5 Steps To Become a Data-driven Business Using Technology
- By Andy Sim, Dell Technologies
- November 29, 2022
Across the globe, organisations and industries are transforming. We are all striving to move faster, become smarter with data and innovate more with technology. The last few years proved to us that digital transformation is a necessity – and while this has generated positive outcomes for businesses, it also means that they now have to manage increasingly complex data and tasks.
In our increasingly digitalised world, data is considered critical for any efficient operation, but it also has the potential to become the number one barrier to transformation.
According to the recent Breakthrough study led by Dell Technologies, 69% of Singapore respondents worry the opportunity to become a data-driven business will pass them by. Another way to put this is that at every business conference you attend, there is a chance more than half your peers are worrying about data. Why is that? Businesses are feeling the burden of the evolving nature of data and are not embracing the personal change needed with new systems.
Going deeper, 50% of local respondents believe their people will not be able to keep up with technological change. This is an interesting paradox, as it shows that while technology is an enabler to human potential, the number of solutions and settings to navigate can overwhelm workers with too many choices.
However, there is a clear path out of the data labyrinth – which often involves a mix of the right set of tools with a human perspective. For organisations looking to navigate towards their digital transformation journey, start with these five steps:
- Have a clear shared vision of how digital transformation can help you realise your business goals
Every IT problem starts with a business problem. Before laying down the foundation on how to deal with their data, businesses must consider the challenges that they are trying to solve as a company. Once that vision is established, they can better articulate the right technology solution and partner with their IT experts to build a plan. At the same time, businesses need to account for their most important asset – their people. Taking a phased approach will allow employees enough time to understand the digital transformation strategy and how to align themselves with it.
- Invest in appropriate edge and as-a-Service strategies that can scale
As-a-Service experiences help ease or drop the infrastructure management burden faced by organisations. When working with a flexible IT consumption model, organisations can operate with agility and also control and scale their environment, adapting to the different dynamics. There is also an opportunity in the edge, where organisations can act on data near its point of creation to generate real-time data analysis. This allows them to act faster and reduce the cost concerns associated with sending large amounts of data to a central location – particularly in industries like retail, healthcare, and even public transportation.
- Automate mundane tasks
The research shows that people would be willing to partner more with technology if the personal benefits are clear. In fact, 66.5% of respondents in Singapore would look forward to having more time to develop their skills and elevate their roles. By automating work, it frees up time for people to focus on what inspires them and uncover new business opportunities. This mindset of curiosity is one that is highly valuable when it comes to data analytics. Once your employees have enough time to look at the data from a strategic lens, it paves the way for decisions driven by insight.
- Start with small-scale pilots
The sandbox environment is perfect for the test-and-learn method, as it reassures people that they will have control over the impact. It is one of the best tactics to gain insights from analytics while stimulating people to adopt and publicise the successes. At this point, businesses must go back to the first step in this framework and look at the initial business problem. Thereafter, they should combine their newly added technology with recent insights gained from the team through these pilots in order to generate a positive outcome. Finally, assess the pilot, replicate and then scale.
- Provide adequate coaching, mentoring, and reassurance
Real breakthrough happens at the intersection of people and technology. Thus, it is paramount to recognise that while consumption-based IT models provide the necessary breathing room to employees, organisations must deploy them in ways that are sensitive to human behaviour. Leaders must make sure that everyone is accessing the necessary tools and has enough training and resources to use them to their fullest. They must also communicate and establish a platform where ideas can be contributed and heard. The lack of communication is one of the areas where respondents say their teams struggle the most.
Technology plays a vital role in unlocking a company culture shift towards data-driven decisions. Once organisations augment human capabilities with automation and consumption-based IT, it creates new opportunities and experiences that excite employees.
Only then companies can elevate their productivity to new heights while delivering great outcomes with purpose.
This article is written by Andy Sim, Vice President & Managing Director of Singapore at Dell Technologies. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of CDOTrends.
Image credit: iStockphoto/surasaki