What are
the four main
areas of digital
transformation?

Digital transformation has transformed from just one of many IT initiatives to the entire purpose of the department. That’s because enterprises no longer just rely on technology to facilitate work, they also rely on technology as the foundation of their work. The cloud, mobile employees, internet-enabled factories and big data analytics have made even the most traditional organizations and industries cutting-edge technology users compared to even just a decade ago.

As disruptive as digital has already been to the way enterprises operate, we are only in the beginning phases of digital transformation. Areas of digital transformation that used to be the realm of science fiction, such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality, will soon become workplace standards.

To continue to drive digital transformation and extract the maximum amount of value out of technology, organizations need to ensure they are prepared to overcome the roadblocks that can stand in the way of embracing and accelerating change. While there are many areas of digital transformation, in this article, we look at what are the four main focus areas of digital transformation. Because in having a solid understanding of what the four main areas of digital transformation are, you can position your company to be better prepared to react to new opportunities. This knowledge about digital transformation focus areas also helps you gain an advantage over slow-moving, disconnected competitors that aren’t as focused on the importance of digital transformation. 

To gain clearer insight into what the four main areas of digital transformation are, let’s look at each of the digital transformation areas, or pillars.

It doesn’t matter what technology you invest in. Every single one of them relies on your network to connect data, devices, and people together. However, with more technologies putting more demand on your network, it’s becoming difficult to ensure the network remains up to the task.

The answer isn’t always adding more bandwidth. Intelligent network management using software-defined and intent-based networking allow networks to be automatically reconfigured in minutes to help manage spikes in demand. By automatically routing traffic around obstacles, the network can deliver the constant, secure connectivity required when working with cloud-based apps and databases, while ensuring real-time data like video and voice receives top priority.

Between mobile devices, work-from-home employees and cloud-connected apps, platforms and data sources, your network has never been spread so far and wide. Unfortunately, neither has your attack surface. Cybercriminals now have more entryways than ever to get into your network. All it takes is one hacker launching one ransomware attack to bring your business to a halt, damaging your operations, your customers, your brand, and your bottom line in the process.

Cybersecurity no longer involves just protecting a defined perimeter. You need to be able to use data and analytics to understand your security posture in real-time so you can prepare and protect against the threats most likely to hurt your business. By analyzing attack trends, you can take a proactive approach to defense that allows you to prioritize and respond to cybersecurity challenges effectively.

All the technology in the world won’t do a thing for your business if it doesn’t help your employees do their jobs better. While some people are always eager to embrace new technology, just as many may not see the point of changing the way things have always been done, and will need to become invested in the solution to ensure success.

Rather than impose technology from the top down, involve employees in the digital transformation decisions that will impact their work. Take the time to understand how they do their jobs, what their pain points are, and how technology can solve them, so that when you do implement new solutions they are embraced. This will help you not only achieve greater adoption and ROI, but will make for a more engaged workforce.