Most of today’s companies are embracing digital transformation, but they have reached varying levels of digital maturity. Companies with the highest level of maturity will have created documented strategies for the transformation and gained the support of the C-suite for digital initiatives.
In 2017, the IDC Worldwide Digital Transformation team predicted that worldwide spending on digital transformation will reach $1.7 trillion by 2019 for an astonishing 42% increase in spending. Companies can expect to see a healthy return on investment because of the benefits digitization brings.
Digital transformation improves processes in almost every area of the business, including customer relations, workforce management, infrastructure functionality, and operational efficiency.
Here are 5 ways digitization changes your business for the better:
1) Personalizing Customer and Client Service
When customers and clients interact with your company, they want to feel like they are getting concierge service. They expect to receive individualized treatment that meets their unique needs.
Digitized information makes personalizing customer experience possible. When customer information is digitized, data can be gathered and analyzed to understand customer behavior. Once conclusions are drawn, they can be used to improve the way you serve your clients.
2) Optimizing Business Collaboration
The way employees work is changing. Today, workers prefer an unstructured environment. They increasingly work from home or while in transit. Working nontraditional hours allows them to make time for personal or family activities.
Digital transformation accommodates new work processes by allowing employees to access company data and work on projects collaboratively at any time from anywhere. Unified communications systems integrate multiple messaging and conferencing tools, making it possible for workers to discuss projects freely from any location.
3) Rethinking the IT Infrastructure
Companies that are undergoing digital transformation need to design agile infrastructures that can adapt to accommodate new technology trends. The old days of static and siloed infrastructures are over. Data needs to move quickly between endpoints and your data center. Your company must gain a unified view of data from across the business to make accurate, real-time decisions.
Organizations are exploring new data center and networking architectures. Multicloud and hybrid cloud provide more options for developing and running applications as well as storing and protecting data. High-speed fiber optic networks like the FirstLight network enable companies to leverage the Internet of Things (IoT) and unified communications.
4) Enabling Proactive Security
Data security used to be reactive. Now companies can use threat intelligence to take a more proactive stance toward security. Once a company was made aware of a cybercriminal’s infiltration into the network, only then could they take the appropriate steps to stop and block the attack. Unfortunately, by that time, the damage had already been done.
Analytics can predict future attack vectors so you can adapt your defenses to keep ahead of hackers. Potential threats can be detected quickly and mitigated to prevent data from being lost or compromised. Being proactive about security is crucial because malware is always evolving. The Threat Landscape Report for the last quarter of 2017 showed that the number of malware variants increased 19% from the previous quarter.
5) Streamlining Operations
Digitization turns all your business information into data that can be interpreted according to algorithms. Through data analysis, your company gains insights that can be used to adapt business processes and improve operations. Once insights are applied, equipment operates more efficiently, increasing production. You can track the maintenance and life cycles of all your business assets to avoid breakdowns and stay ahead of updates and refreshes.
Transforming Your Network and Infrastructure
True digital transformation depends upon the rapid and secure movement of data. The faster data can move, the faster it can be mined for valuable insights. Your network is the conduit for your data. It is the circulatory system that keeps data flowing in the right direction.
If you want your business to gain digital maturity, you need to create a high-speed network. FirstLight partners with businesses in a wide range of industries to supply them with fiber optic network resources that transmit data quickly and safely.
We also offer a variety of cloud models and options for voice and business collaboration, as well as backup and recovery and disaster recovery to safeguard that precious data. This portfolio of solutions allows companies to embrace future trends and gain the advantages of digital transformation.
Is your company ready to start its digital transformation? Download our Cloud Solutions brochure to see how we can help you succeed. Let FirstLight lead the way.
