Creating more sustainable, resilient and adaptive businesses

The exponential effect of technological advancement in fields such as Artificial Intelligence, IoT, quantum computing, blockchain and the move to the cloud, coupled with advances in human and scientific understanding, are serving up entirely new ways to meet the varied challenges of sustainability, disruption and commercial competition. 

The thinking that an enterprise is defined purely by its economic impact is giving way to a more holistic and longer-term view of value creation. This is especially true as the world navigates the impact of a pandemic. Digital Transformation (DX) has become even more relevant, as a means to manage the need for social distance, as we interact, collaborate and deliver commercial outcomes for customers. 

DX is a means to evolve your enterprise and make it more resilient, relevant and resonant with all your stakeholders. But be warned DX is a paradigm shift – where experience and a willingness to experiment matter in equal measure – and where mindset, coupled with new technologies meet new business models. 

In short Digital Transformation is about applying a new model to creating inclusive business outcomes. Central to achieving digital business outcomes is the concept of a digital platform – something that is far more than a stack of technology reflected in a reference architecture. Platform Thinking encompasses a business model for solving a business problem by leveraging the creative talents of an ecosystem of partners, to collaborate with your people and organisation. 

Platforms enable simple tasks to be performed and process efficiencies to be gained at one end of the spectrum, and at the other end to create entirely new ways of delivering value, by leveraging digital assets such as information, sensors and Artificial Intelligence. 

For asset intensive enterprises, evolving into a platform-based business model is the new imperative to insure continued relevance and value to stakeholders. 

Come along as we explore how Digital Platforms are reshaping the asset intensive sector. 

When we talk about “platforms” in technology circles it tends to centre around a technology stack that typically sits in the cloud. However, the rise of platform businesses such as Uber, AirBnB, and Xero along with other such as C3 IoT and GE Predix, have redefined what a platform represents for both consumers and suppliers of that platform business. Each party on a platform forms part of an ecosystem that leverages that platform to achieve some form of digital business outcome. Platforms enable value creation via digital means. Platform thinking, therefore, is a mindset, built around a business model that leverages digital capabilities that the platform delivers. 

Depending on the category of your needs, there are three pathways to solving your business problems. Understanding the rationale or destination type is key to choosing a pathway that will generate a fit-for-purpose outcome.

For instance, if you are wanting to implement some piece of technology then in all likelihood commissioning a digital enablement services provider will yield the right result, in the right way for your needs. Whereas, if you are wanting to improve your enterprise's deployment and use of business intelligence, then a solutioning and intelligent systems provider is likely to yield the best result.

Similarly, effecting innovation requires an interdisciplinary approach which leverages a combination of management consulting methods, design thinking and digital methods to inform the architecting and delivery of a digital initiative.