Companies today are increasingly building better digital habits and IT systems, however, a stronger digital culture is still needed to achieve value realisation, according to a recent study by Nutanix and IDC.
The report titled, ‘From Digital Culture to Value Realisation,’ revealed that 84 percent of IT leads in EMEA are under pressure to deliver on digital transformation (DX) strategies. It also showed that 90 percent of organisations in EMEA recognise that having a digital-first approach is now a must-have.
The survey shows that translating digital investments into new revenue streams is a top priority for EMEA organisations, as is data and innovation. A feat that respondents believe should no longer rest solely on the shoulders of the IT department.
Survey respondents also underscored the need for global C-suites to come to terms with what a digital culture, digital infrastructure and digital-first means to an organisation.
A big disconnect
The study revealed that there remains a big gap between businesses and their IT teams. It highlighted that while over 64 percent of EMEA organisations say they have a digital strategy in place, only three percent say they have an enterprise-wide digital strategy that has led to new revenue streams.
Additionally, out of the respondents questioned, at least 47 percent say that sign-offs for DX initiatives belong to a C-suite member different from a tech lead.
Creating a digital culture
When asked what measures DX leaders are considering to transform the organisation’s culture effectively, the following three were ranked the highest: promoting change in management awareness, redefining the missions and evaluations of existing businesses and new businesses, and promoting behavioural change in individuals by renewing the company’s purpose and action guidelines.
According to the survey, three key pillars stand out in how C-suites must cooperate to create the digital culture, using the cloud as the enabler for all three digital culture streams. These are value economics, data-driven innovation and the future workplace.
Managing the cloud sprawl
The study further revealed that managing the proliferation of cloud environments remain a crucial challenge for businesses starting their digital journey. As a result, finance departments are stepping up to put measures in place to curb expenditure and manage cloud usage.
In support of this, 77 percent have redesigned purchasing processes to enable pay-as-you-use and consumption models, 58 percent have rationalised business and developer expenditure in external cloud resources, and over 55 percent have actively reduced costs on legacy on-premises systems.
“With the pandemic accelerating the rate at which companies have invested in and deployed digital solutions, IDC predicts that in 2022 more than half of the global economy will be based on or influenced by digital solutions,” said Sammy Zoghlami, SVP EMEA, Nutanix.
“Digital-first not only requires a system rethink, but it also requires a corporate mindset where all C-suite executives see their digital technologies as the catalyst for business growth. The survey clearly states that organisations must consider potential challenges and costs when running multiple cloud instances, highlighting the ongoing need for better multi-cloud management and streamlined deployment to avoid cloud sprawl.”
