We are living through unprecedented times of a digitally driven era. Technology is advancing and developing by the second, which is calling for the world to keep up.
People, organisations and even governments, are responsible for administering change within in order to survive the digital future. Preparing for these digital changes is important to say the least, it involves the use of disruptive tech and a well-thought strategy to succeed. It is no doubt a hefty task that digital transformation professionals undertake across all industries.
Digital transformation is the process of using new or improved digital technologies in all areas of business. This profoundly affects the structure of an organisation, its products and services, culture, and customer experiences. Basically, it is the reigning of the digital era in businesses that sums up what digital transformation is all about.
To explain quite simply how digital transformation works, let’s look at an example of a digital transformation decision. A business decides to switch from paper to spreadsheet, and then on to smart applications that change the business process largely. This not only refines the process but also shows how the business engages the consumer faster and better with technology. Bringing about these kinds of changes takes skill and experience, and requires a team of experts to start implementation in any industry.
Digital transformation is a necessity for all industries. In the areas of aerospace and defence, the need to transform to the modern-day challenges are ever-present. In keeping up with the competition and recognising its vision for the future, the United States Air Force decided to implement a transformation plan in early 2021 with the adaptation of ‘Teamcenter’. This is a system that supports digital acquisition and sustainment strategies for the USAF to design, build and repair aircrafts. Following this launch, several other organisations such as ‘Bye Aerospace’ and ‘Northrop Grumman’ in the aerospace and defence field, also jumped in to introduce their own digital transformation plans as well.
Similarly in the banking industry, financial institutions have strongly brought forward the need for good digital transformation especially in the post-covid space. DBS Bank, the largest bank in Singapore has been engaged in digital transformation for some time. They discovered their transformation solution was to implement ‘robotic process automation’ which is a software system that speeds up human repeatable tasks along with a ‘centre of excellence’ to monitor and manage the program. This freed up about 2,500 work hours which can now be used for other high value requirements, and it was so successful that they decided to expand their transformation automation processes to Hong Kong, China, India, Indonesia and Taiwan as well.
Whatever industry you choose to work in, it is now becoming important to stay on top of new and emerging technological advancements to become a vital asset to the team. If you’re analytical and love problem-solving, a career in digital transformation will be an amazing opportunity where you can apply your critical thinking skills and work with businesses to develop digitally.
Planning to ask for support for your online Masters? A strong business proposal is crucial when approaching your employer.
Staying up-to-date with the required skills in order to tackle the latest technological developments is crucial. The University of Hull offers an MSc in Digital Transformation that provides a deep understanding into everything you need to know and learn about leading digital change in businesses.
The module Disruptive Technologies in the Digital Economy, explores the latest technologies such as 3D printing, blockchain, quantum computing and AI, reviewing the impact they make within organisations and people. Another module - Information Management and Visualisation, covers software such as Tableau and Mathematica which are used to differentiate data and find meaningful information for business decisions. Learning these skills and software will be immensely beneficial to progress in digital transformation.
The University of Hull’s Master’s programme in Digital Transformation is ideal if you are looking to enter this field and make it your career path. If you need more information about the course: