Digital transformation has helped transform businesses across New Zealand with new technologies and new ways of working.
Now, the ‘Digital Imperative’ is helping those organisations embrace technology at every stage of the business process, enabling more to be achieved with less.
Digital
Transformation is a concept that has been embraced by organisations of all
sizes, helping them define how they get more from technology. The rapid
advancement of technology has disrupted traditional business models and created
new opportunities for growth and innovation. It streamlines internal processes
and increases efficiency, improves customer relationships, and ultimately
drives revenue growth and creates competitive advantage.
However,
digital transformation is not just about technology. True digital
transformation requires a cultural shift within the very DNA of a business, one
that celebrates innovation and continuous improvement. With businesses already
somewhere on their journey to using technology to transform their business, a
new conversation is starting to emerge, called the Digital Imperative.
Whereas
Digital Transformation is ensuring your business has the right technology in
place to create change, the Digital Imperative is the next step, making sure
organisations harness technology and embed change across the whole business. It
is those businesses that best understand how to embrace and implant the right
infrastructures and cloud technologies that will ultimately succeed.
What
is the Digital Imperative?
Microsoft
is steering the conversation around the Digital Imperative and believes there
are five priorities to be observed:
1. Migrate to the cloud
Cloud Migration is often seen as the
first step to digital transformation, but is your business really making the
most of the benefits of cloud infrastructure? A Digital Imperative strategy
ensues the most cost-effective cloud solution is one that meets the immediate
and mid-term needs of your business, but is scalable enough to grow at pace,
should it be required.
2. Empower everyone to do their best
The
Digital Imperative ensures that everyone within an organisation is working
together to define and establish the best systems, processes and digital tools
for that business to succeed. To achieve this, the business needs to equip a
dedicated team brought together from all areas of the business, empower them
with the best tools and, using data analytics and insights, enable them to
contribute to the growth of the business.
3. Make your data work for you
The
insights that data and AI provide are the lifeblood of the modern workplace.
Having the right information at the right time enables organisations to make
timely and better decisions. Your Digital Imperative strategy will help you not
only define what data you need to prioritise but will help you cost-effectively
manage cloud infrastructures and modernise ways of working for a smarter
future.
4. Collaborative business processes
Hybrid
working is no longer an anomaly, it is the new business norm. Offering your
work force the right tools, such as Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, to work
and collaborate regardless of location delivers efficiencies, empowers
employees, and helps define the digital imperative of your business.
5. Prioritise Security
Whether
a small business or an enterprise, the threat of cyber-attacks is a daily part
of life. And just like technology, the sophistication of such threats is
growing. As a result, prioritising security has become a fundamental part of
business. At Sharp, we recommend a multi-layered cybersecurity approach, including
endpoint security, protecting devices, email security, as well as ongoing user
education.
Embracing
the Digital Imperative
Meeting
the needs of the emerging Digital Imperative may feel like a challenge your
business is not ready to handle. And in truth, you wouldn’t be alone. That is
why it’s vital to partner with a Service provider that not only understands the
challenges your business faces, but also how best to confront and overcome
them.
Technology
innovation and the changes that come with it aren’t going away. As we have seen
in recent years, they will only accelerate, leaving those organisations that
don’t actively engage further behind than ever before.
Sharp
delivers a growing range of technology and software solutions across New
Zealand, enabling your business to not only make the most of technology, but
also capitalise on the innovations and opportunities the emerging Digital
Imperative offer.
By
embracing change, organisations can deliver real value to their customers,
differentiate their offering from competitors, and build resilience into the
processes they use, shaping a smarter and more resourceful future.
To
start evolving your Digital Imperative strategy, Get In Touch.
*Blog originally published by Sharp
Europe
