In the ever-evolving landscape of business and technology, the role of digital infrastructure has never been more critical. Recent surveys by IDC highlight that most enterprises recognize the pivotal importance of digital infrastructure in achieving their business goals. In a world where change is constant, organizations are embracing digital transformation to stay competitive and relevant. However, this transformative journey is not without its challenges, particularly as macroeconomic factors introduce uncertainty and risks. In this blog post, we’ll explore the key elements required to align successful digital infrastructure transformation to business strategy, including the importance of stakeholder needs, the rethinking of technology skills and operational models, and the critical role of telemetry in managing the digital infrastructure lifecycle.
Stakeholder Alignment is Key
To embark on a successful digital infrastructure transformation journey, organizations must first recognize the importance of aligning different business, technology, and operational functions. IDC identifies various roles within an organization, each with specific desired outcomes. These roles range from IT practitioners managing daily operations to decision-makers responsible for strategic technology investments. Bridging the gap between these roles and their objectives is crucial for transformation success.
The integration of these roles requires careful planning and collaboration. Some organizations may opt to partner with service firms that offer methodologies, data insights, and best practices designed to address the diverse requirements of all stakeholders. Such partnerships can help minimize risks and accelerate the time businesses need to see value from their IT investments.
Modern Infrastructure Demands New Skills and Tools
Digital business relies heavily on modern infrastructure encompassing compute, storage, network, infrastructure, and software to gain competitive advantages. This infrastructure also extends to automation, AI/ML, analytics, security software, and cloud services. In today’s fast-paced environment, organizations must be prepared for digital disruption, as nearly 70% of businesses foresee their industries undergoing significant changes in the next five years.
Digital infrastructure transformation necessitates the adoption of cloud operating models and new technologies. IT teams must quickly embrace these changes to remain competitive and agile. Access to data, integration, AI/ML, analytics, and automation is essential for driving digital business success and desired business outcomes. Skills also play a critical role, and services partners bring a lot to the table when needing assistance and initiatives. These elements empower data-driven decision-making, enhance operational effectiveness, and support the development of agile business processes to deliver business outcomes.
The Role of Telemetry in Digital Infrastructure
Rapid access to accurate and timely data is fundamental for digital business agility. Telemetry, the collection of data from systems and devices across the infrastructure, can provide essential insights into the use, health, and performance of the digital operating environment. Telemetry data, coupled with AI/ML techniques, can be transformed into actionable insights via dashboards, enabling informed business decision-making and skills enablement. Using these automated processes through AI and ML may provide insights faster, with less chance of human error, than retrieving the data in a more manual fashion.
Embedding telemetry data into the entire lifecycle of digital infrastructure, from planning to adoption and optimization, accelerates decision-making in a measured and calculated way which drives the business forward. Choosing a services partner that combines data and insights with expert resources can help IT teams achieve better outcomes with less risk.
Challenges and the Path Forward
Successful digital infrastructure transformation relies on a services partner’s capabilities and the ability to align, measure, and connect technical and operational outcomes with business objectives. Organizations must learn to strategically use their data to transform faster while also reducing risk. Education to the full extent of a services partner’s capabilities is essential for making the right choices.
In conclusion, as businesses and IT organizations navigate the complex landscape of digital infrastructure transformation, they must prioritize stakeholder alignment, embrace modern technologies and tools, and leverage telemetry data. Partnerships with trusted services partners, such as Cisco Lifecycle Services, can offer the expertise, insights, and support necessary to ensure a well-architected, agile, and secure digital infrastructure. With the right strategy and partners in place, organizations can drive innovation, differentiation, and agility in a multicloud world. Read more about digital infrastructure transformation in the Cisco-sponsored IDC spotlight, Getting Infrastructure Transformation Right.
Message from the Sponsor
Cisco Customer Experience (CX) service offerings help organizations realize tangible business outcomes faster with Cisco software, products, and solutions – at every step of their technology lifecycle journey. From architecting and deploying new solutions, and streamlining operations, to optimizing the IT environment, Cisco and its partners can help IT teams achieve their desired outcomes faster.
To learn how to transform with less risk and effort, visit Cisco Services.
For more information on how to accelerate business outcomes, visit Cisco Lifecycle Services.
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