With 2020 underway, digital transformation is still very much a focus for business leaders — but what about the processes being used to hit those targets? According to Stephanie Overby at The Enterprise Project, DX preparation is ongoing, but full culture change is on the horizon for 2020.
Digital is certainly still a priority with respect to funding, but a recent Gartner report shows that two-thirds of companies not only fail to deliver on their promises but also reveal “enterprise weaknesses, causing organizations to see a gap between expectations and results.”
So what’s holding companies back? For CIO.com, journalist Paul Heltzel outlined the top nine challenges that IT leaders will face in 2020:
The gig economy
It’s hardly a secret that both the gig economy and telecommuting are exploding. With that comes the issue of data and IP security. While the advantages of distributed teams include flexibility and quick-pivoting, the aforementioned Gartner report warns that “A growing remote workforce, in both a work-from-home and co-workspace model will unintentionally expose the organization to vulnerabilities in data privacy and the security of confidential information.” Another gig economy concern? Finding the right talent.
Data privacy
The specific requirements of the GDPR and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) need to be addressed by various segments within organizations, at the risk of stiff penalties. Innovative vendors will continue working on unique solutions and features to meet these needs.
The ROI of new technology
Advanced technologies like AI and automation need to “weigh the benefits of innovation with provable benefits to the business rather than simply adopting trending technology,” explains Mahi Inampudi, CTO and CPO at Envoy Global. “It’s about finding the right business case.”
Security
According to Jake Olcott, vice president of security ratings for BitSight, “Zero-day vulnerabilities receive the most attention from the media, but in 2020, hackers won’t bother with these highly publicized attacks.” Instead, simple strategies will be at work, such as gaining access to a network through a vendor.
Another concern is the rise on ransomware, with some experts suggesting organizations will need to create a new role entirely, dedicated to combating this new cybersecurity threat.
Risk management (and expectations)
“Businesses and customers now expect software and solutions to have rapid releases that adapt over time, similar to consumer technology,” explains Matt Mead, CTO of SPR. “CIOs need to manage all IT projects in a way that mitigates risk. Start by making sure projects are using a modern agile approach and place all high-risk activities early in a project’s life cycle.”
Skills gap
According to John Ferron, CEO at Resolve Systems, the skills gap in IT will cause organizations to look to automation for solutions. “As we look to 2020, IT teams should expect to see increasing focus on intelligent automation and AIOps to help them truly do more with less by automating repetitive tasks and processes and enabling each IT pro to manage increasingly more infrastructure on a per-person basis.”
Upskilling
Technologies evolve quickly, and as a result, developing new skills can be a challenge. A culture of learning and development can help improve retention.
“Cloud whiplash”
“As more and more organizations begin to adopt the hybrid cloud, we’ll eventually see a trend of cloud repatriation,” Adrian Moir, lead technology evangelist at Quest Software says, “which is what happens when companies don’t take the time to invest properly in migrating to the cloud. The best solution? Companies should analyze the data and workloads before moving to the cloud, to determine costs and potential service impacts involved, explains Moir.
Culture change
More important than a reliance on technology, with respect to digital transformation? A change of mindset within the organization. “In the coming year, business leaders will need to understand that the digital transformation doesn’t end but instead becomes part of how business leaders solve challenges,” says Geoff Webb, vice president of strategy at software company PROS.
