Embracing technologies and implementing certain processes in our organizations has become the norm. The roadmap for this can look different for every business. With remote working rights being discussed in government and many organizations coming to terms with long term changes, the importance in having a stringent Digital Strategy has never been more important for business.  

What is Digital Strategy? 

A Digital Strategy is a strategic plan that is aligned to your business goals and is the key starting point of any Digital Transformation journey. The pandemic forced organizations to make quick-fix decisions that need long-term planning. In this blog, we discover the three stages of Digital Strategy, which help you to assess where your organization is and how you can drive it forward.  

1. Stabilize 

COVID-19 forced every organization’s system’s IT department to quickly react, disrupting many strategic initiatives and requiring administrators and staff to make quick fix decisions when it came to working remotely. While these were necessary and key factors in keeping businesses up and running during the crisis, organizations must now look at establishing their digital environments and initiatives that were taken in a hurry. This includes cyber-security, remote working and operational processes. 

2. Modernize 

Digital modernization is the adoption of new technology and can range from updating systems, platforms and software to meet the needs of your business. It can be as simple as taking an existing paper process and making it electronic using new software and hardware, or more complex, by phasing out existing infrastructure and equipment and moving to the cloud. 

Most organizations have a way to go when it comes to establishing a solid Digital Strategy. By breaking the modernization journey down into a set of smaller, easily achievable journeys, you will enable your organization to make consistent, productive progress that better supports the business and reduces operating costs. Simple changes that will not only improve the modernization of the operational side of your business but also employee experience include: 

• Moving from on-premise to cloud
• Modernizing your infrastructure to support a Cloud Environment 
• Embracing Application Modernization methods such low-code no-code developments like Power Apps and building API’s 
• Invest in establishing an employee-friendly hybrid workplace set-up 
• Utilize enterprise-grade security software to protect your data

Infrastructure, networks, and applications make up the foundation of digital modernization in your organisation. These then break down into subcategories such as: security, privacy and workspace. When it comes to Digital Transformation, these can then be supplemented or complemented by a cross-cutting initiative like digital readiness. 

3. Transform 

Digital Transformation is to take advantage of innovative technology to reimagine an organization’s processes, culture, people and customer experiences. It can result in new business models, revenue streams, policies and values. 

While digital modernization is focused on bringing an organization ‘up to speed’ with the latest technology, Digital transformation requires looking at your organization through a holistic lens and shaking up the business model to fundamentally change business performance. 

Digital Transformation is a huge undertaking for any business, so before you begin, take a step back and ask yourself two basic questions that will help you to drive changes in your organization: What does the customer really want? What business model works best for your organization’s future? 

How We Can Help  

At ActionPoint, we have been proudly delivering innovative Digital Transformation projects to our clients for over 16 years. Combining our passion to help businesses achieve their greatest potential using the power of technology and our expertise, our Digital Transformation Team have developed a service to help businesses at every level of digitalization to excel and discover the future of their business. To learn more about how to develop a Digital Strategy for your business, speak with our Digital Transformation team, here.