2016: The First Digital Decade Begins – Defining the DNA of Digital Business Transformation

Slough, UK, 07 January 2016 – Logicalis UK, the international IT solutions and managed services provider, is marking 2016 as the beginning of a new era in technology when organisations move away from an IT defined world to the possibilities of a digitally defined decade. This evolution is characterised by the increasing consensus among UK business leaders that digital innovation and continual digital development is the top priority for future success.

“We’re seeing a decisive change in leadership priorities across the world as the objective of digital transformation becomes predominant among organisations, and the value of disruptive and innovative technology is pursued by non-technologists at all levels of society, government and business – not just their IT departments,” said Chris Gabriel, Chief Digital Officer for Logicalis Europe. “Real examples are everywhere and the potential is extraordinary. Millions of people with no concept of what IT departments do are finding that this is no longer an obstacle to empowerment. This tipping point has arrived because the capabilities and cost of technology – analytics, mobile, cloud apps – has never been better.”

Using evidence gained through its work with over 6,500 enterprise customers worldwide, Logicalis has found six common characteristics of digitally driven organisations:

1. They share a willingness to transform themselves through digital innovation and continual digital development, often embracing CxO level ownership such as a Chief Digital Officer.
2. They recognise the power, value and potential of exploiting and monetising existing – and creating new forms of – digital data.
3. They believe that governments, institutions and organisations need to transform where and how people work, learn and live in digital enabled places and virtual spaces.
4. They understand the importance of addressing the security threats associated with digital transformation.
5. They are committed to investing in digital ready infrastructures to accelerate their digital strategies and the digital experiences of their customers, citizens and employees.
6. They accept that they need a transformed IT function that can operate and serve their business at ‘the speed of digital’.

One of the principal features of the Digital Decade is the maturity of so-called Shadow IT, where line-of-business executives bypass the IT department to make IT investments autonomously. According to the third annual CIO survey, published by Logicalis in November last year, 90% of CIOs worldwide encounter this phenomenon at least sometimes. The study found wide-ranging transformation projects being planned to counteract these changes and enable more agile, service-orientated technology infrastructure.

Logicalis will be returning to the theme of the Digital Decade through events, research findings and other activities during the course of this year.