Four Ways to Ensure Your Digital Transformation’s Success in the New Year

If you thought your digital transformation was going to be a slow-moving transition, think again. According to a recent research report from Information Services Group (ISG), the COVID-19 pandemic has expedited enterprise digital transformation by three to five years. Also, it’s a major trend in modern business fueling demand for technology and service providers, reports by Help Net Security.

“The pandemic has forced enterprises to explore new ways to enable remote work, manage supply and demand and remain competitive,” Prashant Kelker, partner and America’s leader, ISG Digital, told the publication. “Providers are supporting transformations that involve not just technology but a company’s entire operations and organization.”

How Can You Ensure Success for Your Organization in 2022?

Below is a summary of four Do’s and Don’ts for starting your digital transformation, according to Rajan Sethuraman, CEO of LatentView Analytics, originally published in Enterpriser Projects:

Focus on security:
With thousands of organizations transitioning to remote and hybrid office environments, many are at risk of cyber attacks. These new online environments mean that IT departments will have an even more difficult time making sure their employees aren’t falling prey to phishing and other scams. Organizations need to prioritize security with processes such as auditing employees’ remote work equipment and retraining them on IT guidelines for remote work as needed.

Don’t begin your digital transformation initiative without relying on your data:
Because your data is key to knowing where and how to start your digital transformation, it can guide you on how to make the best use of your resources and prevent bottlenecks in your workflow. 

Establish an effective, long-term hybrid work model:
With the ongoing pandemic, there is a good chance that hybrid work will become a new normal. It’s important to think about how to make your hybrid work model effective. For example, how will  your employees work together across different time zones? Also, how frequently will you require them to come to the office?

Don’t underestimate customer experience:
Digital transformation and customer experience are deeply entwined. Be sure to keep customer experience central to your transition. Consider where in the process you can enhance customer service. For example, creating a more “robust and organized database” will allow your customer service team to better respond to customers. To do this, you need deep knowledge of the customer journey. This means familiarizing yourself with every aspect of the customer experience, so you can make improvements as necessary. 

Your organization’s efforts are almost certain to face setbacks and uncertainty, especially as the pandemic continues to trigger unexpected supply chain and labor force hiccups. Staying focused on what you know while learning to navigate the unexpected will be essential to the success of your transformation.

Prepare Your Organization for Digital Transformation

Get your organization ready for digital transformation. The IEEE five-course program, Digital Transformation: Moving Toward a Digital Society, aims to foster a discussion around how digital transformation can transform various industries while also providing the background knowledge needed to smartly implement digital tools into organizations.

Contact an IEEE Account Specialist to get organizational access, or check it out for yourself on the IEEE Learning Network.

Resources

(11 January 2022). How the pandemic fueled enterprise digital transformation. Help Net Security.

Sethuraman, Rajan. (3 January 2022). Digital transformation: 4 do’s and don’ts for 2022. Enterpriser Project.