Digital transformation: the main advances in recent times
Given the popularization of the expression, it’s likely that you’ve already heard about digital transformation. A term, it should be noted, that has attracted the attention of national and international companies, from all market sectors.
But what exactly is digital transformation? Some people believe that this is solely an effort expended by the IT sector or actions that seek to improve the customer experience or, even, the adoption of techniques or concepts linked to the vast digital world.
However, it is important to say that digital transformation is not a futuristic or future-oriented concept, but a strategy that must be observed by companies now so that they stay alive, as well as to achieve their goals quickly. , efficiency and productivity.
With this in mind, there is no doubt that it is necessary to understand exactly what this concept means. In fact, it is also important to understand its impact on society, challenges and main advances that we have achieved as a result of this transformation.
With this in mind, we prepared this material to showcase the key aspects of this solution. So be sure to check it out next!
Find out what digital transformation is
Basically, we can understand digital transformation as the process by which companies use technology to improve their performance, expand their professional field of activity and guarantee satisfactory results, which are capable of attracting investment, if applicable.
We can still understand digital transformation as a change in the structure of a company, which makes technology play not only an essential, but a central role. It is what organizes the company’s processes, making them more efficient and productive.
It’s probably crossed your mind that companies have invested heavily in technology, considering that many of them currently have profiles on social networks and a corporate blog. So, know that thinking about digital transformation based on this perspective is a mistake. This concept is much broader than being present on the internet, in general.
Reinforcing, digital transformation involves a significant change in the organizational structure, in which technology plays a central strategic role. Therefore, it is a process that takes time and requires investment. However, any organization can implement digital transformation in its business, as it is not just about money. It is a procedure that involves investment, collaboration and willingness to change.
Digitization, digitization and digital transformation
Many people confuse digital transformation with digitization and digitization. Even though these are integrated into digital transformation, it is worth highlighting that they are different processes or stages, as we will see below:
Digitization
Digitization can be characterized as the process of converting analog information into digital format. In other words, it is the process by which signals, images and sounds, for example, are transformed into bits and stored on digital devices.
A good number of companies benefited from this process, as it became easier to store and protect important, as well as confidential, information.
Digitization
Digitization is already a more comprehensive concept and involves advanced technologies, such as, for example, the internet of things, big data, cryptocurrency, etc.
Although it is a mistake to think this way, many people believe that digitalization is a process that means using only IT skills . The highlighted examples show that digitalization goes far beyond this because it involves a more comprehensive technological perspective with the aim of causing significant changes in society.
Digital transformation
Now we finally arrive at digital transformation. Unlike the previous stages or processes, digital transformation is described as the general and universal impact of digitalization on society or a company.
In this way, we can say that digital transformation is the result of both digitization and digitalization of processes, operations, activities and whatever else is necessary for a company to become entirely transformed by digital culture.
Impacts of digital transformation on society/market
Digital transformation is a concept that has a profound impact on society as a whole, including any and all companies.
Now, how does this impact occur or how can we visualize it? To imagine this, just consider how technology has, for example, changed your life, bringing more efficiency and productivity to your daily life. It is an example that you can project for society as a whole, including companies.
If you want, say, to pay a bill, just access your bank’s technological application and make the payment. If you want to eat sushi, just do the same, that is, download the food app and order what you like most. Technology is rooted in society, facilitating payments, ordering food and even transportation.
In general, we can say that things are getting faster and faster and the amount of information is infinitely greater than before, and is still increasing. Today, people can research practically anything using their mobile technological device (cell phone) and a good search engine, which can be Google or another one of your choice.
From a simple search, tens of thousands of information are generated, which saves you time and makes a faster decision, whether, for example, to buy a product or service.
Furthermore, our lives have become “easier” because automated products and services offer conveniences that were unimaginable just a few years ago. Today, for example, it is possible to count on management technology capable of cross-referencing data and issuing accurate management reports, thus optimizing this operation and ensuring, for companies, more agile and efficient decision-making.
On the other hand, new challenges have emerged, such as, for example, the growth in the number of complaints from customers dissatisfied with certain products and services. This reality is perceived more clearly because technologies have allowed people, in general, to not only comment on what they think in relation to products/services provided by companies, but also to connect their thoughts to a wide network of consumers.
In summary, with the development of technology (digital transformation), both new solutions and problems that need attention have emerged, which forces companies to adapt to society’s needs.
Main advances or digital transformations of recent times
As we have seen, digital transformation is a broad concept that involves radical changes in the structure of a company. However, it is worth highlighting that this is an evolving concept, that is, it is keeping pace with digital technological advances.
With this in mind, we created this topic to present the main advances or digital transformations of recent times. Look:
Rapid development of 5G technology
Until recently, it was clear that everyone in the world was looking to operate using faster connectivity, both at home and in the workplace.
In this sense, we can say that the Covid-19 pandemic has intensified this demand. After all, many professionals stopped working at the company, a place where there is generally a good connection, to work from home.
Faced with this reality, many telecommunications companies began to invest more in 5G technology, therefore accelerating its development. As a result, in May 2020, Verizon launched a lab to test the deployment of 5G technology. The company also announced that this technology now works perfectly in San Diego, United States, among other locations around the world.
WiFi 6.0 is coming
Digital Transformation celebrates not only the evolution of 5G technology, but also the prediction that WiFi 6.0 is about to be launched.
In April of last year, 2020, the United States Telecommunications and Broadcasting Regulatory Agency voted unanimously to open the new frequency band to devices that can accommodate it. While this is seen as a step forward for digital transformation, it is unknown whether this technology will work.
Boosting business with AI (artificial intelligence)
Artificial intelligence and machine learning have developed rapidly in recent times, and many companies have adopted these technologies to ensure a digital transformation of their businesses. An example that we can highlight in this sense is the chatbot, a technology that uses AI to automate customer service. Today, a good number of companies operating in the digital environment make use of this digital technology. There was, therefore, progress in this direction.
Furthermore, artificial intelligence is helping to accommodate large amounts of data from the Internet of Things (IoT) , enabling a rich experience for consumers and citizens in general.
As we try to use more data to ensure the safety of certain environments, such as our homes and workplaces, AI continues to contribute to machine learning, which can improve our experience and ensure greater convenience in our daily lives.
Advancement of cloud services and transformation in the way documents are hosted
As companies embrace digital transformation, cloud-based services and solutions naturally continue to grow, changing the way people host and consult documents, in any format, such as image, sound and video. Some examples of cloud-based solutions that we can highlight are, for example, cloud servers, dedicated servers and virtual data centers .
If until recently suppliers were committed to selling storage products, as is the case with the famous external HD, now many of them have started to do this in a virtualized way , following the pace of digital transformation, which is imposed not only on large businesses, but also about companies that work with cloud hosting services .
The convenience brought by cloud computing further accelerates digital transformation in organizations of all sizes and sizes. It is worth adding that this also depends on your sector of activity.
The transformation brought by the virtual data center and/or server
The virtual server or data center is a basic technological component, capable of driving a company’s digital transformation and playing a central role in this process. This equipment acts as a complete system that can connect and integrate all parts of a company, thus acting as a springboard for its growth.
In addition to strengthening security and trust across multiple clouds, a digital data center also improves the performance of your applications and provides a network that can continually learn, protect, and adapt as your business needs.
A virtual data center and/or server has brought significant advances to a company, allowing it to increase its performance and thus achieve better results, such as operational efficiency and consumer satisfaction.
Digital transformation is the result of technological progress. However, as it transforms (bringing, for example, better performance to an organization), it is also transformed by the development of technology.