Digital transformation in 2019

For many businesses looking to remain competitive, digital transformation is firmly on the agenda. Having matured from a buzzword to a legitimate business strategy, more and more cases now show digital transformation is the key to efficiency, productivity and profitability.

Forrester has released its predictions for digital transformation in 2019 with a lot of positivity but also some stark warnings. According to its report, 25% of businesses will decelerate their digital efforts and will lose significant share – indicating how essential digital strategy remains for the 21^st-century business.

The report details how digital transformation has evolved to incorporate granular, incremental changes to operations in order to improve the performance of a business, contributing to a wider transformation strategy.

There’s still a misconception that digital transformation is all about implementing flashy new technologies and not a great deal else. This view is very one-dimensional and doesn’t take into account these incremental changes that have far-reaching impacts.

According to Forrester, CIOs will be particularly integral to digital transformation efforts in 2019 as they grapple with outdated legacy systems and data issues embracing newer technologies and ways of working, all while remaining compliant with regulations like GDPR.

At TSG, we’ll soon be launching our brand-new CRM system, built upon Dynamics 365, which we’ve been working hard on behind the scenes. For many, upgrades to existing systems are viewed as non-essential and therefore low on the list of business priorities. But remaining on old systems can pose a number of issues. If a system works as expected, it can be easy to put off the upgrade. But the longer you put off the upgrade, the more difficult and expensive it becomes.

It’s evident that data is driving digital transformation in 2019, with many hailing data literacy as an integral element of the much-talked-about fourth industrial revolution. The data-powered Internet of Things (IoT) is set to surge ahead in 2019, with an estimated 85% of B2B organisations implementing, or planning to implement, IoT technologies. Healthcare, retail and manufacturing are the industries set to benefit the most, as leaders use devices that record data to improve processes and increase efficiency.

In spite of these predictions, businesses are still struggling with implementing digital transformation; less than half believe they have the digital or leadership capabilities to make digital transformation a success. As the Forrester report states, it’s important first of all to dismantle the myth that digital transformation has to be about huge organisational changes. Whilst that might be right for some businesses, chances are you’ll start by looking at legacy systems and processes. Something as simple as migrating your on-premise Exchange to the cloud can kickstart your business’ digital transformation. We dispelled some other common myths around digital transformation in our two-part blog.

These incremental changes, however, must be part of a wider considered strategy. That’s where a technology services partner like TSG can come in. Our expertise across the entire breadth of technologies within your business and our consultative approach means we can work proactively with your business to create a tailored plan that will improve your processes, increase your efficiency and help you stay ahead of the competition.

Get in touch with our experts today to start your digital transformation journey.