I don’t have to tell you technology is driving profound change across every industry. Organizations continue to implement digital transformation plans with the hopes of generating new business models and completely disrupting traditional tools and processes. We’re on the brink of an era where businesses have no choice but to embrace the change and become digital-first, or risk falling behind.
There are several key trends driving digital transformation that will impact every business, regardless of size, industry or location. Through our own research at Vodafone, we found that emerging trends such as new business structures and interactive digital work environments will define what it means to be a modern enterprise in tomorrow’s economy. In order to implement these innovations, businesses need to take a critical first step: they must ensure they have the infrastructure necessary to support digital technology. But how do you get there?
Embracing Gigabit Speed
The “Gigabit Society,” one in which ubiquitous connectivity of one gigabit per second will be delivered with low latency performance by robust network technology, isn’t a myth. It’s a reality now. In order to fully recognize digital transformation promises, businesses must employ a high-performance network infrastructure to replace legacy copper connections that connect sustain gigabit speed. With gigabit speed, enterprises will have the capacity to support the new tools and services that will be critical in the future. With an evolved infrastructure, enterprises can be more agile, adaptive and secure, allowing them to embrace the key trends that will drive tomorrow’s digital economy.
Remodeled Infrastructure Means New Business Structures
New technology and changing societal and economic norms are creating entirely new business models, forcing business leaders to face challenges that require them to rethink the way they’ve historically run their companies. Agile, secure infrastructure forms the basis for the digital technologies that companies are using to adapt to this digital-first environment. For example, strong backend infrastructure allows business to leverage tools like the Internet of Things and AI to better gather and implement data-driven insights. These tools give businesses the power to re-evaluate existing practices and resources based on data, and even adjust the ways they work in real time. With better insights, business leaders can focus their efforts where they are most needed, allowing them to better meet enterprise objectives. Data also gives businesses better visibility into the types of talent they’ll need as business changes. None of this is possible without first having the right infrastructure in place.
Building a Digital Workplace
The concept of the digital workplace has also emerged as a key trend for the future of business – and one that must be supported with the proper infrastructure. With gigabit speed in place, businesses can create a truly digital workplace, one supported by flexible, connected workspaces integrated across the office and home. We have more communication tools at our disposal than ever before, and in the digital workplace these technologies will further streamline our communication and collaboration capabilities.
Supported by high-functioning fiber optic connectivity, technologies like AI and machine learning can be deployed across global networks to create interactive digital workplaces. The digital workplace will encourage collaboration by understanding context and adapting to human behavior. Using these new solutions, people can be even more connected and more flexible, and can streamline their efforts to respond to business needs more efficiently.
Looking ahead, our new digital frontier has immense potential for businesses to explore. Taking the first step to modernizing your enterprise infrastructure with gigabit speed will open the door for these new and exciting opportunities.
