The 5 Steps To Digital Transformation

 

Digital transformation is not just a buzzword; it's a necessary evolution for businesses in the era of Industry 4.0. Today we outline a pragmatic five-step approach to embarking on this journey:

1. Acknowledge the Need for Change: The first step is recognizing the inefficiencies and wasteful practices within your organization. Admitting there's a problem is crucial to setting the stage for transformation.

2. Dream and Brainstorm Solutions: Imagine the ideal state of your business without the constraints of current technologies or processes. What does your optimal business model look like? Dream big – Industry 4.0 technologies have made what once seemed impossible, possible.

3. Seek Expert Guidance: Digital transformation is a complex process that requires specialized knowledge. Find a systems architect or a consultant with experience in digital transformation within your industry to help navigate this journey.

4. Collaborate and Architect Your Vision: Work closely with the experts you've enlisted to design your digital transformation strategy. This collaboration should focus on turning the dream you've brainstormed into a feasible, detailed plan.

5. Embrace a New Mindset: Success in digital transformation requires more than just technological change; it demands a shift in thinking. Openness to new ideas, flexibility, and a willingness to adapt are essential.

Digital transformation offers a pathway to enhanced efficiency, cost savings, and competitive advantage. By following these steps, businesses can align their operations with the demands of the modern industrial landscape.

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The above information is courtesy of our friends at 4.0 Solutions

For FREE help designing a customized digital transformation strategy for your organization simply ask us at Digital Transformation Strategy

Use This FREE Service To Source The Best Options For A Successful Digital Transformation Journey

 Our portfolio of cutting-edge digital transformation tools and resources delivers the most cost-effective way to achieve your organization’s digital transformation goals, enabling you to select the best options for ultimate success. Covers every potential aspect of your transformative journey and includes FREE assistance developing a customized enterprise-wide digital transformation strategy.

See for yourself..... Digital Transformation Resource

A Brief History Of Artificial Intelligence (INFOGRAPHIC)

 

How The Chief Digital Officer (CDO) Role Leads Digital Transformation Initiatives

 

The following is from Jeff Winter, Sr. Director of Industry Strategy, Manufacturing at Hitachi Solutions America. Digital transformation (DT) is a comprehensive organizational shift that involves integrating digital technologies with business processes, necessitating revised or entirely new business models. This process is not automatic and requires substantial support and leadership. Many organizations are now introducing a 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐫 (𝐂𝐃𝐎) role to lead DT initiatives. The CDO role, still in its nascent stages, can vary significantly across organizations, depending on factors like the company's digital maturity and the current Chief Information Officer's responsibilities. CDO functions align with the development of 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐲𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 (𝐃𝐃𝐂) — the ability to build, integrate, and reconfigure resources and competencies for digital transformation. CDOs are responsible for fostering: • 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 - Identifying trends and potential disruptions • 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐢𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 - Utilizing digital platforms and new business models • 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 - Continual realignment of assets for DT The implementation of these functions largely depends on the company's digitalization pressure and the effectiveness of its cross-functional teams. The decision to establish a CDO position is contingent upon these factors. 𝐅𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0040162522002979

𝐃𝐨 Y𝐨𝐮 K𝐧𝐨𝐰 T𝐡𝐞 D𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 B𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 A 𝐏𝐎𝐂, A 𝐏𝐎𝐕, An𝐝 A 𝐏𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐭 In Your Digital Transformation Effort?

 

The above is from Carl March of EV.......

𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐚 𝐏𝐎𝐂, 𝐚 𝐏𝐎𝐕 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐏𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐭? Ensure that you are using the right one at the right time for the right reasons in your 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

“𝑵𝒐𝒘 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆.”

 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭 (𝐏𝐎𝐂)
A 𝐏𝐎𝐂 is a realization of a certain method or idea, typically derived from an experiment, in order to demonstrate its feasibility. It is also usually small and may or may not be complete.
Pros include:

• Inexpensive
• Quick
• Minimally invasive
  Cons include:
• No value realized
• Barriers limit creativity

 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐟 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 (𝐏𝐎𝐕)
A 𝐏𝐎𝐕 s helps one to better understand the anticipated value a solution will bring to an organization so one can justify adoption and measure success. It also provides a detailed business use case to explore why an organization should adopt the PoC solution.
Pros include:

• Value oriented
• Relatively quick
  Cons include:
• Some cost
• Expertise to build business case

 𝐏𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐭
A 𝐏𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐭 is an initial small-scale implementation that is used to prove the viability of a project idea. It enables an organization to manage risk and identify any deficiencies before substantial resources are committed to scaling.
Pros include:

• First value realized
• Inertia breaker
• People, process, tech involvement
  Cons include:
• Requires sponsors
• Disruption to status quo

What are your thoughts? What would you add to the conversation?

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘𝒔 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒂𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒛𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏.
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𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐯𝟏.𝟎 (INFOGRAPHIC)

 

Jeff Winter (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreyrwinter/) of Hitachi Solutions America made it easy to remember key aspects companies should focus on as they 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 and 𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐞 their Digital Transformation Initiatives.

The 5 Essential Elements Of A Digital Transformation

 By definition, a “transformation” is the process of a complete change, not an incremental modification.

This means technology upgrades/add-ons, technology migrations, process improvements, and even re-orgs aren’t “transformative.” To be truly successful, you need to completely reinvent yourself inside and out. The right people, processes, and technologies all need to be in place and work together to ensure key decisions and actions are strongly influenced by the right data at the right time.

Harvard Business Review developed this great graphic to highlight the journey to becoming a data-centric organization:

𝟏. 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 – Humans are at the start, and inevitably at the end of this journey. So, we need to start with the people. If Digital Transformation is successful, everyone’s job changes within the company, and as a result, even the way our customers and partners interact with us changes too. Is everyone ready?

𝟐. 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚 – This is where technologies play the biggest role. Collect, aggregate, and analyze data at a massive scale that allows you to change the way you look at all of your companies' current strategies (e.g. business, marketing, sales, customer service, operations, IT, engineering, supply chain, etc.).

𝟑. 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 – Make use of all the data from step 2 to have a better grasp of what is happening. Now is your chance to identify new correlations to key outcomes (Both good and bad), make better predictions on what is about to happen, and guide you toward new areas you should be looking or paying attention to.

𝟒. 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 – There is no point in getting insights if you don’t do anything with them. Have the right processes and culture in place to allow the insights to drive action, ideally in real-time.

𝟓. 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬 – Successful Digital Transformation requires constant evaluation and modification. If things are working, changes are being made all the time. Make sure they continue to support the goals of the company.

For more information:
https://hbr.org/2021/11/the-essential-components-of-digital-transformation

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• Follow Jeff Winter on LinkedIn at Jeff Winter | LinkedIn to stay current on Industry 4.0 and other cool tech trends.

How To Use Design Thinking As Part Of Your Digital Transformation Strategy

 

Design thinking is a human-centered, iterative problem-solving approach that aims to create innovative solutions by focusing on empathy, experimentation, and collaboration. The main components of design thinking can be broken down into the following stages: 𝟏) 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐳𝐞: Understand the needs, emotions, motivations, and context of the end-users or customers. By putting yourself in their shoes, you can gain insights into their experiences and identify the real problems they face. 𝟐) 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞: Clearly articulate the problem statement. This involves synthesizing the information and insights gathered during the empathize stage to define the users' needs and challenges. A well-defined problem statement helps guide the ideation process and ensures that the focus remains on addressing the users' pain points. 𝟑) 𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞: Generate a wide range of possible solutions to the defined problem. 𝟒) 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐞: Create low-fidelity prototypes of the most promising solutions. These can be simple sketches, physical models, or digital mockups that help visualize and test the concepts. 𝟓) 𝐓𝐞𝐬𝐭: Test the prototypes with real users to gather feedback and validate the proposed solutions. This feedback is crucial to understanding how well the solution addresses the user's needs and to identify any areas for improvement. Based on the test results, the team may need to iterate through the earlier stages to refine the solution or explore new ideas. 𝟔) 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 (not a formal stage, but often included): Solutions or concepts developed during the design thinking process are brought to life. It can be seen as part of, or following, the Test stage, depending on the specific circumstances. During this phase, the solution is rolled out, and its impact in the real world is observed. According to a 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐 𝐇𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐨 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐲, Since 2015, design thinking has grown by 46% in IT departments and 92% in Operations & Manufacturing. 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠: • 60% – design thinking has improved the working culture • 67% – more efficient innovation process • 58% – users integrated more frequently • 30% – helped to save costs • 33% – helped increase sales 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨 𝐨𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬: https://www.innovationtraining.org/design-thinking-2022-study-from-hpi/

********************************************* • Follow Jeff Winter on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreyrwinter/ to stay current on Industry 4.0 and other cool tech trends

The 8 Primary Pillars Of Digital Transformation (INFOGRAPHIC)

 

Digital Transformation Technologies Solving Real-World Problems In Healthcare (INFOGRAPHIC)

 

Digital Transformation From An Inclusive Whole-Of-Society Perspective (INFOGRAPHIC)

 

What Will 5G Mean To Manufacturing?

 What will 5G mean to manufacturing?

Overpriced private networks never getting off the ground, or a viable alternative to Wi-Fi?

𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁: "𝑀𝑢𝑐ℎ 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 5𝐺 𝑟𝑜𝑙𝑙-𝑜𝑢𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑓𝑜𝑐𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑛 𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑎 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑢𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑠, ℎ𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑙𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑡𝑜 𝑑𝑜𝑤𝑛𝑙𝑜𝑎𝑑 𝑣𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑜𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑎 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝑜𝑟 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑚 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑛𝑜 𝑙𝑎𝑔 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒. 𝐻𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑖𝑡𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓 𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑦 𝑓𝑜𝑐𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑛 𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑛𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑡𝑦, 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑒𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑠 𝑔𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 3𝐺𝑃𝑃 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 5𝐺. 𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑒𝑛𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑓𝑒𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑎𝑤 𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑎 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑒𝑐ℎ𝑛𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑦 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑓𝑎𝑟 𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑒𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝑐𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑟 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑛𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑠. 𝐼𝑛 𝑎𝑑𝑑𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑎 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑝𝑢𝑡, 5𝐺 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑒𝑛𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑎 𝑤𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑛𝑒𝑤 𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑠𝑒𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑒"

𝗦𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀:

Low Latency

Extended Coverage & More Devices

Increased Security

Consistent Service Level

Customizable Network

𝗢𝗸, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘇𝘇𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻.

𝗜𝗻 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱:

A (to-be) existing infrastructure for manufactures to tap into

Lower cost to connect to data sources and share information

No change to your control networks - they'll probably stay hardwired

Fiber level quality without the physical connections in place

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲:

Manufactures will decide they want a private 5G network which requires a high capital barrier to entry. Not to mention the skillset needed to maintain these networks.

It's unclear how it will perform within electrically noisy environments.

What are your thoughts??

To take advantage of FREE assistance to engineer and design a network solution incorporating 5G for your organization’s network requirements....including network security....simply click on this link and ask. It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3.

FREE Resource For Sourcing And Design A Custom 5G Network

6 Types Of Digital Business Transformation

 Not everyone has the same definition of Digital Transformation. According to Baker McKenzie, 𝟔𝟗% of organizations define Digital Transformation as a tool for improving process efficiency. Meanwhile, 𝟐𝟑% view Digital Transformation as a tool for developing new ways to sell products and services, and only 𝟖% think of it as a developing business model change.

Digital business transformation is a multifaceted process that involves a wide range of strategic changes and adaptations across an organization. It is crucial to recognize that there isn't just one type of digital transformation; rather, it encompasses various aspects such as process, business model, cultural/organizational structure, customer experience, domain, and ecosystem transformation. Focusing solely on one dimension can limit an organization's overall success and hinder its ability to thrive in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Concentrating only on process transformation, for example, may lead to improved efficiency but overlook the importance of adapting to new business models or enhancing customer experience. This narrow focus could cause an organization to miss out on new opportunities, revenue streams, and competitive advantages that other aspects of digital transformation offer.

To achieve a holistic and effective digital transformation, businesses need to consider several elements simultaneously.

𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐬:

https://www.bakermckenzie.com/.../2021-digital...

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• Follow Jeff Winter on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreyrwinter/ to stay current on Industry 4.0 and other cool tech trends.

Digital Transformation Triangle Of Success (INFOGRAPHIC)

 

The 7 Deadly Sins Of Digital Transformation (INFOGRAPHIC)

 

How To Easily Self-Provision Employee Workspaces For Work-From- Home Or Work-From-Anywhere (VIDEO)

Watch this video for an example of a provider we can source for you that enables employees to work from home or anywhere utilizing a set-up process that takes literally minutes to accomplish rather than days. You'll see a cloud workspace provisioned in minutes, complete with compute, pre-licensed software, security, shared folders and more.

Our FREE support includes assistance sourcing and designing a customized cloud network solution to meet ALL your cloud computing needs.....covering public, private, hybrid, and multi-cloud options. This includes comparing 100s of cloud providers with cybersecurity requirements also a major emphasis.

Simply submit a request by clicking on Cloud Services and telling us what you’re looking for.

It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3....and we’ll take it from there.

Industry 4.0 For Manufacturing....Beyond The Hype (Inforgraphic)

 

Keep in mind that the critical foundational piece to the success of any IoT application and its ecosystem is network quality. That said, we are uniquely positioned to source the right IoT solution for any IoT application whatever it may be.... including sensor technology, network connectivity, data analytics, and more. We can even help with the network design and security effort. All at ZERO cost to you. Simply ask us.... it's as easy as 1, 2, 3.

IoT Network Solutions