What are different views of digital transformation?
What are different views of digital transformation?
The term “digital transformation” is used—and misused—to describe many IT concepts. Sometimes it’s used to mean new architectures, like microservices, or new practices, like DevOps, or new technologies, like containers and application programming interfaces (APIs). Each of these could be part of a digital transformation initiative, but none of them takes into account the bigger picture.
The Enterprisers Project, which publishes viewpoints from CIOs and other IT leaders, takes a more holistic view. They describe digital transformation as “the integration of digital technology into all areas of a business, fundamentally changing how you operate and deliver value to customers. It’s also a cultural change that requires organizations to continually challenge the status quo, experiment, and get comfortable with failure.”
Red Hat supports the Enterprisers Project, and takes a similar view. Our consultants view digital transformation as a process at the intersection of people and culture; process and practices; technology; and organizational structures that must evolve to unlock new business value faster. No matter the exact problem, every digital transformation initiative needs to consider and bring balance across each of these areas or they will eventually stop seeing a return on their investments.
These more holistic definitions of digital transformation often encompass the adoption of a “cloud-native” approach. Cloud-native organizations are not necessarily hosting their applications in the cloud, but they do build, run, and improve their applications based on the well-known techniques and technologies associated with cloud computing. This includes working practices, software architecture, and the organizational structure.
Cloud-native development is a popular approach to digital transformation, especially for organizations that want to improve existing technology investments they made before the rise of cloud computing. Not every digital transformation initiative will lead to the adoption of cloud-native development practices. Other approaches may include an investment in automation or simply making the shift to a technology-focused business model to begin with. Whether your digital transformation initiative involves a cloud-native approach or not, the key point is that it’s less about what technology you adopt, more about how you approach problems and are organized to respond to them.
