4 Ways to Become a Digital Transformation Rockstar

The rapid growth digital transformation has changed the way companies do business. There are new ways to manage data, harness insights and engage customers are just some of the opportunities that digital transformation provides businesses. In 2019 the pressure is on to make those plans a reality. A recent study found that 85 percent of enterprise decision makers believe that if they don’t make serious progress on digitally transforming their businesses in the next 24 months, they’ll fall behind the competition and take a hit on their bottom line.

The need for IT to support this progress in paramount as IT strategies have increasingly become fundamental pieces to business strategies. Whatever your company’s vision for digital transformation, the time is now to start. Here are the top four ways we recommend to help you rock your digital strategy in 2019.

Embrace AI

AI and machine learning are a key piece of that puzzle needed to make sense our continuously growing datasets. If there’s resistance within your organization to implement a “new technology, start your digital transformation with simple, low-risk projects that will help demonstrate the impact of AI on a non-business critical function. Starting with a low-risk project can help leadership and decision-makers see the potential in other areas of the business.

Start at the Top

Digital transformation can’t happen if the C-suit aren’t onboard. Making the transformation a reality requires time, human capital, financial resources and persistence to make the changes take root. It also involves employees learning to do tasks in new ways, which can generate pushback.

A successful digital transformation should impact every department, and it’s essential that there’s active support from senior leadership to encourage the entire company to embrace change. 

Don’t Forget Your Most Important Audience

Much is written about the ways digital transformation is changing the way companies interact with their customers, and the pressure to provide stellar digital experiences. The intense focus on the customer often overshadows the most important audience: Employees.

As employers look for new ways to help employees work more efficiently, digital technology can play a key role in enabling employees be more effective in their roles. Digital transformation provides a key opportunity for business functions not often thought of as digital-first departments, such as customer service and HR, to move away from manual processes and automate key areas.

Companies leading the pack have embraced that the way we work is changing, and they’ve learned that the key to digital transformation is to empower employees with the information and insights needed to do their best work.

Illuminate the Insights

We would be remiss if we did not recommend an insight engine as a key piece of the digital transformation strategy. Turning terabytes of data into business value requires more resources and expertise than many IT leaders originally thought. But data is the future, and it’s essential that companies committed to succeeding at digital transformation efforts prioritize turning raw data into valuable insights. Insight engines will empower employees across your organization and show how they can benefit from digital change.

Getting started with your digital transformation can seem daunting and overwhelming. By identifying key areas where you can more easily make change and gaining support within your organization for initiatives will be key to becoming a company that can compete in the digital age.

As part of a worldwide independent, fact-based market analysis, the analyst firm Gartner Inc. evaluated several insight engine providers in the 2018 Magic Quadrant for Insight Engines.

Download a complimentary copy of the 2018 Magic Quadrant for Insight Engines now.

Gartner, Magic Quadrant for Insight Engines, Stephen Emmott, Whit Andrews, Svetlana Sicular, 11 July 2018. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.