamic data growth and augmented reality.
Usually, such requirements arise when confronted with employees’ expectations, cyber security issues and other challenges. The objective of digital transformation is to address these needs and provide an opportunity to develop new solutions.
This is largely due to the fact that businesses are under tremendous pressure to innovate. Companies that are questioning the relevance of joining the process of digital transformation face numerous obstacles and failures. To go trough this process successfully, organizations that decide to take actions must implement changes in the right way.
Leadership role in digital business transformation
“Every company is a software company. You have to start thinking and operating like a digital company. – says Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft – It’s no longer just about procuring one solution and deploying one. It’s not about one simple software solution. It’s really you yourself thinking of your own future as a digital company.”
In the past, it took 20 years to reach a $1 billion valuation for most organizations. Now, it is only 2 years to reach this mark. Industry experts believe that the future belongs to the fast. Cloud computing startups will revolutionize the way global businesses work by adopting innovative and smart technologies.
Large organizations face a challenging task of implementing changes in a considered manner. In order to fully unlock the potential benefits of digital transformation, they should be aware that due to their complexity and scope of operations, the perception of flexibility and competitiveness should be revised.
At this particular time, leaders play an essential role in redefining their goals and strategies. To stay competitive, businesses need to follow the “rapid incrementalism” policy, which means recognizing main success drivers and adjusting their organizational structures so that they could build on their previous achievements and take effective actions.
Innovative technologies within reach
For many organizations, digital business transformation triggers the need to overcome technological limitations and take radical actions. At the same time, it is an incentive for creativity and further growth.
With the wide availability of smart solutions (e.g. machine learning, Big Data analysis), the flexibility of cloud computing and various options of hybrid implementations, businesses are more likely to succeed. What they get is agility and direct access to data concerning customers, industry sector and their own organizations.
Only the companies that are looking into the future with confidence are able to make the best use of their IT resources, cloud-based infrastructure and predictive modeling that helps to identify and respond to emerging trends quickly and accurately.
Microsoft and IT.integro become their reliable partners. Our future is now. Embracing agile change management while treading the path to a successful digital business transformation could be made easier if large businesses decide to draw on Microsoft’s experience and implement their solutions.
Microsoft as your trusted digital business transformation partner
To develop a digital economy, a number of requirements for the business operation and architecture must be met. This largely affects companies that operate under respective legal systems.
In the past, companies focused on productivity and efficiency of processes, according to the principle of “divide and rule”. The priority objective of digital economies is to create agile organizations operating under various business models, but also to foster effective cooperation between employees and customers and facilitate innovation.
All this means that technology discussions do not only concern the IT infrastructure. For specialists coordinating work in selected business areas, such as sales, marketing or human resources, technologies and innovations come together. Whether the decision to implement innovative technologies will be made by IT staff or by all departments is up to them.
In contacts with organizations, Microsoft has a dual role and their tasks include:
- Providing support during the transition period by properly managing applications, infrastructure and security;
- Testing new software solutions and services and sharing valuable experience as customer representatives.
Most often, IT departments, as the first customers, analyze possible product scenarios, revise expectations, verify submitted comments and forward them to the product development team.
Microsoft leaders are constantly raising the bar and setting higher standards regarding the role of IT within an organization. Microsoft is responsible for the integration of digital services to enable the implementation of processes and solutions as well as the comprehensive use of IT technologies.
“At the moment, I spend more time working with department managers and external customers than managing IT infrastructure. Previously, IT staff wasn’t engaged in matters related to Microsoft’s operations. Now, they participate in discussions on investments that will allow us to offer improved services.– says Jim DuBois, IT Director, Microsoft – Adopting an operating model based on service offerings helped IT staff play a significant role in creating company value.”
Digital business transformation and company growth
A clear vision is what it takes to be a successful leader managing the company undergoing digital transformation. What is the priority then? Which solution to implement to fully exploit the opportunities brought by digital transformation?
Implementing changes aimed at digitalization is a challenge for leaders. They should find the best way to address this challenge and embrace its benefits. What must be remembered in the first place? Which solutions will ensure most benefits in the change process?
For most organizations, clients are the top priority. However, to generate income sources, businesses in the first place need to define their approach to customer service throughout the value chain. More than that, they should support their workforce and help them cope with change during the transformation period.
4 pillars of digital business transformation
Microsoft identifies four essential pillars of digital transformation.
- Activating the customer by delivering valuable experience.
Customer experience is designed and delivered based on an extensive client analysis. With the collected data, you can provide personalized and adequate offerings.
- Empowering employees and supporting information culture based on a revised productivity concept.
By creating a positive and comfortable workplace and designing effective working methods that make the best use of digital resources, you can improve employees’ productivity, mobility, maintain security and help them succeed.
- Streamlining business operations, providing an innovative portfolio of products and services, as well as transformation of processes and skills.
Improve your company responsiveness to stay ahead of your customer expectations, reduce costs with intelligent processes, forecasting features and more effective coordination of activities and products.
- Transformation of services by introducing innovative, smart business models and solutions.
Diversity and ability to generate profits with efficient management are of paramount importance. The transition from retrospective to predictive analysis leads to enhancements in process automation and personalization of customer relations. What’s more, it can facilitate the implementation of new models of managing business operations, service provision and creation of unique products and experiences.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (Dynamics NAV) as a digital transformation tool
Dynamics 365 Business Central is a powerful and innovative solution that plays a crucial role in digital transformation. The solution enhances the integration and management of financial, sales and service processes and provides a package of powerful features to facilitate customer relationship building and decision making.
With Dynamics 365 Business Central, you can:
- improve the financial management;
- automate and secure the supply chain;
- boost sales and customer service;
- carry out projects in accordance with project schedule;
- optimize processes and operations.
Do you want to find out more about Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and digital business transformation?
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