Since October 2022 Softline has been operating under the brand name Noventiq.

Digital transformation is foundational to success in a changing world because it enables organizations to

• keep people connected to the tools they use to get work done from almost anywhere,
• adapt to changing capacity needs, such as moving sales online or managing 10 times as many customer service calls,
• rapidly implement and scale new capabilities as customer needs and market opportunities evolve, and
• support productivity and engagement despite uncertainty.

Microsoft collected some common truths that might help guide organizations on their digital transformation path, here is few of them Softline experts choose to highlight.

Lead with purpose, mission and strategy

Revisiting purpose (why we’re here) and mission (what we want to accomplish) is never a waste of time. It’s especially critical before building a digital strategy (how we’re going to do it). Each decision should draw a bright line back to the fundamentals.

Keep people at the center

With people at the center, digital transformation builds trust and engagement. Digitally transforming your business only matters if it helps your people achieve more, using their talent, intellect, and imagination to the fullest. Employees are often the most important stakeholders. Their experience matters. When change aligns with their everyday needs and goals, they’ll adopt it without needing to be told. Invest in upskilling because when you train employees to use new tools, they get more out of them and apply them proactively in new situations.

Unify business and technology

If technology and business leaders operate in separate spheres today, simple things can bring them together. Lunch-and-learns, one-on-one conversations, and ideation sessions can build understanding and trust. People with skillsets that cross traditional silos can make an outsized contribution to digital transformation by translating business needs to technology decisions and vice versa.

Put your data estate in order

Data is everywhere. What you can do with it depends on how easy it is to access and explore. Cloud databases make it a lot easier to move data around or copy it to a secure central location. It is important to understand the current state first because most organizations don’t have a true high-level view of their data, which limits their ability to profit from it. Start by analyzing what you have, what it would take to make the data useful, and what you could consume from outside. Understanding what happened yesterday is important, but predicting what will happen tomorrow changes the game. AI and machine learning in the cloud put predictive power within reach for any organization.

The resilience afforded by digital transformation can help companies weather change, recover quickly, and move forward with confidence. The easiest way to make it real is to learn from those who have gone before. However, technology is only one part of the picture. Purpose, people, culture, and mindset matter just as much. With an iterative approach, an orientation to partnership, and a commitment to ethics and sustainability, you can achieve dramatic results with minimal risk. Softline is here to help you to find the best Microsoft solutions for your organization and implement them. Contact us and ask for counseling with one of our Microsoft experts.

If you would like to read all the lessons to digital transformation Microsoft suggests in its ebook, download it from here.