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Digital transformation needs mindset change

Regina Pazvakavambwa
By Regina Pazvakavambwa, ITWeb portals journalist.
Johannesburg, 16 Sept 2016
Digitisation is affecting all industries and if organisations do not embrace this change, their very existence is at risk, says Software AG's Mohamed Cassoojee.
Digitisation is affecting all industries and if organisations do not embrace this change, their very existence is at risk, says Software AG's Mohamed Cassoojee.

Most organisations are struggling to respond to the rate digital transformation is impacting on their industries.

This is according to Mohamed Cassoojee, vice president and country manager at Software AG SA, speaking at the Software AG Digital Business Day 2016 event in Johannesburg yesterday.

Many businesses either have the technology, but no idea how to leverage it, or have no idea of the technology that they could be leveraging, says Cassoojee.

"We are probably in one of the transformational age in history. Things are happening and changing at a phenomenal speed. As a result we found that society, people and businesses are interacting in ways they probably have never thought of before."

This is having a huge impact in the way businesses and government need to react, says Cassoojee.

He notes there is a need for organisations to change their processes and leadership styles to take advantage of the changing digital ecosystem.

Companies also need to understand both the threats and opportunities to survive and come up on top and win in this new paradigm of business, says Cassoojee.

What this requires is a different type of thinking by business, especially CIOs, he explains.

Cassoojee advises firms to adopt the bimodal IT approach - focusing on the traditional ways of delivering IT as well as the new digital landscape.

According to Gartner, bimodal IT allows the traditional approach to enterprise technology (emphasising efficiency, stability, accuracy and scalability) to co-exist with a second approach that focuses on agility, speed and innovation.

Casoojee says digitisation is affecting all industries and if organisations do not embrace this change, their very existence is at risk.

Most organisations are concentrating on keeping the lights on while their markets and ideas are going to be disrupted, says Patrick Shields, CTO at Software AG South Africa.

Shields says the first part of understanding an organisation's digital journey is embracing the concept of change.

He points out companies need have people who are dedicated to keeping the lights on or doing the day-to-day business but should also have people who will look at news ways of doing business - "what's coming and what's next and how to respond to this change."

The first part of understanding an organisation's digital journey is embracing the concept of change, says Shields. You've got to no it's coming - and there is no way of stopping it."

Matt Smith, CTO at Software AG South Africa - regional, says companies need to think ahead and differently - they have to imagine the changes they need to go through five years from now.

He says companies need to begin their journey now - in six months' time it is too late. "It doesn't matter where you start in the digital journey - start where you are - but start."

Committing to transformation doesn't mean you have to know all the details of the journey. It just means companies need to least decide to start the change before they are mulled over by the competition, says Shields.

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