Intelligent CIO Africa Issue 25 | Page 69

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// t TECH cht TALK lk IT departments that used to be driven by top-down organisational change. Instead, there is a new bottom-up architecture and infrastructure evolution with a focus on pace, agility and people. Digital business also allows us to welcome the ‘no-collar’ workforce. The rise of smart machines means that many traditional roles can be automated. On the road to Digital Transformation, a new foundation starts to develop around which the business carries out its core functions. Specifically, we’re talking about supply chain and finance – these functions are fundamentally being transformed by the convergence of various technologies. In this regard, a cross-functional approach to transformation can drive the most ambitious results. This means that the organisation of the future may need to rewire talent management for the new workforce and build a culture for increasingly unbounded and virtual teams. The next part of the road ahead will feature increasing amounts of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR). Blockchain will proliferate and organisations will start to use exponential www.intelligentcio.com technologies such as Artificial General Intelligence and Quantum Encryption to create even newer commercial systems, many of which will champion connectivity via Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). Going digital and bringing the new world of work online is a challenge worth embracing. To be sure, navigating the forces of digital disruption positively is not always straightforward. Ultimately though, graduating with a qualification from the school of digital is always worthwhile, so make that your new years’ resolution and start your homework today. n INTELLIGENTCIO 69