Much is said about digital transformation and no less: leaders and experts consider that the future and success of organizations depend on this process.
Although the subject is the number one agenda of professionals and companies of all sizes, we know that, in practice, digital transformation is not yet a fully explored field. It is present, but there is a long future ahead. That’s why to discuss its aspects is to glimpse all the potential of this process. In this article we will talk about one of these aspects: technology.
First of all: digital transformation goes beyond technology
To define what Digital Transformation is, it is necessary to say that it is not only a process of implementing technologies and tools in companies and businesses. It goes beyond that.
It is a process of structural change that organizations are going through to adapt to the reality of an increasingly digital and connected consumer. It is a continuous search for improvements in results, processes and customer experience, as well as a response to the technological and consumer revolution we have experienced in recent decades.
Of course, technologies and innovations are an essential part of all this change. But this evolution involves transformations that affect the business model, the culture and the people connected to an organization.
In this scenario, contemporary companies and startups take advantage of being born in the midst of a digital culture. That’s why so many companies have gone through intense processes to adapt to the new economy.
If it’s not just about technologies, why discussing them is so important?
If the customer’s experience is one of the drivers of digital transformation, technology is the gear that makes its implementation possible. Innovations such as the Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence have gradually become part of people’s daily lives.
A survey conducted by MIT interviewed leaders of large companies around the world and an important point that was observed is that, in general, these companies are redefining their business through digital transformation by concentrating their forces in these areas:
- customer experience;
- operational processes;
- business models.
Important technologies for digital transformation
As much as it is understood that digital transformation is a process that involves various elements such as culture and people, it is understandable that technology acts as the catalyst for everything. Learn about three technologies that have been essential to this change.
1. Internet of Things
The current consumer is connected, so it is natural to expect that everything around him is also connected. In this sense, the Internet of Things plays an important role in a digital strategy, after all, the essence of this innovation lies in the connection between objects and people through the Internet.
If people interact digitally and intelligently with their cars, homes, appliances and other objects today, what is expected is that they are increasingly willing and able to interact with brands and products in the same way.
In the process of digital transformation, IoT becomes important for enabling the adequacy of brands to this phenomenon and helps to resignify the ways in which companies carry out their processes, collect data and build buying experiences. Next, understand how all this works in practice.
2. Artificial Intelligence
Although AI still seems to be a futuristic subject, little by little it has been integrated into our reality. One example is the chatbots, which are able to perform the service that was previously performed by human attendants.
But the role of artificial intelligence in digital transformation applies to other fields. Through this innovation, mainly thanks to machine learning and deep learning, machines and systems are able to learn, collect and analyze data, offering valuable insights and information about customers and markets.
Also thinking about the customer’s experience, Nike has implemented in its application a functionality capable of “scanning” and measuring customers’ feet in order to help them find the ideal footwear. This feature, based on artificial intelligence, also uses a series of machine learning and computer vision technologies.
3. Cloud Computing
It has been a long time since cloud computing has become a solution for several types of projects and businesses. From a simple program to a complex system, this technology helps to simplify processes.
That’s why talking about cloud computing allied to IoT and AI may at first seem something not so futuristic, but the fact is that the cloud has been the basis for companies to develop in a fast way.
The ability to scale infrastructure and use it on demand allows the cloud to be an essential element in building an agile business model. In addition, the best cloud services on the market can be easily integrated with important tools for digital transformation, such as IoT and Big Data.
Bonuses: “small” enablers
Although possible, it has been increasingly difficult to talk about digital transformation technologies without mentioning the various tools that facilitate this process. It is an exercise in unraveling the whole process to understand how each of these elements can positively impact a business.
Behind the great digital actions, among several products and solutions that involve the digital transformation, are the APIs. These resources are key pieces in building intelligent and scalable software and applications.
