Do you feel it? Because you should. I’m talking about the rapid change happening all around us. As Michael Dell has said, “we are on the cusp of some world-changing breakthroughs.” But we’re not there yet. Today, businesses are grappling with this pace of change. New technologies are disrupting businesses in every corner of the world, and companies are facing existential questions about how they will survive in the modern, 21st century economy.
Buoyed by ubiquitous technology and lower bars to entry, upstart disruptors are seizing market share from large, historical enterprises across every vertical. The ease of access to technology grants disruptors the operational speed lacked by large, legacy institutions – think of it like a speed boat against a cargo ship. To survive, companies will have to embrace digital disruption’s challenges, and that means they need to transform.
In this new era of digitization, Dell has classified four pillars of transformation: Digital, IT, Workforce, and Security. Supported by cloud-based everything, modernized data centers, smarter and more agile workforces, and predictive, proactive security, what we’re really talking about is, effectively, business transformation. That is why today’s IT organization is no longer just a business function, but it is the business — and the largest differentiator for future success.
As a result, more and more industry leaders are not only earmarking transformation as a priority, but they are backing it up with resources and commitments.
According to a recent, mutual study between Forbes and Dell, 85 percent of global executives plan to spend up to 25 percent of their 2018 enterprise budgets on IT transformation. That is a sea change in the perception of IT and an enormous market opportunity. However, budgets are just budgets. Transformation requires a business commitment and the strategic resources to put ideas into action.
Yet, too often, initial momentum hits speed bumps as CIOs and business leaders struggle to define and assign the scope of transformational projects. And the pain is real – 89 percent of senior executives acknowledge barriers prevent CFOs and CIOs from collaborating more closely on transformation. Most often, the debate comes down to one simple question we hear time and time again – “what’s next?”
I am proud to say that Dell Consulting answers that all-too-common customer question, having successfully delivered thousands of transformations over the years. We are privileged to serve as strategic advisors, embedding with customers to lend our knowledge and technical expertise along every step of the transformation lifecycle, and help them overcome digital disruption.
Transformation is unique to every company, but at its heart is about three simple ingredients: people, process, and technology. Dell Consulting bridges all three, partnering with customers to simultaneously focus on and deliver optimal business outcomes.
By embracing the willingness to change, and committing to a transformational project, businesses will achieve a net win and position themselves for future industry leadership. Companies see significantly faster returns on their transformation investments, with a quarter registering paybacks within 12 months, according to the Forbes/Dell survey.
Digital disruption is changing the landscape of how businesses operate. Legacy enterprises are facing threats, but the good news is, they have a significant opportunity. Transformation is the strategic lever with which businesses can not only survive in the modern economy, but thrive as leaders and visionaries in their fields. With the right commitment, transformation and defeating disruption are possible.
