FINAL WORD
Enabling a ‘smart’ Digital
Transformation
Organisations across the region have been required to utilise digital tools to help
them adapt to the new environment created by COVID-19. Anas Jwaied, Managing
Director – Middle East and Africa, Micro Focus, tells us why organisations should
look to adopt a ‘smart’ Digital Transformation strategy for business benefits.
HHow has the COVID-19
pandemic impacted Digital
Transformation strategies?
While Digital Transformation was an existing
objective for many CIOs in the region, there
is no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic
has accelerated these strategies.
Many organisations have had little choice
but to look to digital tools to help them
survive during these exceptionally tough
– and unprecedented – times. And these
digital tools have enabled companies to keep
a laser tight focus on their business goals.
Large enterprises immediately sought to
ensure their infrastructure was capable
of handling a large upsurge in digital
demand while enabling employees to work
securely and productively from anywhere.
And smaller businesses have faced similar
challenges; with many leveraging existing
or new digital tools to continue to offer
their services.
So, while Digital Transformation was
certainly on the way before COVID-19, its
impactful arrival means there is now no
other option but to embrace this strategy.
How can organisations evolve their
IT practices without jeopardising
critical business solutions?
One of the most critical considerations for
CIOs in the region is around how they can
evolve their organisation’s IT practices
without placing any strain or pressure on
existing critical business systems that have
been established for several years.
It’s certainly a challenge and a balancing
act. The key is to set out a strategy for a
‘smart’ Digital Transformation – one which
bridges existing and emerging technologies
so that you can transform and run
uninterrupted at the same time.
Why is a ‘smart’ Digital
Transformation so important?
The idea of this ‘smart’ Digital
Transformation is hugely important for
several reasons. And the clue is in the name
– it really is about making smart decisions to
propel the company forward while keeping
the important business functions ticking
over. There are a number of reasons why a
smart DX should be central to CIO strategies.
From a Micro Focus perspective, there are
four key pillars that make up this smart
Digital Transformation.
• Enterprise DevOps: Delivering at highspeed
with low risk. This is central to
enabling innovation quickly.
• Hybrid IT management: Simplify your
IT transformation.
• Security, risk and governance: Secure
what matters most.
• Predictive analytics: Analyse in time
to act.
By making this strategic decision, you
can avoid taking a risky ‘rip and replace’
approach and avoid interruption during
your transformation.
It’s a holistic approach which reduces risk
and has multiple business benefits – driving
improved customer engagement and
experience, enabling growth and scale,
profitability, customer satisfaction and
speed-to-market.
Why is it crucial that
security is built into Digital
Transformation strategies?
Security cannot be an ‘add-on’ to Digital
Transformation initiatives. It’s a core
element that needs to be built in from the
very start – it’s actually a cornerstone of
Digital Transformation.
Cybercriminals are constantly evolving their
attack methods which means organisations
need to have robust security solutions
in place as they navigate their Digital
Transformation journeys.
We understand the importance of enabling
secure operations which is why security is
one of the key elements of our smart Digital
Transformation platform. With a broad set
of integrated security, risk and governance
solutions combined with deep domain
expertise and analytics, Micro Focus can help
organisations take a holistic approach to
protecting data, identities and applications
and evolve for the future.
Can you outline some use cases/
examples of how you are helping
customers digitally transform?
At Micro Focus we work with customers
across all verticals to achieve their Digital
Transformation goals. Here are some key
solutions that help you deliver your Digital
Transformation, in line with the business
requirements and new technologies:
82 INTELLIGENTCIO
www.intelligentcio.com