Companies implementing digital transformation are 2.5 times more likely to achieve their goals

Are you a so-called techno-optimist, or are you more of a skeptic, and do new technologies inspire resistance in you? In every human epoch we can find supporters of both approaches - however, it is true that we cannot stop progress, and whoever wants to be with the wolves must howl with them. What do we mean by that? Either you jump on the digital express while you still have time, or you miss it once and for all. Although in this context, it may well be that "you'll be run over" would be more apt.

After all - think back to the early 1990s and the first advent of computers with T602 word processors and analogue VGA monitors that made your eyes water after a minute of watching them. Think back to a decade later, when company computers began to connect to the Internet and amateur Wi-Fi networks were being built in regional towns with antennas made from Kostelec sausage cans. It's not that long ago, and yet we can hardly imagine how we would function today without digital technology and the Internet - in our professional and personal lives.

Now, on the other hand, try to imagine something - perhaps ten or fifteen years from now. How will we look back to the past, to our current present? Paper invoices? Laughable - we might as well use slate spreadsheets for writing. Live customer support operators? Survival - who would pay them for that? Offline apps? Blasphemy, everything runs in the cloud! Of course, we're exaggerating - this ultra-digital age may not come in fifteen years, but in five. Who knows? But what is certain is that it will come sooner or later. How do we get in?

→ Tip: You might be interested to know where business automation can help you.

Digitalization of the company and digital transformation - what is it all about?

Digitization and digital transformation are buzz words that we seem to trip over at every virtual turn. But in many texts, their meaning is misinterpreted or confused - as is the case with words and expressions that people don't understand, but talk about a lot. So what is it and what does what mean?

• Digital transformation - it is not primarily a technological process, but seemingly counterintuitively a business process. It means an overall structural change in a company's approach to the use of digital technology and overall modernisation - it changes the ways in which business is done. It involves adapting company processes, services and products, using digital technologies. Digital transformation has an impact on the entire company, affecting, for example, marketing. In addition to improving the efficiency of company processes, it aims to improve customer experience and employee satisfaction and increase competitiveness.
• Digitisation (of the company) - means the transition of company processes to digital data, i.e. the integration of digital technologies into areas of the business where they have not been used before. This includes digitizing accounting or, for example, moving to digital archiving of documents in the cloud. The purpose of digitising a company is to improve the efficiency and reduce the costs of individual company processes.
• Digitization (of media) - you may also come across this term, it is a smaller process that usually takes place within the larger ones mentioned above. Specifically, it is the transition from analogue to digital media, so it includes, for example, the digitization of documents, generally replacing paper with digital media.

Digitisation of the company

We assume that you have completed the first phase of digitisation, i.e. you are using computers, email and the internet (otherwise you probably wouldn't be reading this). The next step is to start using technology in a way that saves you time, expense and effort. What do we mean by that? For a company's digitalisation to be all-round beneficial, it should be comprehensive and well thought out. This seems obvious, but it's not. Take a look at an intimidating example:

Digitising government - no thank you

Digitising public administration and e-government sound great in themselves. Who wouldn't want to conveniently handle all communication with authorities and state institutions via mobile phone or computer. Unfortunately, we are a long way from such a time - look at such things as submitting tax returns via a data box. From the user's point of view, this does not work completely correctly, but paradoxically it has made even more work for the authorities themselves. Why?

Government systems are still unable to read tax returns submitted in this way, so officials have had to resort to digitising documents or in most cases just manually transcribing them - so the change is not comprehensive. In addition, many people were unable to submit their returns in the correct format or experienced technical problems. This again added extra work for the officials who had to explain everything, wasting a lot of time. So the change was not even thought through (let alone thoroughly). The intention was good, the implementation was poor - don't digitise a company like that.

→ Tip: Read how digitizing your company can cut costs by up to a third.

How to start digitizing your company?

As we've already hinted - first think carefully about what to digitize and what form of company digitization makes sense for you. And above all, whether the result of the digitisation process will add work rather than save you work. Of course, you need to look at the whole process in terms of return on investment and consider whether it makes economic sense.

What areas can you focus on?

• Business process automation - first analyse your business processes. This will also give you an overview of where you have room for improvement in other areas. Next, look at how they can be optimised and automated - are there activities that employees only perform mechanically and repetitively? Can these processes be algorithmized? If so, go for it. With handy tools (such as Microsoft's Power Automate), you can set yourself up to automate repetitive tasks and save your employees this routine work - for example, moving required data from one document to another without having to copy it manually, setting up automatic publications, alerts or sending data to relevant colleagues.
• Digitise administration and project management - try running your business digitally using project management tools. They provide reports on what different teams are working on, how much they have already completed, you can clearly assign tasks to employees, track their workload and much more. You'll get visibility and employees will know exactly what to do without having to wait for assignments.
• Training and awareness - all changes are for the worse and this one is no exception. For employees with similar views or worldviews, digitizing a company can be a challenging change. So it's a good idea to prepare them well in advance and explain exactly how the changes being introduced will make their jobs easier. Thoroughly train all employees before the actual implementation of the new systems.

Digital transformation of the company

As we explained above, this is all about digital upgrades from a business perspective. Adapting new digital technologies and implementing innovative tools can bring you many benefits, from improved efficiency to increased competitiveness. According to research by McKinsey & Co., companies implementing digital transformation are 2.5 times more likely to achieve their goals and improve financial results.

But let's not just look at the world through rose-tinted glasses, digital transformation also involves risks:

• Loss of current opportunities - you may lose part of your current business to digital transformation and have to consider changing your business model. In the long run, this is not necessarily a bad thing, but it is something to take into account. Example? Netflix originally started as a VHS tape rental company. With the advent of digital technologies such as VOD (video on demand) and high-speed internet, it has completely rethought its business model and, it has to be said, very successfully.
• Poor implementation - this generally includes all the risks associated with failing to manage the digital transformation process. We're talking about damaging existing processes without replacing them, which in effect means significant financial losses.
• Security risks - as the amount of data increases, there is a higher security risk. In fact, inadequate security can lead to the entire IT infrastructure being compromised and company data being misused.

We won't let you down!

Digital transformation is a comprehensive investment in your company's future. As much as the last paragraph above may have seduced you, risks are there to be managed and minimized. When it comes to cybersecurity and potential data misuse, we will be happy to analyze your security posture, suggest security measures, provide the necessary products and monitor the security of your computer networks and your data. Contact us - we are partners of Sophos and ESET, providing service and implementation of their products.