According to Google Ngram Viewer, the term ‘digital transformation’ started to appear in 1965, and that makes sense with the increase in use of computers accelerating around this time. Businesses could start to imagine how such technology could take their business forward. Just as the industrial revolution created mass production, the digital revolution equally worked to change how businesses function.
But what is digital transformation in 2022? Digital transformation is often used as an all-encompassing buzzword phrase for any technology-based business change. But this is not how it should be understood. For it to be considered a transformation, there must be a significant shift in the working practices and capabilities of the business that is expected to have a meaningful impact on the business’ output. Shifting email service providers won’t cut it. Digital transformation takes many forms, and it must be suited to the individual business. It cannot be plastered across the walls of all businesses and expected to fix all their cracks the same.
The solution to this is a comprehensive discovery phase to gather information about your business and your desired outcomes. From this, the digital transformation project can be created. Some examples of digital transformation are cloud migration, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and new software integration/development. For the independent wee shop down the road, creating a website to sell online is a massive digital transformation. For a business starting to broaden their work internationally, an AI solution for customer interactions across languages could be of crucial importance. And for any business looking to scale-up their infrastructure, cloud could be the answer.
So, to answer the question ‘what is digital transformation in 2022?’. Digital transformation encompasses all digital technology solutions that seek to change how your business operates to improve your business’s output or functions through increased efficiency, quality, cost-saving and/or ease-of-use. This is no different in 2022, but the technology we use to create this outcome is always improving and adapting, and it’s our job know how it can be utilised to benefit your business.
Digital transformation is also about the future. Creating a system that works for right now or for the next year or two shouldn’t be the aim. Future-proofing your business by using scalable solutions is important for keeping ahead of the competition and keeping your business moving forward.
Want to learn more about digital transformation and how Pulsion can help you? We have guides covering many digital subjects here.
