What does a digital transformation look like in 2023?
A growing trend in the past decade has been for businesses to undertake a ‘digital transformation’.
There are many reasons why a company would decide to digitise and many ways in which this could be achieved.
The important fact for 2023 is that while many companies have undergone digitisation projects, there are still challenges that prevent some businesses from successfully ‘going digital’.
Here’s what you should know before preparing your company for digital transformation.
Why Go Digital?
Digital transformation refers to the transition from analogue or on-site business technologies to ones designed to be online.
This often involves the migration of on-premise software, database, and communications systems to cloud-based or Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) equivalents, as well as an overhaul of business processes to accommodate these new technologies.
Aside from the productivity and accessibility benefits of ‘going digital’, some businesses will want to digitise traditionally paper-intensive functions like invoicing and mail communications to help reduce their company’s carbon footprint.
In the post-COVID business landscape, companies also wish to adopt cloud-based digital systems to enable greater online communication and collaboration across international teams or those working flexibly between home and the office.
The global market for digitisation projects continues to grow and is predicted to reach $2.8 trillion by 2025, according to Statista.
Key Takeaways for 2023
Digital transformation provides many valuable benefits and has become easier, more affordable, and more expected than ever for modern companies.
So, where can things potentially go wrong?
The main challenge encountered by businesses seems to be internal resistance to change – as reported by McKinsey, 70% of digital transformation failures are due to employee resistance.
This is understandable, especially when digitisation involves switching communication to internet-based voice and video calls, which may be intimidating for those that prefer traditional in-person meetings or landline phone calls.
Some people may also find it difficult to get to grips with new cloud-based or SaaS systems when they have been used to analogue processes or older on-premise software versions.
Certain departments may struggle more than others and the key thing to keep in mind is for IT teams and business leaders to provide clarity, opportunities for training, and patience with those taking a while to adapt.
If you’re looking for a digital transformation partner to help guide your project or seeking specific software systems and infrastructure to enable digitisation, then get in touch with YourShortlist today to speak to our team of procurement experts.