Over the next few years, digital transformation is expected to be the top strategic business priority for companies across a variety of industries. Sixty percent of top CIOs and CTOs surveyed in a recent study said their IT modernization program is not ready for the future, which means we could witness many companies fast-tracking their digital technology initiatives this year.
Digital transformation gives companies the opportunity to reimagine how they run their business through the use of new digital processes and solutions. However, there are some challenges companies need to confront during digital transformation.
As business leaders, organizations need to understand that challenges in digital transformation are not always directly related to technological barriers or concerns, and that the best way to remove these problems is by using a modern data integration platform.
1. Siloed Decision-Making
Organizational silos fail to impact digital transformation positively. These organizational silos present obstacles in all stages of digital transformation, from strategy building to implementation.
Due to these organizational silos, companies’ decision-making suffers. That’s because each team or department focuses on solving its own problems and achieving its goals. The problem worsens due to a lack of unified vision that keeps groups from achieving a common business goal. That diminishes efficiencies and slows innovation within the organization.
2. Increased IT Burden
When traditional data integration solutions are used, companies need IT teams to implement custom codes and perform extensive data mappings to implement data connections. That takes a lot of time – possibly weeks or months. And, because IT is busy performing these tedious tasks, it fails to focus on more high-value, innovation-driven tasks.
3. Looming Skillset Gap
In the current disruptive times, companies require even non-technical business users to participate in operations, such as implementing data connections and performing customer onboarding. If this isn’t the case, the entire burden will fall on the shoulders of IT, leaving an insufficient breadth of digital skills required for successful transformation.
The digital skills gap is increased by the scarcity of integration specialists in core competencies required for the shift. Expertise in data integration, analytics, enterprise architecture, digital experience, and other areas is essential for digital transformation. Unfortunately, finding the right people in a limited talent pool can be daunting and costly.
4. Elevated Security Risks
To adapt to the sudden changes in consumer needs and requirements, the majority of companies rushed the growing implementation of digital solutions. This made them vulnerable to rising data breaches or risks. This also made other companies wary of experiencing the same breaches when they implement their own initiatives. Many data integration solutions fail to provide an end-to-end encrypted environment that enables even unauthenticated users to access and use data. That increases risks for security.
5. Outdated Systems
It’s difficult for companies to move out of their comfort zone. They still can leverage legacy systems despite the availability of more agile and robust solutions. After all, they invest substantial capital in these systems and benefit from them.
However, with outdated technologies still powering them, traditional systems pose one of the biggest problems in digital transformation. They are often inflexible and slow. As a result, it’s harder to adapt to transitions and integrate with new technologies. An even more important (and growing) concern is their vulnerability to security breaches.
Leverage a Self-service Data Integration Solution to Overcome Digital Transformation Challenges
Companies can resolve these problems using a self-service data integration platform. How?
Self-service integration solutions empower non-technical business users to implement data connections while freeing IT to focus on more high-value, innovation-driven tasks. Business users can leverage features such as pre-built application connectors, shared templates, dashboards, intuitive screens, AI-data mapping, and end-to-end encrypted environments to enable non-techie business users to build data connections much more quickly, securely, and effectively.
At the same time, IT is freed from creating codes and building data mappings. Instead, it can devote time to other strategic business priorities. In doing so, companies can connect with customers sooner and deliver on their emerging needs and requirements. Ultimately, companies can drive their digital transformation initiatives without difficulty.