Research by IDC shows that digital transformation is so pivotal to business success that it has transcended from I.T. challenge to become a cornerstone of the corporate strategy.
By the end of next year, two-thirds of CEOs say that digital transformation will sit at the centre of their overall business plans.
This is such a significant development because IT leaders have always battled to bring technology onto the corporate agenda. Whereas previously, IT was largely seen as a cost to control, now understanding of how it can support business objectives has grown. For example, IDC says that within four years, 60 per cent of businesses will have doubled productivity by using digital transformation to shift manual jobs to software automation.
The research also says that digital transformation is too important for one functional area of the business to manage, meaning that 60 per cent of CEOs will appoint an independent executive to oversee. This potentially means that decisions previously made by IT will be handled elsewhere.
All signs point towards the need for IT professionals to prepare for digital transformation, learning about Business Relationship Management and building their understanding of how IT delivers against business objectives. Those who retain a silo-mentality will be left behind and replaced by people with business acumen.
