There is no arguing that the world as we know has been changed forever and rather abruptly. The pandemic has exposed the shortcomings and vulnerabilities of enterprise data systems and processes. Though the stimulus for change is forced and sudden, how can businesses adapt in times of crisis? Can a blend of the right approach and technology adoption save the day? And, what is the right approach anyway? These are the first few in a string of critical questions that business leaders are facing today as they make intelligent decisions with greater urgency.
In the post-pandemic world, while some aspects of the business may go back to being just like they were before the pandemic, others will change significantly. The thing about disruption is that sooner or later it brings everyone to the same page, for instance, the way digital platforms have changed everyday aspects of doing business across traditional industry boundaries. The question is whether you want to emerge ahead or behind your competitors?
Triage, pivot, learn and focus
Executives across industries have responded to the downturn that COVID-19 has caused in some explicit ways such as lowering the operating costs to manage cash flows and gravitating towards maintaining business continuity. As you navigate through the crisis, you will constantly face the need to adapt and redesign the tactical responses. In the chaos of present and immediate future, let’s not move away from planning for the long-term impact of COVID-19 and how to excel in the post-pandemic world – A world where digital touchpoints will define the quality of customer experience, interaction with your supply-chain will need to be more transparent, and the threshold for efficient processes will be renewed. With the crisis unfolding, it is hard but not impossible to see a silver lining.
It brings you the opportunity to make greater strides in the direction of enterprise-wide digital transformation, observe and learn from the industry experts, and make a compelling argument for the adoption of technology within your organization. Leaders across industries are revisiting the core competencies of their business and assessing the value pool with renewed focus. It may not seem to be a ground-breaking response but the sensibility of it is undeniable. There is uncertainty around the duration of the pandemic, you may have to reprioritize the value chain to better align with the shifting customer expectations.
Connect the dots: Design a layered, integrated digital strategy
A successful strategy for guiding the business during and the post-pandemic world must be a well-rounded approach, one that takes into account the dynamic market trends, long-term future of value chain, and redefined business objectives supported by a resilient, modern IT infrastructure. Business leaders in progressive organizations have been making the case for adoption of cloud data architecture since the last decade and continue to advocate for an ecosystem-level change in technology. These organizations are not limited by data accessibility issues because of scattered data in multiple on-site systems. We know now that being unable to access on-site data storage for extended durations is not unprecedented. Cloud enables enterprises to lean on highly distributed data with wide accessibility.
The effects of the pandemic will keep unfolding for an uncertain duration and executives will have to make decisions with greater urgency under pressing conditions. In an ideal scenario, all the decision-makers will be able to access the right set of the most recent data, achieve complete alignment of goals, and make the most intelligent, informed decisions quickly. But the reality is far from it for enterprises with an outdated tech backbone. They often struggle with inefficient processes that slow down the decision-making and conflicts in the alignment of business goals by different stakeholders due to the lack of clarity into data and deeply ingrained data silos. Cloud is the solution. It closes the information gap and provides an agile, resilient data architecture that promotes transparency.
Another prime concern associated with on-premises data systems is the security and governance of critical enterprise data. Especially with the current situation, enterprises are facing an extraordinary array of cybersecurity threats. Modern cloud data architecture has multiple granular layers of data security which is hard to breach and is unmatched by on-site systems. It empowers employees to access data with confidence and leverage it for big data analytics, data science initiatives, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) programs. With the latest advancements integrated cloud data platforms such as Azure Synapse Analytics can bring all the enterprise data needs under one canopy and provide a seamless experience to users. Integrated cloud data platform are foundational and pivotal for a successful, well-rounded data strategy that you need to navigate through the current crisis and for long-term success in the future.
Cloud data platforms are no longer a leap into the future, they are very much the reality of the present.
Pushing boundaries to get maximum return on investment
Can business leaders derive more value out of their investments in the cloud? An ‘ecosystem-level’ change in technology may hold the key. It essentially stands for leading and scaling successful digital initiatives, empowering end business users by adopting self-service business intelligence (BI), and capitalizing on shifting market trends. By capturing data in real-time and leveraging powerful analytics and BI tools, enterprise leaders can appreciate the accelerated time-to-insights. Moreover, by collaborating in shared BI environments teams working in different departments or even different geographical locations can become more efficient and transparent. Automation is another piece of the integrated data strategy approach.
COVID-19 has resulted in a very unusual environment for communities and organizations around the world. To succeed, businesses cannot simply wait for a better time and continue to function the same way in the post-pandemic world. Business leaders need to make the necessary shift in their digital strategy and IT infrastructure to step into the future with confidence. The right technology implementation partner can make the transformational journey seamless and an optimal experience. There is no one, perfect solution that supports the needs of every organization. An expert implementation partner can empower you every step of the way with custom solutions that fit your needs.
