Background

DT is perhaps the most used if not the most overused word today in the business and technology ecosystem. There has been always a constant debate in the board rooms, business conclaves and open debates on whether Digital Transformation is more a business transformation or a technology shift and most importantly should the journey be a solo one or an ensemble along with a digital partner offering who has the required firepower to align with the business vision and scale it up with a relatively shorter turnaround

The Changing Landscape

Enterprises see Digital Transformation as a major change in not just a factor of doing something new, but see it as a

• Opportunity to transform internal workforce
• Change the landscape of business partners they work with not just in information technology but in Industrial, Consumer, Logistics, Supplier and so on and so on..
• New Business(es) enabler through modernization of existing businesses or a shift and offerings into new domain(s)
• Redefining the role of traditional CxO (beyond just the IT)

Demands from the Partners

The Changing landscape at the Enterprises for most obvious reasons redefines the conversations with their trusted partners and the new ones looking to engage. From a defined, preset requirement to be fulfilled, the conversations have evolved onto what knowledge, best practices and partnerships can be put to use for the transformation journey. A lot more openness in sharing the internals leads to a much more evolved conversations that makes the business partners an equal owner in the journey and transformation in plan. An organization embarking on a digital transformation initiative is more likely to engage with a partner who has equal stakes on the success of the application of the initiative than just the initiation of the project.

Changes the Partners have to drive

No change is easy be it internal or external but what changes is how the change is being brought about. Is it forced upon, is it collaborative or is it ahead of the times?. Each of it has a different path and method to it and not one is wrong. Success of this change is truly measured when the internal changes meet the expectations of the transformation, enterprises (customers) are wanting to bring in. There is a dual and a balanced role partner has to play in evaluating what it is being offered by its principal vendors and OEMs, and how the same is to be applied for the transformation its enterprise customers are wanting from the partnership.

The impact it has on the partner is not just in parts or a function, but its entire model. All the levers go through a change, be it People, Processes, Value Propositions, GTM strategy, Commercial Models, Management styles etc..

This as a subject is very close to my heart, being always on the vendor side of table where my job definitely is to sell but I wouldn’t have ever be joyed or satisfied if I wasn’t able to make a difference to the customers processes by enabling them, by empowering their employees, by collectively improving the overall business functions.. Now this leads me perfectly to share another story of mine – my last 5 years with Softline and what all have we built into our people, our systems and our mission to serve our esteemed customers” through this Digital Transformation journey

Authored by : Atul Ahuja, VP-Softline ASIA