Digital transformation is a key priority for every major organisation, but amid budget cuts and market uncertainty, achieving transformation is easier said than done. Decision-makers are under growing pressure to make the right investments to support future needs.
So say iOCO cloud and infrastructure experts, who were speaking ahead of a C-suite virtual roundtable on De-risking Digital Transformation in South Africa.
Mary-Lyn Raath, digital solutions lead at iOCO, and Richard Vester, exec for cloud and security at iOCO, note that CIOs, CDOs, CEOs and CFOs are coming under immense pressure to select the right solutions and cloud models from a plethora of options.
“These are sometimes risky decisions,” says Raath. “Major investments into the wrong solutions or cloud models could see organisations locked into something that does not support the business’ strategic direction five years from now.”
Raath and Vester note that balancing costing, total cost of ownership and returns on IT investments can be challenging, particularly at a time when many budgets are being cut. At the same time, organisations must weigh up what they will move to the cloud, which cloud models best support agility and compliance into the future, and how best to maximise their existing infrastructure investments. These challenges are often barriers in the way of taking the next steps towards digital transformation, they say.\
Says Vester: “In the local market, we see organisations wanting to take advantage of the hyperscalers now in-country, but are challenged in developing the cloud roadmaps right for them. Many also face internal resistance, with people concerned about their job security.”
Adds Raath: “Organisations see all these new options – like hyperscale, better security and automation – and they are asking, how do I take what I have and pull together these new toys to link back to my strategy? This is the role of technology consulting firms like iOCO, which can help them develop roadmaps, assess TCO, and justify the value of the spend to the board, so they can make decisions better and faster.”
iOCO, in partnership with ITWeb, will host a C-level roundtable to deep-dive into the derisking of the digital transformation journey. At this event, digital decision-makers will share insights on the decision-making processes, assessing TCO, achieving board buy-in and managing change, and the challenges of determining which models and solutions will deliver on business strategies in years to come.