Digital transformation. We know what it is, but do we really know WHAT it is? 

Industry professionals are debating the concept of digital transformation more and more, but the question is: How do we define it? And is it merely a buzzword or is it the new paradigm and standard for business in today’s age?

Digital transformation is a reality. But what does that really mean?  When asking several industry professionals, the definition seemed to differ depending on the person – highlighting the new reality of digital transformation. It’s a changing landscape, both in business needs and technological developments.

Digital Information is Not Digital Transformation

While sitting at a roundtable at a recent conference, the digital transformation was a key topic.  One attendee brought up digitizing the newspaper, claiming digital transformation had been around for years and is simply nothing new.  But is digitizing the newspaper true digital transformation?  One would think that the whole process would have to be digitized, not simply the content. 

Because of the new ways that we communicate, information and content are now innately digital, not just transformed, bringing a new host of problems and a need for evolved digital transformation.

Cloud and Mobile

When understanding this continuum of digital transformation, next is understanding the competitive landscape.  Most businesses now are born digital, and with hot topics like cloud document management and mobile content management, these businesses are built with these processes deep within its core. 

This brings a potential threat for organizations still fraught with turning outdated, paper-based processes to the modern and digital world.  If your business is experiencing this now, keep reading below.

Successful Digital Transformation in Three Steps

1. Have a clear vision

A few questions you can ask yourself to create this vision are:

  • How do you picture business changing and why administer this change?
  • How extensive could this transformation be in terms of changing job roles?
  • How extensive could this transformation be in terms of changing workflows and processes?

2. Don’t bite off more than you can chew

Start small. Trying to change everything at once can cause more harm than good.  Pick processes that are easily implemented and show a quick ROI.  These smaller changes and successes can make the overall vision much easier to sell to the powers that be in your organization

3. Educate your internal “roadblocks”

The leading roadblock to successful digital transformation initiatives often come from within your organization.  The key to solving this problem is strategically communicating the transformation and the steps it encompasses.  Having a clear vision that includes ROI reports will answer some questions before stakeholders ask them, and generally create an environment of enthusiasm and acceptance. 

There is no question about it, digital transformation is a reality, digitizing not just information, but the entire business. These changes are a valuable investment, and it is critical to have a partner to lead you through not only the transformation of business but the communication around it as well. 

Let us know how we can help with your digital transformation.