SOFTWARE
WHY DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IS THE KEY TO FUTURE BUSINESS SUCCESS
“ One of the reasons for this is that IT guys , of which 83 % identified a direct link between digital transformation and the achievement of strategic business objectives , struggle to adequately transform ‘ geek-speak ’ into the language of business ,” explains Mcaravey .
“ Furthermore , many CEOs battle to understand what technology trends have occurred and , with 75 % of respondents seeing no need for a Chief Digital Officer , clearly businesses don ’ t understand the enormity of the task of Cloud migration .”
Additionally , 56 % of all respondents identified skills shortages as the top challenge to achieving technological innovation . Access to people with the right skill sets to manage the new age of data-driven systems is important , yet tough , in the current market .
Brendan Mcaravey Country Manager Citrix South Africa
Keeping up with IT trends and investing in relevant new technology is critical to making your business more competitive and successful , says Brendan Mcaravey , country manager , Citrix South Africa .
Digital is currently focused on three mega-trends , namely Cloud , Mobility , and IoT . These each pose a challenge to traditional , Blue Chip companies competing against the new Digital Natives – companies like Uber or Airbnb – that were born in the Cloud . “ You need to think about how you can make your own products available to anybody on any device if you want to stay competitive ,” Mcaravey adds .
Migrating towards Cloud and Mobility has its own set of challenges , however , including poor support from top management , high costs , and a shortage of IT skills .
According to a study commissioned by Citrix and conducted by BMI-TechKnowledge ( BMI-T ), only 31 % of business respondents specified that their organisation had been driving digital transformation at the highest level . Business leaders are therefore failing to acknowledge the need to proactively invest in the future today .
To address the cost of Digital Transformation , Mcaravey recommends a software-first approach , as it is dynamic and can easily adapt to changing trends .
“ You need a strategy of where you want to go , the costs involved , and the technology that is available to you . But it ’ s difficult to make a 5-year bet , and investing in software gives you the flexibility to adapt as needed .”
“ You need to think about how you can make your own products available to anybody on any device if you want to stay competitive .”
To help businesses transition to the Cloud in a cost-effective way , Citrix suggests centralising a company ’ s applications as a starting point and giving workers access to their mobile workspace on any device .
“ You ’ ve already invested a lot of money in your current technology and you don ’ t have the resources to rewrite it all . Our solution allows you to mobilise your workforce to easily and securely access apps , desktops , data , and services from any device , over any network , with a single solution for IT to manage .” ■
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