Insights

4 Things Digitally Mature Organizations do Differently

David Breitling, Digital Strategy Lead, UST

In our first blog post, we discussed the four hallmarks of a digitally advanced organization. Why is this so vital? Because successful digital transformation creates Resilient Enterprises and fuels revenue growth. Now that you know what success looks like, we will explore what it takes to achieve digital maturity.

A commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of UST in April 2021 found that digitally advanced organizations made significant investments in technology, legacy modernization, and automation. They also embrace Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. We discuss the four crucial pillars below.

Prioritize a migration to the cloud for agility and operational efficiency.

The Forrester survey found that more than 80% of digitally advanced firms utilize cloud services for all of their digital experiences. The reasons are manifest: cloud services done well make organizations more agile, efficient, and effective in serving their stakeholders independent of geography while pivoting to anticipate unmet needs.

Automate whatever is feasible

Digitally advanced organizations realize that many processes that are currently manual are monotonous, costly, and prone to errors. As a result, they lower employees’ morale and often lead to significant mistakes that drag down the bottom line. That’s why over 89% of digitally advanced organizations leverage the power of automation. Doing so frees up employees to focus on higher-level problems that enrich their careers and solve complex and human-driven problems that will produce dividends for the company’s future.

Tap into data analytics to drive new products and services

A modern company’s operation produces millions of data points every day. But only digitally advanced organizations have a robust mechanism for identifying, capturing, and analyzing those data points. The survey found 87% of digitally advanced respondents are “offering new or improved products and services that heavily leverage data and analytics and are commercializing data or data science models directly.”

Embrace Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

The next wave of technological innovations will likely become an arms race creating definitive winners and losers. AI and ML have long ceased being something companies only talk about and have entered into tangible product lifecycles and operations. So it is no surprise that 75% of digitally advanced organizations have embraced these two technologies, especially for mission-critical services like security, faster than the rate of digital beginners.

For less-than-advanced firms, all of these investments can seem costly and complicated, which is why having a partner like UST to streamline and integrate best practices is invaluable.

Becoming a Resilient Enterprise through digital maturity takes work, but the results are well worth the effort. To learn about digital maturity and its impact on your organization, download the full report here.