INFOGRAPHIC
INFOGRAPHIC
How digital leaders are
transforming their IT
S
ome companies are born digital.
Others have to work at it. No matter
how their journey began, the most
forward-looking digital enterprises have
created an ideal back-office environment
that supports what they do in the front office
to grow their business. That journey is more
urgent than ever.
In a new research survey, 52% of enterprises
said that it is very important or critical that
they can operate as a digital enterprise
within the next two years. Additionally, 29%
of respondents rated their speed of progress
towards digital transformation as ‘fast’,
while 6% said they were moving ‘very fast.’
Why the urgency?
The research found that the companies
that are moving the fastest towards digital
transformation are also the ones who rate
digital as an important capability for short
and long-term success. The faster these
companies move, the quicker they accelerate
away from their competitors, gaining an
important edge now and in the future.
The findings are part of newly commissioned
IDC research, The Digital Enterprise. In total,
752 enterprises were surveyed, providing
a picture of the strategies top digital
enterprises take to strengthen their ability to
grow and scale.
playing a larger role in more global markets.
To reach their goals, top digital enterprises
use emerging technologies – Big Data, cloud,
mobile, social media – to transform existing
processes or do something new.
Who’s moving the fastest?
Research found that IT infrastructure is
often a key enabler of digital transformation.
Among the group of survey respondents
who are making the fastest progress towards
digital – ‘digital leaders’ – the flexibility and
performance of IT infrastructure was the
most influential success factor.
In terms of specific infrastructure
capabilities, the hybrid cloud stood out as
a priority for respondents. About 53% of
total respondents said they currently, or
plan to use, a hybrid cloud solution; that
figure was 72% among digital leaders.
The research showed a growing preference
towards off-premises IT, with 50% of
respondents saying they expect to reduce
their use of on-premises data centres within
the next three years.
“
THE FASTER
THESE
COMPANIES
MOVE, THE
QUICKER THEY
ACCELERATE
AWAY FROM
THEIR
COMPETITORS,
GAINING AN
IMPORTANT EDGE
NOW AND IN THE
FUTURE.
Why move off-site?
Enterprises want to move infrastructure
closer to their customers and, as business
becomes increasingly global, this often
means working with third-party data centre
providers for access to in-country facilities.
What is a digital enterprise?
Digital transformation is a fairly broad
term, but for the purpose of this research, it
focused on a simple proposition. Enterprises
today are challenged to achieve more,
whether that means creating new products
faster, improving customer engagement or
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INTELLIGENTCIO
Ultimately, the research found that the top
digital enterprises view their infrastructure
decisions through a business lens. By thinking
strategically about their infrastructure, these
businesses are able to scale and improve
their position in the increasingly competitive
digital economy. n
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