What is digital transformation?

[Caute_cautim]

We have all heard the term banded around, but exactly what is "Digital Transformation"?  Is it an urban myth?  A bogey man in the dark?  Perhaps this article can assist those who are not quite sure, what it is all about?

https://securityintelligence.com/articles/how-to-improve-your-boards-oversight-of-digital-transforma...

https://www.cio.com/article/3199030/what-is-digital-transformation.html

Regards

Caute_cautim

[Chuxing]

This has been a trendy term, I have even seen in job postings. But seems the definitions and understandings are variable, depending upon the people who uses the term.

[rslade]

> Caute_cautim (Community Champion) posted a new topic in Tech Talk on 09-29-2019

> We have all heard the term banded around, but exactly what is "Digital
> Transformation"?  Is it an urban myth?

Yes.

Well, maybe not an urban myth, exactly, but a business myth.

Management tends to talk about putting in a computer, or program, or computerized system, in order to transform what the business does. What business tends to actually do is put in a computer, or program, or computerized system, in order to do exactly what they have been doing, either faster, or in a less convenient manner (because you have to feed data into the computer, or program, or computerized system, in *exactly* the right format and order or the whole thing borks).

[JoePete]

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@rslade wrote:

Well, maybe not an urban myth, exactly, but a business myth.

Management tends to talk about putting in a computer, or program, or computerized system, in order to transform what the business does. What business tends to actually do is put in a computer, or program, or computerized system, in order to do exactly what they have been doing, either faster, or in a less convenient manner.

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If Jack Daniel (yes, his real name) is anywhere on these forums, I give him credit for first saying this about "the cloud": All this means is that we are now making the same mistakes, faster, on a larger scale, with less people to catch the mistakes.

IT has become the ultimate transparent clothing that senior management is wrapping themselves in only to reveal their ignorance (and everything else that comes with a naked emperor). Very rarely does technology result in any true efficiency. At best it is a competitive necessity - not allowing more with less but instead allowing more with more. Arguably, this is the second half of Moore's law (you know the part that everyone forgets) - in order to achieve that doubling of capability there is a greater increase in manufacturing cost. More with more. But if you are in a stable market (government, education, etc.) being "digitally transformed" can become a financial black hole. Even in highly competitive markets it is high risk.