EDITOR’S COMMENT
IT department key to
digital transformation
Rajesh Ganesan, Director of Product
Management, ManageEngine.
Once an organisation has
decided to embark on a
digital transformation
journey, a cloud-first
strategy will help free
up resources says Rajesh
Ganesan at ManageEngine.
D
igital transformation is a hotly
discussed topic in business circles,
yet many senior managers have
opted to put it firmly in their too hard
basket. Faced with changing markets and
shifting customer demands, they believe it
is something that can be put off while they
focus on other priorities. Nothing could be
further from the truth.
The power of digital transformation
is much more than just the technology
underpinning it. It is about the creation of
entirely new business models. Unshackled
from the limitations of the past, businesses
are able to work in entirely new ways.
For many business leaders, one of the
biggest barriers to embracing a strategy
of digital transformation is having a
legacy mentality. Leaders look at all
the capital already invested in their IT
infrastructures, and cannot imagine how
they could let it all go.
In reality, it is not an either, or
proposition. A business does not have to
walk away from existing IT systems to
be able to take advantage of the benefits
digital transformation has to offer. New
components can be added to existing
systems gradually as requirements change.
For example, the benefits of cloud
platforms can be embraced gradually
while being integrated with on-premises
systems. As a result, capital investments
already made are not lost, but continue
to provide the basis for a more flexible
ongoing infrastructure.
It is important to realise that data
stored on a cloud platform is no less
secure than data stored on in-house
servers. Through the careful selection
of service providers and proper ongoing
management, the business benefits of
such moves can be realised without any
detriment to current security levels.
Once a business decides to undertake
a digital transformation strategy, their
attention shifts to the IT department and
how it is going to achieve the required
business objectives. For IT teams, the first
step is to audit their existing systems. This,
in turn, identifies those systems that need
to be changed first, and which components
can be changed later in the process.
For example, many organisations
find significant early value in shifting
their corporate email system to a hosted
platform. As well as saving on hardware
costs and data centre space, this frees
IT teams from day-to-day management,
allowing them to focus on more value-
adding activities.
Once their email system has been
migrated, teams might consider shifting
CRM and workflow applications to
the cloud as well. Because these shifts
are done as a gradual process, senior
management can be confident there is a
strong business case for each step before
it occurs.
When it comes to deploying new
applications, a cloud-first policy should
be put in place. Hosted options for each
new application should be considered
before any further investments are made
in on-premises infrastructure. Over time,
this will help improve the flexibility of the
business and ensure it is ready to change
as market conditions evolve. Undertaking
a digital transformation strategy can be
somewhat daunting, but when looked at
as a series of discrete steps, the process
becomes much more manageable.
As a first step, senior management
needs to be clear on the objectives for
their strategy and ensure these are
communicated to staff at all levels. Their
staff needs to understand why changes
are being made and what this will mean
for them. Such communication will also
make it less likely that individual teams
and departments will try to circumvent
the IT department and establish their
own shadow IT initiatives. These often
take the form of unauthorised use of SaaS
applications and cloud-based storage
services. If teams know their needs
are being addressed as part of a larger
program, they are less likely to implement
their own cloud tools.
Finally, management needs to
understand that a digital transformation
strategy is not a set-and-forget process.
Once started, the strategy needs to be
continually adjusted to ensure it matches
the evolving needs of the business.
By understanding that transformation
is real, and putting in place a
comprehensive plan to embrace it,
businesses can ensure they are best
placed to continue to grow in a rapidly
evolving marketplace.
15