Digital Transformation & Impacts of COVID

What is Digital Transformation?

  • Digital Transformation is, in a nutshell, the transformational process and the resulting organizational capability obtained with the use of technology that impacts the organization’s business model, experience of the customers, employees and also transforms the way organization’s operations/decision-making etc. are performed.
  • Digitization vis-à-vis Digital Transformation – Executing a process or function with digital tools may not necessarily entail Transformation as detailed above. Digital Transformation is unique with its transformational impact on the organization.
  • Influencing technologies towards Digital Transformation include technologies like Internet, Mobile technologies like 5G and connectivity, Data/Big Data/Analytics, Cloud Computing, AI/ML. Blockchain, Robotics, IoT etc.
  • Examples of sectors highly impacted by COVID:
  1. Education
  2. Retail
  3. Food Delivery and Restaurant

Country-specific Factors influencing Digital Transformation

  • Govt Investment in Research and Development
  • Govt Investment in Infrastructure Development
  • Data Ethics – Govt and Society
  • Education
  • Corporate Culture and Processes
  • Digital Literacy/Digital Divide
  • Internet Coverage for the Population
  • Social Risk Profile towards Digitization

Organizational Factors influencing Digital Transformation

Main points are as follows –

  • Sustainable Digital Capabilities
  • Organizational Strategy
  • Organizational Culture
  • Management Directions and Controls
  • Availability of Skills and expertise
  • Business Processes

COVID as drivers for digitization – New economic demands

Main points are as follows –

  • Remote Work
  • Communication through Digital Media only
  • Online Meeting and Video Conferencing – Zero travel health emergency

COVID as barriers to Digitization

Main points are as follows –

  • Technology/Digital Divide in Society
  • Lack of Investment
  • Organizational hindrances to rapid digitization
  • Availability of Internet Connection
  • Lack of Technical Expertise
  • Employee Resistance

Analysis of Impacts

Please read the blogs in

https://www.enterprisetechmgmt.com/blogs

to know how COVID impacted Healthcare and Life Sciences, Finance, Education etc. sectors.

From application development standpoint, Low Code/No Code technologies like Salesforce, Mendix, Appian, etc. became widely accepted during the time of urgency.

Benefits of Low Code/No Code technologies:

  • Quick development
  • Citizen Development
  • Security of Platform
  • Maintainability

Limitations of Low Code/No Code technologies:

  • Limited Customizability/Flexibility
  • Limited Scalability
  • Vendor Lock-in

Conclusion – Strategy for upcoming days

Cybersecurity has become one of the most important area in post-COVID era. Organizations are fast accepting Artificial Intelligence as the technology of the future. As the countries are coming out of pandemic days, long term and sustainable focus on Digital Transformation has become the top priority of the organizations.

References

  1. COVID-19 Pandemic: Shifting Digital Transformation to a High-Speed Gear, Pedro Soto-Acosta
  2. COVID-19 and Digitalization: The Great Acceleration, Joseph Amankwah-Amoah et al
  3. The Impacts of Low/No Code Development on Digital Transformation and Software Development, Zhaohang Yan
  4. Digital Transformation, Thomas M. Siebel