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Tara Habeck
In reading your response to the article, “What So Many Strategists Get Wrong About Digital Disruption,” I immediately felt more at ease. You highlighted misconceptions around digital disruption that result in fear: fear that all businesses will be disrupted, fear of monopolies, fear that interpersonal relationships in the work world will diminish in importance, fear that rapidly changing businesses will be the only ones who survive.

I appreciate you pointing out misconceptions about digital disruption that create fear. I too wonder, how will I be affected by the digital shift in our economy? Having accurate information helps me to embrace digital changes in the working world.

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While I was reading about customer relationship management in our text book, I kept thinking how can health care gain a completive edge with customers? Government and insurance
companies control the price a Dr. or hospital gets paid, the patient doesn’t shop around for the better price. Reading the article “Pushing Healthcare’s Boundaries” by Rich Birhanzel, I got an insight into how the customer, you and I, may be able change the industry.

The article talked about with the Affordable Care Act, more people are insured then there used to be. The average age of the newly insured is 32. These are tech savvy consumers that want the convenience of technology to make health care easier. They want symptom checkers, schedule on-line appointments, they want virtual visits. Health care providers are responding to the needs of these new consumers and making electronic medical records available to them along with messaging the Dr. via a patient portal.

In order for healthcare providers to gain the competitive edge they are going to have to do more to improve the patient experience.  The research shows that offering superior patient experience healthcare systems can achieve 50 percent higher margins. Not only are they going to have to give them what they want now but need to think ahead to come up new technology that will keep them ahead of the competition, just like any other business.

https://www.accenture.com/us-en/insight-outlook-pushing-health-cares-boundaries#block-outlook-accentures-journal-of-high-performance-business

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"What Does It Really Mean To Be a Digital Business?"

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"What Does It Really Mean To Be a Digital Business?"

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Back in the old days (meaning 10-15 years ago) there were businesses and there were "tech companies", or which usually were businesses that traded or sold software or electronics. The blog known as Information Age challenges that structure by suggesting "all companies are tech companies". Every single company in business deals in tech throughout every aspect of their daily process. From using databases on Microsoft Access to doing board meetings via Google Hangouts, no company can avoid tech if they want to succeed.
This article shows me clear examples of how EVERY business needs tech and someone who knows how to manage it, fix it when it goes down, and utilize it to the full potential and max profitability.

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According to Karel Dorner, for some people, being digital means engaging with customers. There isn’t a wrong way of being digital. This article ties into what we are currently learning in the course. It gives a better understanding of what a digital business is. This would be a great article for a beginner, who is interested in having their own DB. It gives a few different perspectives on the topic. Proactive decision making, Contextual interactivity, Real-time automation, Journey-focused innovation are four examples on how to make your business digital. For other ways companies can develop meaningful digital strategies you can see “Raising your Digital Quotient”.

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Companies today are rushing headlong to become more digital. But what does digital really mean?

For some executives, it's about technology. For others, digital is a new way of engaging with customers. And for others still, it represents an entirely new way of doing business. None of these definitions is necessarily incorrect. But such diverse perspectives often trip up leadership teams because they reflect a lack of alignment and common vision about where the business needs to go. This often results in piecemeal initiatives or misguided efforts that lead to missed opportunities, sluggish performance, or false starts.

Even as CEOs push forward with their digital agendas, it's worth pausing to clarify vocabulary and sharpen language. Business leaders must have a clear and common understanding of exactly what digital means to them and, as a result, what it means to their business (for a deeper look at how companies can develop meaningful digital strategies and drive business performance, see " Raising your Digital Quotient ").

It's tempting to look for simple definitions, but to be meaningful and sustainable, we believe that digital should be seen less as a thing and more a way of doing things. To help make this definition more concrete, we've broken it down into three attributes: creating value at the new frontiers of the business world, creating value in the processes that execute a vision of customer experiences, and building foundational capabilities that support the entire structure.

Creating value at new frontiers

Being digital requires being open to reexamining your entire way of doing business and understanding where the new frontiers of value are. For some companies, capturing new frontiers may be about developing entirely new businesses in adjacent categories; for others, it may be about identifying and going after new value pools in existing sectors.

Unlocking value from emerging growth sectors requires a commitment to understanding the implications of developments in the marketplace and evaluating how they may present opportunities or threats. The Internet of Things, for example, is starting to open opportunities for disrupters to use unprecedented levels of data precision to identify flaws in existing value chains. In the automotive industry, cars connected to the outside world have expanded the frontiers for self-navigation and in-car entertainment. In the logistics industry, the use of sensors, big data, and analytics has enabled companies to improve the efficiency of their supply-chain operations.

At the same time, being digital means being closely attuned to how customer decision journeys are evolving in the broadest sense. That means understanding how customer behaviors and expectations are developing inside and outside your business, as well as outside your sector, which is crucial to getting ahead of trends that can deliver or destroy value.

Creating value in core businesses

Digital's next element is rethinking how to use new capabilities to improve how customers are served. This is grounded in an obsession with understanding each step of a customer's purchasing journey-regardless of channel-and thinking about how digital capabilities can design and deliver the best possible experience, across all parts of the business. For example, the supply chain is critical to developing the flexibility, efficiency, and speed to deliver the right product efficiently in a way the customer wants. By the same token, data and metrics can focus on delivering insights about customers that in turn drive marketing and sales decisions.

Critically, digital isn't about just working to deliver a one-off customer journey. It's about implementing a cyclical dynamic where processes and capabilities are constantly evolving based on inputs from the customer, fostering ongoing product or service loyalty. Making this happen requires an interconnected set of four core capabilities:

Proactive decision making. Relevance is the currency of the digital age. This requires making decisions, based on intelligence, that deliver content and experiences that are personalized and relevant to the customer. Remembering customer preferences is a basic example of this capability, but it also extends to personalizing and optimizing the next step in the customer's journey. Data providers such as ClickFox, for example, blend data from multiple channels into one view of what customers are doing and what happens as a result. In the back office, analytics and intelligence provide near-real-time insights into customer needs and behaviors that then determine the types of messages and offers to deliver to the customer.

Contextual interactivity. This means analyzing how a consumer is interacting with a brand and modifying those interactions to improve the customer experience. For example, the content and experience may adapt as a customer shifts from a mobile phone to a laptop or from evaluating a brand to making a purchasing decision. The rising number of customer interactions generates a stream of intelligence that allows brands to make better decisions about what their customers want. And the rapid rise of wearable technology and the Internet of Things represents the latest wave of touchpoints that will enable companies to blend digital and physical experiences even more.

Real-time automation. To support this cyclical give-and-take dynamic with customers and help them complete a task now requires extensive automation. Automation of customer interactions can boost the number of self-service options that help resolve problems quickly, personalize communications to be more relevant, and deliver consistent customer journeys no matter the channel, time, or device. Automating the supply chain and core business processes can drive down costs, but it's also crucial to providing companies with more flexibility to respond to and anticipate customer demand.

Journey-focused innovation. Serving customers well gives companies permission to be innovative in how they interact with and sell to them. That may include, for example, expanding existing customer journeys into new businesses and services that extend the relationship with the customer, ideally to the benefit of both parties. These innovations in turn fuel more interactions, create more information, and increase the value of the customer-brand relationship.

Building foundational digital capabilities

The final element of our definition of digital is about the technological and organizational processes that allow an enterprise to be agile and fast. This foundation is made up of two elements:

Mind-sets. Being digital is about using data to make better and faster decisions, devolving decision making to smaller teams, and developing much more iterative and rapid ways of doing things. Thinking in this way shouldn't be limited to just a handful of functions. It should incorporate a broad swath of how companies operate, including creatively partnering with external companies to extend necessary capabilities. A digital mind-set institutionalizes cross-functional collaboration, flattens hierarchies, and builds environments to encourage the generation of new ideas. Incentives and metrics are developed to support such decision-making agility.

Would you like to learn more about our Digital Practice?

System and data architecture. Digital in the context of IT is focused on creating a two-part environment that decouples legacy systems-which support critical functions and run at a slower pace-from those that support fast-moving, often customer-facing interactions. A key feature of digitized IT is the commitment to building networks that connect devices, objects, and people. This approach is embodied in a continuous-delivery model where cross-functional IT teams automate systems and optimize processes to be able to release and iterate on software quickly.

Digital is about unlocking growth now. How companies might interpret or act on that definition will vary, but having a clear understanding of what digital means allows business leaders to develop a shared vision of how it can be used to capture value.

About the author(s)

Karel Dörner is a principal in McKinsey's Munich office, and David Edelman is a principal in the Boston office.

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Companies today are rushing headlong to become more digital. But what does digital really mean? For some executives, it's about technology. For others, digital is a new way of engaging with customers. And for others still, it represents an entirely new way of doing business. None of these definitions is necessarily incorrect.

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Digital Disruption: What Is It and How Does It Impact Business

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Digital Disruption: What Is It and How Does It Impact Business

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John Shuler
The article, Digital Disruption: What Is It and How Does It Impact Businesses? highlights the fact that digital disruption is not inherently a negative force. Many people view disruption of any kind as being negative, especially when concerned with ones business. The article speaks to the fact that while digital disruption can force you to change how you do business, this can be a source for strength. Embracing change, whether consumers' changing needs, or new technologies that enable doing business in a new way can open doors leading to increased sales, customer satisfaction, or stronger margins.

I believe this article speaks to what we've learned so far in many ways.  While it may be human nature to avoid change, it is important to know when it is necessary or could be beneficial.  To keep up with the ways businesses and consumers are changing can help to maintain, or even form new strategic advantages.  It is important to keep up on what consumers expect from those operating in your industry.  When new technologies emerge and are quickly adopted by your competitors, it most often fills a need that consumers feel they have.  Seeing this, and being the last one to act can cost you greatly.

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Digital Disruption: What Is It and How Does It Impact Businesses?

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Don't be fooled by the term 'disruption'. Many people misinterpret this as meaning the process of digital disruption is a negative one; that it is an attack on their business. In reality, it is only a negative force for those who chose to ignore it or try to fight it.

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“Dealing with digital disruption” (May 3rd) by Lionel Tan.

Tan started his article by addressing the growth of disruptive businesses. He mentioned Grab/ Uber or AirBnB as the most successful disruption of existing businesses in transportation and accommodation experiences. Through those examples, he recommended that small and medium businesses should take the opportunities that the disruption offers when they still can. However, those businesses should be mindful about some legal issues, and consider about some suggestions that Tan included in his article how to deal with those legal issues before embarking on a disruptive business model. Those legal issues include: dealing with regulations, data protection, intellectual property, and social media.

The article is related to our lecture since we are studying about the technology system, and chapter one covered that being an informed-user of information systems is important in today’s world. Through this article, I knew how some businesses may use my personal information and if they are violating the information protecting rules or not.

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Disruption in the Status Quo: Jorge Lorenzo

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Disruption in the Status Quo: Jorge Lorenzo

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On January 17th 2016, World Economic Forum published an article titled Digital Disruption Has Only Just Begun. It was written by a CEO of a professional services company that offers services that range from strategic business planning, technical solutions, and consulting. In the article, Pierre Nanterme, CEO of Accenture, explains that we are in the beginning of the “Fourth Industrial Revolution”. Mass adoption of digital technologies and innovations have disrupted the status quo of how businesses operate and interact with their consumers.

“Digital companies can reach new customers immediately and at virtual zero marginal cost”, Pierre says.  The ability of organizations to reach out to their consumers so quickly and easily have really put massive pressure on companies to embrace a more innovative culture. He continues to say, “Business leaders tell me that they are intent on disrupting before they are disrupted.” He means of course that business leaders want to change the normalcy of their industry before someone else does it for them. I think that article strongly relates to the subjects that were mainly discussed in section 2.2.
The article delves into the topic of organizational response to business pressures; specifically, with the technology involved. However, it also touches on the issues that come from companies wanting to be the lead innovators in their industry. The main point that Pierre is trying to make in the article, is that “success is no longer about changing strategies more often, but having the agility to execute multiple strategies concurrently.” He is referring to companies needing to accept new innovations and technologies - and for CEOs to take responsibility in transforming their businesses for the new industrial age.

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The Fourth Industrial Revolution demands that CEOs take responsibility for the massive transformation of their businesses and for the extraordinary impact that this transformation will have on wider society

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Digital business disrupting restaurants - Tara Habeck

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Digital business disrupting restaurants - Tara Habeck

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Have you ever financed your college degree with a restaurant job? I spent my undergrad years working in the dining hall, waiting tables, and cooking on Main Street, all for minimum wage plus tips. If you want great pay working in a restaurant, turns out Silicon Valley is the place to be. Nicole Perlroth’s article in the New York Times “How Tech Companies Disrupted Silicon Valley’s Restaurant Scene” looks at how Silicon Valley disrupted the local restaurant industry. Tech companies are hiring restaurant workers from right under their owner’s noses by offering substantially better pay and benefits. Restaurants are so short staff they are recruiting their children to cover shifts.

This article illustrates how disruptive the increased financial power of digital business can be. I am happy more historically poorly paid restaurant staff will be able to earn a living wage, and am curious to see how restaurants adapt. Disruption causes everyone to do business smarter, even businesses whose product or service is not digital.

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/19/technology/how-tech-companies-disrupted-silicon-valleys-restaurant-scene.html?_r=0

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What does it really mean to be a "Digital business" 

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What does it really mean to be a "Digital business" 

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Cierra Hodge
John Stevenson What does it really mean to be a "Digital Business" explains the technology fits into all parts of business now instead of a few sectors like in the past. He goes on to explain how this is by describing the two separate ways one being the improvement of service the other the use of organization or organizing information to make better strategic decisions. He says that technology is a tool that can be used to help in many ways for all kinds of companies. One of his examples is using a old infrastructure and adding patches and constantly keeping IT busy with that or having a better model that just needs monitoring so IT can work on better things like how to drum up business.He also speaks on outsourcing infrastructure so the IT department can focus on more pressing needs in the company. He ends it talking about the help of the cloud model in business and how every week there is new apps being made.

This article gives me another way to view the tech world as a whole and to see it as a big business would approach it. It helps me also see another application for this class into a different sector or a different way to look at where I could be working in the future.  It also shows that I can intertwine this class and others to build up myself and my future.

http://www.information-age.com/how-keep-erp-complexity-out-spotlight-123458458/

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Jennifer Robson
Vala Afshar's article Patriots and Red Sox Talk Digital Business comes out of interviews with two innovative IT leaders in the MLB and NFL. Fred Kirsch, Publisher and VP of content for the New England Patriots, speaks about his teams approach deeply rooted in customer relationship management. Kirsch and his team are using big data, AI, and innovative tech like VR and AR to improve fan experiences at home and in the stadium. Jason Lumsden, Director of IT for the Boston Red Sox, explains how his team is using a customized approach to enhance the experience of fans across generations. It's interesting to read about IT in business as it relates to sports because the connection is not one that first comes to mind. Sport teams are as much a business as any and have to live up to the customer experience fans come to expect from any company they are invested in. Both of the gentlemen mentioned above talked about the importance of constantly innovating and not being afraid to try new technology.

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Combined, the New England Patriots and the Boston Red Sox have won 8 championships in the twenty-first century - 5 Super Bowls in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2015, 2017 and 3 World Series in 2004, 2007 and 2013. These two Boston dynasties have more than a winning tradition in common. Both teams have visionary technology leaders on their staff who are investing in digital business transformation initiatives to further improve the fan experience.

To learn more about the business of sports technology and future use of emerging tech such as artificial intelligence (AI), internet of things (IoT), virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) and best use of customer relationship management (CRM) and advanced analytics, Ray Wang and I invited three of the top sports technologist to our weekly show DisrupTV.

Fred Kirsch is Publisher & Vice President of Content at Kraft Sports Productions/New England Patriots. In my opinion, Kirsch may be the most innovative digital technologist in all of sports, not just the NFL. Kirsch has been with the New England Patriots since January of 1995. He has overseen every aspect of the digital evolution for the Patriots including the creation and delivery of all content in all forms. Under Fred's leadership, the Patriots introduced the concept of a team website in 1995; the Patriots were the first NFL team (possibly all of sports) to have a website 22 years ago. In 2009, the Patriots were one of the first teams to offer apps to their fans and they are the first team to offer high-definition streaming video to fans. Kirsch and Jonathan Kraft (President of Kraft Group and Patriots owner) are recognized as NFL technology visionaries and trailblazers when it comes to using advanced technology solutions. Kirsch is an excellent follow on Twitter at @Fred_Kirsch.

We started our conversation with Kirsch about the greatest Super Bowl comeback ever, referencing the Patriots comeback from being down 28-3 with 17 minutes left in the game, to their ultimate overtime win of 34-28. Both Kirsch and I have watched the second half of the Super Bowl numerous times (about 20 times for me).

What are the Patriots doing to improve the fan experience? The fans at Gillette stadium can use a mobile app to deliver HD video streams that are unique to stadium attendees, including the ability to use replays after key plays. Kirsch is also experimenting with augmented reality. Today, all the players jerseys, helmets and footballs have chips and sensors, potentially providing volumes of data for NFL teams to analyze.

How is artificial intelligence (AI) making its way into sports? Kirsch believes that AI and big data has incredible potential to improve the fan experience. Kirsch is also researching voice commands and conversational commerce as the big area of growth. AI is now being used for customer service with location services support and business related information. How we use Apple's Siri and Amazon's Alexa at home will be the way we can be services using mobile game day apps at Gillette.

When can we expect compete digital ticketing system? The Patriots already deliver a paperless ticketing option, but given the age demographic of season ticket holders, the completely digital ticketing system is not in the immediate future.

Using advanced analytics and CRM data to improve customer retention - Kirsch and team use predictive analytics to both improve the fan experience and anticipate their needs. Every fan and all their touch-points are managed by the Patriots CRM. The patriots use algorithms to deliver proactive services in order to grow their season ticket holder install base. The Kraft Group has launched the Kraft Analytics Group to deliver advanced data science capabilities to teams across all of sports. Kirsch believe that AI and CRM combined will revolutionize how sports teams design for optimal customer experience.
"I love technology, but it is always about people. Hire good people, let them do their work, and don't be afraid to fail with technology. It changes so fast, you have to be willing to experiment. Trust your people to do their job." - Fred Kirsch
In 2017, the NFL is partnering with INTEL to deliver new 360 degree points of view during this upcoming NFL season, according to Kirsch. The viewing experience will significantly improved given the improved processing power of data and increased number of cameras covering the action on the field. The NFL is also capturing volumes of sensor data and the competition committee is in the process of defining usage governance and speed of adoption for emerging technologies. Kirsch is a technology pioneer and an incredible thought leader in the world of sports.

After speaking to Kirsch, Ray and I shifted our conversation to the Red Sox and their technology leader.

Jason Lumsden is the Director of IT at Boston Red Sox. Lumsden's experience in technology and business development has afforded him top manager and consultant roles with large organizations across the world. As the Director of IT for the Boston Red Sox, Lumsden guides the team's digital strategy and leads an internal Technology Steering Committee. He also oversees all business and baseball projects. Prior to joining the Red Sox, Lumsden held various consultant and business development roles. He was with Accenture in North America and globally, working closely with Fortune 500 companies to meet project performance standards and deadlines. You can follow Lumsden on Twitter: @Lummey10.

Lumsden reminded us that unlike the Patriots 10 home games regular season schedule, his team has to prepare for 81 home games at Fenway Park - the oldest baseball arena (1911) in all of the MLB. Lumsden and team use technology solutions to compliment the multi-generational the fan experience.

Who do you partner with to develop your technology investment thesis? Lumsden's team works with local area colleges and universities to attract talent and develop a customer experience game plan. The Red Sox also work the startup community and established vendors to identify technologies aimed at improving the fan experience.

Lumsden believes that technology must compliment the customer experience, and this may not be using a mobile app. There are also regional differences that comes into play. Families are hugely important for the Red Sox. The goal is to make sure every family member has a positive memorable experience.

How do deliver a memorable experience to 40,000 fans for 81 games per year? Lumsden uses analytics to determine fan personas based on the calendar, zip codes, time of day games and other factors to predict the type of services needed to delight fans. The Red Sox also make sure that children and the younger demographics are have the best experience at the ballpark. The Red Sox use mobile apps and virtual reality to engage with kids who attend games.

How do you manage a big brand with a small IT budget? The Red Sox partner with the community, including higher education and startups to deliver the best experience. The sense of pride and ownership is very strong within the IT department. Lumsden and his staff work hard, and welcome feedback, in order to create an incredible game day experience. Lumsden also looks at other industries including retail and hospitality to identify customer experience best practices. In addition to baseball games, Fenway also hosts concerts and other off season events including ski jumping!

Advice to IT business leaders? Lumsden's hockey background gives him the courage to fight the technology and IT battle. "Be authentic with yourself, and if you believe in something, you just have to persistent. And if you fail, keep trying. Be data driven and if your efforts are not impactful and driving business results, then evaluate, stop and pivot," said Lumsden. The IT team is managing LIVE events and if something goes wrong, they hear about it - ~40,000 mobile and social fans at 81 home games. The speed of innovation is unprecedented, and for this reason Lumsden's team is building a platform that can scale and adapt to newer technologies.

Here's the amazing fact: both the Patriots and Red Sox have a season ticket waiting list that is many years long, and yet both organizations are hungry to leverage technology to delight fans.

After speaking to the Patriots and Red Sox technology and digital senior executives, Ray and I spoke with one of the top sports analysts and thought leaders in the world, Russell Scibetti.

Russell Scibetti is Vice President, Product Strategy at KORE Software and the Founding Editor of TheBusinessOfSports.com. As the Vice President, Product Strategy at KORE Software, Scibetti is responsible for the strategic vision, planning and development of the all software products. Prior to joining KORE, he was the Director of Relationship and Database Marketing for the New York Jets. Scibetti is also the founder and primary author for TheBusinessOfSports.com, an industry blog that discusses practices in sports business and hosts industry networking events around the world. You can follow Scibetti on Twitter at: @rscibetti.

Big brands, small budgets - how do sports IT leaders manage the expectations? According to Scibetti, the sports industry has shifted dramatically in the past years based on the economics of sports and changing behavior of customers and fans. Mobile, apps, VR and alternative consumption models and sports options is increasing competition and disruption.

IT budget restrictions encourages sports teams to be more collaborative and inclusive, working with universities, startups and established large technology providers to co-create technology driven services to improve the fan experience.

Scibetti shared with us how the NBA, MLB and NFL allocate resources at the league level. He also shared trends and opportunities regarding how college athletic departments allocate IT resources to balance technology investments regarding sports.

How do sports teams using messaging apps and CRM to improve the customer experience? Sports and social media are a perfect fit, per Scibetti. Twitter is an example of successful use of social networking and sports. The millennial segment is social and very engaged during games. Snapchat filters used in the NHL is an example of successful use case. More teams are also avoiding recycling content across all of the social networks, providing unique content for each channel - Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, etc. The biggest challenge for CRM in sports is the disparate use of systems that need to be tied together for optimal use. Often, the systems are owned by several different entities. Integration of these systems is key to CRM success.

How do organizations move from data capture to actionable insights? Scibetti and his organization has incredible insights based on ticket related data. The CRM system can be an incredible data generator, allowing teams to craft proactive services using CRM sourced data. Scibetti provide serveral uses cases of analyzing data to deliver one-to-one, proactive customer service and improved customer experience - please watch the video for Scibetti's incredible insights.

What can we expect in the next 3-5 years as it pertain to customer experience? Scibetti, believes that the future of customer experience at sporting events will be defined by personalized, and real-time intelligent engagements. Your favorite teams will know your preferences and proactively deliver products and services based on your unique preferences. Virtual Reality (VR) will also bring the court-side experience to your home - less than 1% of NBA fans will ever experience a game in a stadium. The final hurdle with VR will be to remove the isolation experience, according to Scibetti, instead making the VR experience a social experience.

Kirsch, Lumsden and Scibetti are three incredible sports and technology thought leaders who remind us that winning in sports is all about the customer experience - truly the next battleground for team differentiation in the attention economy.

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Patriots And Red Sox Talk Digital Business Transformation

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Combined, the New England Patriots and the Boston Red Sox have won 8 championships in the twenty-first century - 5 Super Bowls in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2015, 2017 and 3 World Series in 2004, 2007 and 2013. These two Boston dynasties have more than a winning tradition in common.

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The Industries That Are Being Disrupted Most by Digital

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The Industries That Are Being Disrupted Most by Digital

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This article explains which businesses are affected the most by digital disruption and why. The author states that most organizations are having trouble keeping up with today's technological innovations because of how rapidly things are growing. As soon as they start to catch up, they are introduced to a whole new system and a whole new way of doing things which results in extra time and money spent training employees on new business processes. This closely relates to what we read about in chapter 2 which had a lot to do with creating a competitive strategy with technology. Since most of these organizations in the article are having such a hard time keeping up, any organization who could would have a great competitive strategy in the market. I think that this article was very important, and understand that it is crucial for businesses to keep up with the latest technology to succeed.

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We're at a critical time for the digital economy. Digital is no longer the shiny front end of the organization - it's integrated into every aspect of today's companies. As digital technologies continue to transform the economy, many leaders are struggling to set a digital strategy, shift organizational structures, and remove the barriers that are keeping them from maximizing the potential impact of new digital technologies.

Every year, Russell Reynolds Associates surveys more than 2,000 C-level executives on the impact, structure, barriers, and enablers of digital technologies across 15 industries. The barometer below shows the percentage of executives surveyed who responded that their business would be moderately or massively disrupted by digital in the next 12 months, broken down by industry.

Unsurprisingly, the most disrupted organizations were B2C, with media being the most disrupted and telecoms and consumer financial services close behind.

90% of these organizations profess to having a digital strategy in place. But the sheer pace of change has created a skills gap, which is stopping many of these organizations from moving more quickly. Just over half of the respondents answered "yes" to the question "Do you have the right people to define your digital strategy?" It might be hard for people in HR to hear, but only 20% of those who responded said that their HR function was enabling them to transform, ranking them even lower than finance - an area not exactly known for its agility.

The most disrupted industries typically suffer from a perfect storm of two forces. First, low barriers to entry into these sectors lead to more agile competition. Secondly, they have large legacy business models which often generate the majority of their revenue. These organizations, therefore, have embedded cultural and organizational challenges when it comes to changing at the pace required.

At the other end of the spectrum, the industries that are least disrupted often have perceived higher barriers to entry, and a smaller part of their business that can be digitized. They are less affected, but not immune. Advances like 3D printing and EdX, the joint venture between MIT and Harvard, mean that even industrial production and education are seeing disruption, and are also having their own incumbents lead the disruption.

So what can business leaders be doing to meet the coming changes head-on? There are three levers organizations can pull to keep pace: catalytic roles; culture; and commitment.

1. Catalytic roles. New employees can act as catalysts, speeding up transformation. They are often brought in to disrupt traditional thinking and business models. Bringing in a Chief Digital Officer (CDO) is often the first step for many organizations. But there are two inherent challenges with bringing in a catalyst. First, the role must be positioned correctly, at the appropriate level in the organization, with sufficient scope, influence and sponsorship to make change happen.

The second challenge is finding the right person. It was with this in mind that Russell Reynolds profiled executives tasked with digitally transforming long-established firms, who are often chosen to overcome organizational inertia and drive enterprise-wide digital transformation and innovation. The results are a unique combination of psychometric attributes that broadly fall into five categories. The first two are unsurprising: these leaders are significantly more innovative and disruptive, being 56% more inclined to cut through bureaucracy and 29% higher in their willingness to challenge traditional approaches. These attributes alone are not what make these leaders able to excel in their roles. These executives also score highly in their social adeptness, bold leadership, and determination. Stand-out attributes include being 29% more likely to take initiative and test limits, and 21% more able to adapt to different audiences. It is this combination that makes them able to drive transformation.

In the most progressive organizations, the CDO role is being absorbed, as standalone digital teams are integrated into the core business, leaving hybrid general managers in charge. CDOs beget the need for Chief Data Officers and Chief Analytics Officers. Moreover, new roles, such as the Chief Growth Officer and Chief Customer Officer are emerging. Tasked explicitly with driving growth, these roles combine strategy, corporate development, investment, and operations, as companies seek to find meaningful new revenues streams.

2. Culture. You can't talk about digital without also mentioning its lifeblood - data. The link between the impact of data-driven organizations and culture may not be immediately apparent, but through interviews with senior leaders, we have seen that data quickly shifts the power structure in an organization. Decisions that had previously been deferred to those with years of experience and "a feel for what the customer wants" are now being challenged with data. And whoever has the data has the power to make strategic decisions. Organizations that foster a culture of making data-based decisions will be in a stronger position to weather the changes ahead.

3. Commitment. Digital should be built into the core strategy, systems, and processes of an organization. We see this in the recruitment of digital directors at the board level, which has risen steadily over recent years. Now, 23% of the largest 300 companies in the world have at least one Digital Director. Again, you can't become a more digital company without the right people leading the charge.

For the leaders who are anticipating massive digital disruption in their industries, these three levers are the key to realizing the potential that lies ahead. Hire the right people to bring about change. Create a culture that makes data-based decisions. And fully commit to becoming a more digitally adept organization, which starts at the board level. The organizations that don't do these three things will no doubt be left behind.

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The Industries That Are Being Disrupted the Most by Digital

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We're at a critical time for the digital economy. Digital is no longer the shiny front end of the organization - it's integrated into every aspect of today's companies. As digital technologies continue to transform the economy, many leaders are struggling to set a digital strategy, shift organizational structures, and remove the barriers that are keeping them from maximizing the potential impact of new digital technologies.

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Many businesses are fueled by technology and because of this their business is in danger because they are not prepared for digital disruption. Harvard Business Review Analytic Services interviewed many different businesses and majority of the industries believed that digital disruption could come to their industry. Fewer than half said that their organization had a digital strategy in place. A reason that some of these organizations do not have a strategy in place because of the pace that things are changing in the industry. However, 16 percent of business admitted that they do in fact have a formal digital business strategy since their business relies on digital technology for most of their services. The article then continues on to talk about how CIOs have a major role when it comes to any digital transformation. Many softwares that we use everyday are transforming. With the way that software is changing everyday it is important for a business to stay on top of the software improvement as well as the customers demands.

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Many businesses are fueled by technology and because of this their business is in danger because they are not prepared for digital disruption. Harvard Business Review Analytic Services interviewed many different businesses and majority of the industries believed that digital disruption could come to their industry. Fewer than half said that their organization had a digital strategy in place. A reason that some of these organizations do not have a strategy in place because of the pace that things are changing in the industry. However, 16 percent of business admitted that they do in fact have a formal digital business strategy since their business relies on digital technology for most of their services. The article then continues on to talk about how CIOs have a major role when it comes to any digital transformation. Many softwares that we use everyday are transforming. With the way that software is changing everyday it is important for a business to stay on top of the software improvement as well as the customers demands.

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Most business leaders agree that digital transformation - a wave of business innovation fueled by technology - is disrupting their business or soon will be, but fewer than half have enacted a digital strategy, according to a new report by Harvard Business Review Analytic Services.

The report, sponsored by Microsoft, found that 80 percent of the 783 survey respondents (from a range of industries, job functions, global regions and organization sizes) believed that digital disruption is coming to their industry. And most of that set (84 percent) felt their industry had either already passed the digital disruption inflection point or will pass it by 2020. Nearly half of the survey respondents believed their organization's traditional business model will be obsolete by 2020.

Yet fewer than half said their organization has a digital strategy in place.

Digital disruption is real

"It's time for businesses to take digital disruption seriously," says Abbie Lundberg, Harvard Business Review contributing editor and author of the report. "Many firms struggle with what it means to be a digital business and how to get there. But given what we heard from global leaders, becoming a digital business is the top priority for every leader who wants to survive beyond 2020."

Microsoft

Abbie Lundberg, contributing editor for Harvard Business Review Analytic Services, and Judson Althoff, executive vice president of Microsoft's Worldwide Commercial Business, talk onstage. (Click for larger image.)

Lundberg says some of the organizations that have yet to enact a digital strategy are delaying by design. Given how rapidly things are changing in their industries, they say they value flexibility over formal planning. Others have taken a decentralized approach to innovation, pushing it to the edges of the organization in the hopes of gaining more local relevance.

But, she says, organizations in the "digital leaders" bucket - the 16 percent of respondents that rely on digital technologies for most of their products and operations - are the most likely to have centralized their digital efforts and to have developed and communicated a formal digital business strategy. They were also the most likely to have their CEO leading the charge (43 percent) on digital transformation. CEOs of hybrid organizations (some products/operations that rely on digital technologies) and non-digital organizations (few if any products/operations depend on digital technologies) were also most likely to lead digital transformation efforts, at 29 percent and 25 percent, respectively.

"It's real," Lundberg says. "The thing that surprised me is that even those non-digital companies, they're just as aware of what's happening, but they're not doing anything. It really came down to a lack of leadership."

Whether organizations fell in the digital leader or hybrid buckets, the CIO was the next most likely candidate to lead digital transformation efforts. For non-digital organizations, the CIO was the third-most-likely candidate, after no one at all.

Leading the effort or not, Lundberg notes that CIOs have a central role to play in any digital transformation. And, she says, especially in hybrid and non-digital organizations that lack a visionary CEO, assertive CIOs have the opportunity to chart the future for their organization.

"CIOs sometimes get stuck in this idea that if they don't have the top-down blessing to go forward, they can't do anything," she says. "That's not true. Find an ally in the business. CIOs have to be more assertive. This is going to change our model for how you interact with your customers. Get some data around that from competitors or other industries. The really good CIOs are good at painting a picture: 'This is what the future could look like. Here's how we're going to get there.'"

Microsoft is in the digital transformation biz

For the past several years, Microsoft has been undergoing its own digital transformation. It once saw and positioned itself as a vendor of software and hardware products, says Anand Eswaran, vice president, Worldwide Services and Digital, Microsoft. But best serving its customers meant it could no longer focus on maximizing the number of licenses sold - while good for Microsoft in the short-term, that wouldn't provide the best benefit for customers. Instead, Eswaran says, Microsoft decided that its focus must be helping customers achieve the best outcomes.

"Forty percent of the respondents talked about customer experience being at the heart of everything they wanted to do," Eswaran says. "It was the same way at Microsoft. We needed to put a consistent customer experience at the heart of what we do. How do we enable them to be more successful?"

A great deal of that effort involved completely rethinking how the company approached how it worked on the back-end. It had significantly fragmented data islands from its many lines of business that had to be unified to create a singular view of customers from a data standpoint. But, while challenging, that was the easy part, Eswaran says. Changing company culture to align with the new vision was the hard part.

"The amount of work we've done on digital culture is at the heart of why we've been successful," Eswaran says.

"The first step to changing culture is acknowledge where you are," he adds.

Microsoft, he acknowledges, had an insular and fragmented culture with highly territorial businesses. The new vision required Microsoft's lines of business and functions to adopt a "boundaryless" approach and a shared sense of accountability for customer outcomes. From the executive staff to entry-level employees, the company had to get on the same page about working collaboratively to build on others' ideas and success. That started with CEO Satya Nadella and the shared leadership team (SLT), which had to create a new common score card and set of metrics for everyone in the company. Compensation, rewards and recognitions had to be tied to those principles.

"A business leader interviewed for the study said we need to transform "the engine of the company." To do this, leaders new to bring in tech and cultural changes that empower their employees, engage customers in new ways, optimize operations and transform products," Eswaran says. "Rebuilding an organization around these areas creates a fully digital company that can change ahead of its customers and competition."

Microsoft shares its digital experience

Having undergone its own transformation, Microsoft is now bringing its hard-won experience to customer engagements, helping them with their own digital transformations. Confectioners like Hershey, transport and logistics specialists like Maersk, clothing manufacturers like Fruit of the Loom, insurers like GEICO, even sports leagues like Spain's LaLiga, are turning to Microsoft to help them rethink their businesses with a mix of technologies like cloud, the internet of things (IoT), mixed reality and artificial intelligence.

Maersk is the world's largest transport and logistics company, with offices in 130 countries and a fleet of more than 1,000 vessels that transport more than 17 million containers annually. It manufactures containers and its APM Terminals terminal operating unit operates in more than 70 ports worldwide.

"It really starts with the customers," says Ibrahim Gokcen, chief digital officer at Maersk. "Our customers' businesses are changing. We've been serving them for more than 100 years now. Our customers want to book their cargo better, track and trace their cargo, manage complexity, exceptions, documents, workflows. When you start thinking of what they need, they have lots of complexity. How can we make logistics and transport simpler? You have to think about enhancing operations and intelligence at speed."

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Digital disruption is coming but most businesses don't have a plan

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Most business leaders agree that digital transformation - a wave of business innovation fueled by technology - is disrupting their business or soon will be, but fewer than half have enacted a digital strategy, according to a new report by Harvard Business Review Analytic Services.

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What So Many Strategists Get Wrong About Digital Disruption - Frank Vermeulen

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What So Many Strategists Get Wrong About Digital Disruption - Frank Vermeulen

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Matthew Schimmelfennig
My article outlines a few misconceptions about digital disruption. The author describes in detail how digital disruption, while impactful to businesses, is not always what it may seem.

First of all, the author state, is the winner take all mentality. He sites competing taxi app services, such as Lyft and Uber, as evidence that an industry can have multiple players. Secondly, he states that more often than not, digital disruption is a complement and not a substitute. He sited the fact that online learning, while digitally disruptive, has nbot removed the need for physical colleges. The author also talks about the fact that being quick to change is not always the way to go. He discusses the need for businesses to sometimes take a wait and see approach before investing in what could end up being a fad.

This article was very informative. While it discussed the impact of digital disruption, it also explained the reason businesses should be cautious

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"Digital is coming and it's coming fast"; "No industry sector is immune to disruption"; "One thing is certain about digital transformation: It will be a big change for your entire organization"; "Digital will disrupt your industry."

Judging by the headlines and opening lines of recent articles and business books, digital is about to disrupt your industry and you with it - unless you act now (and buy the book).

And, in fact, I don't disagree - at least not entirely. It would be terribly naïve to assume that nothing in your business will need to change. However, some of the most common beliefs about how this will happen, repeated by conference speakers, self-proclaimed gurus, and consultants, have been oversimplified, misunderstood, or misapplied. In most "normal businesses," the impact of digital will be different than for digital behemoths like Amazon, Google, and Facebook. Here are four to watch out for.

1. Network effects: The winner does not always take all.

The first common misconception is that in a digital world, the winner takes all. Many business models that make extensive use of digital technology have network-type properties. This means that the more users and content-providers you sign up, the better the business model will work. People flock to Facebook, for example, because most of their friends and family are on it, which in turn allows Facebook to collect a large amount of data about us, and attract advertisers. Given these network effects - as many proclaim - markets get "winner takes all properties": the largest network will win, crowding out the remaining competitors (like MySpace and Google+). That's the reason a company like Uber needs to grow big, fast - and why it's investors didn't worry about losing money early on. And they are losing money: Uber's losses in just the first half of 2016 totaled over $1.27 billion.

That logic sometimes holds, but more often it does not. That is because networks are rarely exclusive. Travel to Singapore, for example, and you will see why. Every taxi driver has at least two mobile phones in her window: if a ride comes in on one network, she will click "accept" and turn the other off. Taxi drivers are invariably part of multiple competing networks. Similarly, most riders have at least two apps on their smartphone. When they require a ride, they will quickly check both apps and then use the one where a taxi is available quickest and at the best rate.

It is a misconception to think that network effects inevitably and always lead to a winner-take-all market. Sometimes that may be true, but there are at least as many network-type markets that can easily sustain a variety of players.

2. Complements are not substitutes.

A second misconception about digital disruption is that new technology will inevitably substitute old technology, rendering it obsolete. And indeed, we have witnessed e-mail replace the fax machine, flash memory supersede diskettes, and Wikipedia supplant the Encyclopaedia Britannica. However, industries with perfect substitutes are the exception to the rule; more often than not, digital will offer a new complement, rather than be a substitute. And this leads to a very different dynamic in the market.

Consider my own field of higher education. Many have been proclaiming that online learning will render lectures obsolete, that physical colleges will be replaced by online universities, and that MOOCs will be the new norm. However, this is not what seems to be happening, any more than the invention of the printing press supplanted in-person sermonizing in the 15 th century.

Business models and competitive advantages are complex systems. This means that they consist of multiple elements - some of them tangible; some intangible - which interact with one another, meaning that it is their combination that makes it work. In many markets, digital will just add one new factor to the mix or replace one element, but not often all of them. This means that in many businesses, digital technology will complement and alter the incumbents' existing resources and capabilities, but it certainly won't always entirely replace them altogether. Therefore, when making strategy, the focus should be on identifying complements, rather than assuming complete substitution.

3. Geography (still) matters.

A third common misconception about how digital disrupt is the assumption that geographic distance has lost relevance since we can now communicate instantaneously with anyone, anywhere around the world. Closeness still matters, however, even though we may not realize it ( research tells us, for instance, that people tend to underestimate the value of face-to-face communication).

Consider the management consulting industry. It has been a stable and quite homogeneous industry for many decades. The top firms have been doing pretty much the same type of thing for many years: matching consultants with clients. As a firm, McKinsey finds consulting projects and then matches them with people they have recruited and trained. And that's how they have always done it.

Recently though, some new companies have figured that, in today's digital age, there are other and perhaps more efficient ways of matching clients with consultants: online, through search terms, and by building rich databases. Some started digital platforms where supply and demand could match themselves. Others began databases of freelance consultants where they searched for suitable people for the projects they secured. However, most of these upstarts haven't been able to scale. What they have underestimated is the relevance of human interaction. In consulting work, the ability to read each other's emotions, intentions, and personalities is paramount, not only in terms of how consultants work with clients, but also for who gets matched with whom. In fact, you cannot successfully do consulting without them.

A company that understood this well is Eden McCallum. They too developed a business model based on a pool of freelance consultants, but rather than rely on a database, a matching platform, or some other digital search function, they understood that in their business - high end strategy consulting - there was no substitute for really knowing people. Therefore, they made the strategic decision to not rely on digital technology, but rather invest heavily in old-school getting-to-know-people: they developed a team of about 20 partners who maintain relationships and interact on a regular basis with about 700 consultants and over 300 major clients. They have opened up offices in London, Amsterdam, and Zurich and were recently highlighted in the Harvard Business Review by Professor Clay Christensen as the prime forerunner of a pending wave of disruption in the consulting industry - albeit with a completely non-digital business model. Eden McCallum shows that not all disruption need to be digital. Digital technology is more likely to make headway in industries and parts of your industry's value chain where face-to-face interaction is less relevant.

4. Speed? Not so fast.

One of the characteristics of the digital era, people continue to say, is that change is fast. And because the world is changing so fast, companies have to change fast too.

The first part of this claim - that the world is changing faster than ever - is in fact already dubious. Academic research suggests that the rate of change has not been increasing at all. Yet, even if your business is undergoing rapid change, this does not mean your company also has to change rapidly - quite the contrary probably.

If in a fast-changing industry you change equally fast, you're likely to be jumping onto all sorts of fads. Remember "Second Life"? The virtual world in which people could live through an avatar? It was supposed to be the next big thing. Dutch bank ING decided to act swiftly, and rapidly assembled a large team of dedicated executives who would explore the new technology, develop applications, and market its products in the virtual world. ING was determined to not miss the boat. But the boat never took off; Second-Life turned out to be a short-lived fad, which disappeared again after a few bleak years; and ING's big investment came to nothing.

Sometimes it is better to deal with contextual change and uncertainty by not changing at all - at least not immediately - but by giving things time to play out. If your company is in an environment in which new technologies come and go quickly, you may need to slow down rather than speed up. Given the level of market uncertainty, you will really only be able to distinguish the fads from the more substantial developments after some time has passed. It may sound paradoxical, but in an environment of rapid change, sometimes trying to match that speed can backfire.

Digital is changing the nature of competitive advantage in many businesses - just like major technological developments have done before. However, the change will not be uniform across all industries. Digital technology is affecting and will affect different businesses in different ways. Miss these nuances and your strategic decisions could lead you seriously astray.

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What So Many Strategists Get Wrong About Digital Disruption

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"Digital is coming and it's coming fast"; "No industry sector is immune to disruption"; "One thing is certain about digital transformation: It will be a big change for your entire organization"; "Digital will disrupt your industry."

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Digital Disruption: What Is It and How Does It Impact Businesses? -Redha Abu-Rshaid  

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Digital Disruption: What Is It and How Does It Impact Businesses? -Redha Abu-Rshaid  

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As the title of the article reveals, the author purpose was to define digital disruption, hence, to clear out the misconception facts as it relates to businesses of various fields. Even though digital disruption could be perceived as a negative force, but in fact it could be a strong part that create success for people in their businesses. As the other defines digital disruption, which is the transformation made by digital technology, it may lead to different consequences in businesses based on the way it will be managed and utilized. The author uses a great example of Kodak cameras that were impacted by digital disruption and failed to keep up with the new innovation and transformation of technology.

What we could learn from that article and example in particular is the need of planning to the future, because digital disruption is an unstoppable force. In addition, it is a good example of understanding the point of competitive advantages and wisely select a better strategy for a better leadership position in the market.

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Digital Disruption: What Is It and How Does It Impact Businesses?

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Don't be fooled by the term 'disruption'. Many people misinterpret this as meaning the process of digital disruption is a negative one; that it is an attack on their business. In reality, it is only a negative force for those who chose to ignore it or try to fight it.

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7 Emerging Truths of Digital Disruption - Forbes

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7 Emerging Truths of Digital Disruption - Forbes

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Maryanne Carter
I read the Article "7 Emerging Truths of Digital Disruption. In this article i found out seven of the reasons why business leaders are afraid of the "business transformation." Digital transformation is a difficult transition. Digital transformation in an industry that includes cannibalism, bypassing current business practices and replacing them with new and unknown practices. Technology is not all that digital transformation is about. Technology is a constantly changing entity and business need to be capable of the ongoing changes within the technologies that they incorporate. A digital enterprise comprises of Corporate culture and speed. For a company to become a digital enterprise they need to adhere to corporate cultures and speeds that are much faster than before the technology was incorporated. Measuring Digital Transformation is a big key in a digital business. Digital businesses need to be able to measure sales, customer responses and behavior changes. Digital Leaders need to be open to new ideas and ways of running a business.

This Article enforces what we are reading by pointing out how much technology is changing. We have learned that business incorporate different technologies and that over time different technologies get replaced and updated. We watched videos describing the changes in technology and how it is effecting business practices and every day life.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/joemckendrick/2017/02/21/7-emerging-truths-of-digital-disruption/#f02399b29a61

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How Digital Disruption Transcends Industry Borders-Forbes 

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How Digital Disruption Transcends Industry Borders-Forbes 

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Garrett Anthony

The article I read was by Forbes titled “How Digital Disruption Transcends Industry Borders.”  The article was examples how digital disruption is changing the marketplace. One of the examples the article was the wristwatch industry and how it is changing. The article was very intriguing in the points it made by giving examples that you see every day.

This article built understanding in me by giving me examples that I was familiar with. I also got a better understanding by this article because it gave a list on “What this means for business leaders.” I found this list helpful and it built up my knowledge.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/ciocentral/2017/03/23/how-digital-disruption-transcends-industry-borders/#6aecb78c4d00

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With working in the printing industry I come around "Digital Business" every day. The article I read is called What "digital" really means, by Karel Dorner and David Edelman. What this article talks about is what people and company think digital is and what it really means. For some it is about technology, others it is about the customers and how to get them engaged and do more business with you but isn't really about a new way of doing business. In order to succeed in today's market everyone in the company must be on the same page and understanding before taking the leap in the "Digital Business". You need to decide why you are getting into the digital market and how your company is going to use the way of doing things. The article talks about three attributes to help us understand the definition: creating value at the new frontiers of the business world, creating value in the processes that execute a vision of customer experiences, and building a foundation capabilities that support the entire structure. I think that this means a new way of doing business. In the company I work for I can remember when we would have seminars and we would have to do several because the customers wanted to see face to face how books were made. Now we hardly ever do seminars but instead the customers are either wanting one on one attention or they prefer to just have emails sent back and forth.
A lot of what we are learning in class is true to this article with talking about how technology has changed business and the way of doing business. With applications such as access, project manager and many of workflow software on the market, we have gone from writing everything down on paper to entering it on the computer.
This article can be found at http://www.mckinsey.com/industries/high-tech/our-insights/what-digital-really-means

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Digital Disruption in the Dental Industry-Brook Andrews

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Digital Disruption in the Dental Industry-Brook Andrews

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It is amazing how much we can apply computer informatics to other career fields.  I have worked in the dental field for thirteen years and have seen a big progression when it comes to “digital business”.  I found an interesting article that talks about digital disruption and how it is changing the dental field. Digital distribution has affected the dentistry field by giving greater productivity, along with better communication and more satisfied patients and staff.  The digital business portion of dentistry has been improved things such as; smart toothbrushes, 3D printing, lasers, and intra-oral cameras.

This growth in digital business in the dental field is a direct correlation to what we are learning about in this course.  There are dental labs that are going out of business because of these advancements in digital business.  Things such as the 3D printing; dentists can make same day crowns in office with scanning of the teeth, and milling the crowns themselves.  This eliminates the need for dental labs and the wait time in between of the labs doing the work.  Another example would be the use of digital x-rays, there is no need for traditional film which then affects companies like Kodak who manufacture this film that has little to no demand for.  Digital business and informatics is in all career paths and is a growing subject in all fields.

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March 3, 2017

by Awais Ahmed

Technology has long been a force for change in dentistry. Think back twenty, ten or even just five years ago, the industry looked drastically different and day-to-day work involved tasks that have since been replaced by processing power and some clicks. The dental industry is advancing rapidly. In this article, we will be discussing the advanced technology in dental industry and its effectiveness.

Dentists working from a digital platform can instantly share patient information among staff members, transfer files to the lab, and help increase case acceptance by visually showing patients areas of diagnosis and proposed treatment. With these new capabilities, digital practices are experiencing greater productivity, better communications with patients and a more satisfied staff.
Smart Toothbrush
This technology is made to change tooth brushing habits of children and adults by motivating individuals to brush better through games (for kids) and coaching (for adults) that guide them toward improved dental hygiene. This product includes sensors that can identify the area of the mouth in which the user is brushing. This powerful technology also has the ability to store data, and create a personalized visual check-up to show where the user brushed and missed over a 7-day period.
3D Printing Makes the Digital Physical
A digital platform in dentistry means that all patient information, imaging systems, and CAD/CAM data work together in a connected pattern. Because of the real-time flow of information, the practice with a digital platform is capable of operating more efficiently with the quicker delivery of procedures and a higher level of productivity. Uses of 3D printing include the production of drill guides for dental implants, the production of physical models for prosthodontics, orthodontics, and surgery, the manufacturer of dental, craniomaxillofacial and orthopedic implants, and the fabrication of copings and frameworks for implant and dental restorations.
Lasers
Lasers in dentistry have seen a tremendous rise and fall in use and popularity. All lasers work by delivering energy in the form of light. When used for surgical and dental procedures, the laser acts as a cutting instrument or a vaporizer of tissue that it comes in contact with. When used for curing a filling, the laser helps to strengthen the bond between the filling and the tooth.

Some dentists are using lasers to treat:
Intra-Oral Camera
The camera's unique liquid lens technology works like the human eye to ensure effortless image capture to deliver clear, detailed images patients can really understand. This camera is having six long-lasting LEDs around the lens provide balanced. Your technology treatment plan will become clear and will be far more customized to your needs than a simple formula for equipment purchases.

Today's patient is exposed to advanced technology every day and expects to find the same high-tech welcoming environment at the dental office. Advances in dental equipment are rapidly making this high-tech practice a reality, with innovative equipment increasing efficiencies and delivering better services to patients. Digital practices are experiencing greater productivity, better communications with patients, and a more satisfied staff.

Trackbacks are closed, but you can .

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How digital disruption is changing the dental industry for the better?

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March 3, 2017 by Awais Ahmed Technology has long been a force for change in dentistry. Think back twenty, ten or even just five years ago, the industry looked drastically different and day-to-day work involved tasks that have since been replaced by processing power and some clicks. The dental industry is advancing rapidly.

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In the article Only Half of Global Enterprises Have a Formal Strategy For Digital Transformation and Face Increasing Disruption as a Result, According to CenturyLink Study Conducted by 451 Research by PR Newswire, it shows the current state of companies and their response to digital disruption. According to this study only “51 percent of enterprises have a formal digital transformation strategy” while the rest have either concentrated projects, are still planning, or have no strategy at all. Less than half recognize that digital disruption will have a huge impact and they need to change accordingly. To do this speed and an increase in spending is essential. To meet these ends, companies are focusing on improving their agility, efficiency, customer experience, and risk management. Those who have a plan are faster to adjust. Companies have to work around barriers such as the IT capabilities, the ability to expand their focus, and risk and security. Many companies are looking at cloud technology and partnering with outside IT services as part of the solution.
The article touches on many of the topics covered in Chapter 2. In the article it shows the technologic pressures that companies are facing by discussing how digital disruption is expected to happen faster than most companies will be able to implement their plans (Technological Innovation and Obsolescence), and the need to address security issues in the process. It talks of Business-IT Alignment by pointing out how “siloed” projects are limiting companies’ strategies and the challenges of bringing everyone together. It shows that these companies are implementing innovation strategies, operational effectiveness strategies, and customer orientation strategies in the four focused solutions noted in the earlier paragraph.

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The survey - which polled executives in , and - found that disruption will continue to ramp up over the next three years, with 42 percent of study respondents expecting major disruption as the deployment of new digital technologies continues to play out in their respective fields. This will continue to change the competitive dynamics of their markets in the process.

"In a global economy that's dominated by disruption, innovation and cyber threats, speed to market is of the essence," said Bill Hurley , chief marketing officer for CenturyLink. "However, the complexities associated with digital transformation can result in numerous roadblocks. Moving to a superior network and employing agile cloud technologies are keys to simplifying the transformation process. This approach is a foundational element of success in digital transformation."

"Digital transformation programs are now being viewed as strategic, long-term initiatives and typically receive the support of top-level executives," said Sheryl Kingstone, director of customer experience & commerce at 451 Research, who authored the survey. "In fact, 60 percent of enterprises are increasing their IT spending levels to achieve the significant benefits of digital transformation."

The Four Pillars of Digital Transformation
As the adoption of digital systems, tools and processes disrupts every industry, it is critical that enterprises transform the way they do business quickly and securely. According to the study, executives at organizations worldwide commonly identify with four key pillars of competitive differentiation to target with internal digital transformation initiatives. These four pillars are:

Improve the level of business agility - 53 percent

Better manage business risk - 49 percent

Improve operational efficiency - 41 percent

Improve the internal or external customer experience - 41 percent

Additionally, the majority of enterprises realize full digital transformation will take time to implement, as more than 40 percent of respondents estimate this will take three to five years.

The ability of an organization to be innovative with new digital technologies such as these seems to have a direct correlation with digital transformation maturity. When asked to rate their organization's ability to innovate, 59 percent of those with a formal digital transformation strategy already in place rated their organization as more capable and faster to innovate, with 18 percent feeling their organization was slow to innovate.

Barriers to a Successful Transformation
Digital transformations are never easy. Based on a combination of business and technical complexities, the study found three primary barriers to achieving success:

Inflexible IT systems and the need for agility - 35 percent

Organizational silos and the need to uncouple legacy practices - 33 percent

Risk and security, including the need for assured data custody - 31 percent

Other significant barriers recognized by respondents were potential failure to secure sensitive data (30 percent); lack of available funding, capital or budget (30 percent); and challenges of getting multiple service providers/partners working together (27 percent).

The Growing Importance of Cloud
The study also confirmed the growing importance of cloud services. On a scale of 1 to 10, 80 percent of respondents ranked cloud's importance at 7 or above, and 20 percent gave it a 10. Additionally, enterprises with a mature digital transformation strategy ranked the importance of cloud services 15 percent higher than companies in the early stages of a transformation.

Choosing the Right Partner
Among the critical factors for digital transformation success is choosing the right partner, according to the study results. Forty-nine percent of respondents said their organizations are using or expect to use an IT services (including telco services) partner in support of their digital transformation programs, and just under half (45 percent) use or plan to use a cloud-service provider. Additionally, 92 percent of companies surveyed stated a willingness to use a third-party transformation partner.

IT services and telecommunications service providers, in particular, are strongly preferred as partners, enabling and accelerating digital transformation programs for 52 percent of companies with a formal strategy.

To Download the Study
Commissioned by CenturyLink, the study was conducted by 451 Research during the first quarter of 2017, including interviews with more than 1,400 decision-makers at global enterprises of various sizes in , and .

About CenturyLink
CenturyLink (NYSE: CTL) is a global communications and IT services company focused on connecting its customers to the power of the digital world. CenturyLink offers network and data systems management, big data analytics, managed security services, hosting, cloud, and IT consulting services. The company provides broadband, voice, video, advanced data and managed network services over a robust 265,000-route-mile U.S. fiber network and a 360,000-route-mile international transport network. Visit CenturyLink for more information.

About 451 Research
451 Research is a preeminent information technology research and advisory company. With a core focus on technology innovation and market disruption, the company provides essential insight for leaders of the digital economy. More than 100 analysts and consultants deliver that insight via syndicated research, advisory services and live events to over 1,000 client organizations in , and around the world. Founded in 2000 and headquartered in , 451 Research is a division of The 451 Group.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/only-half-of-global-enterprises-have-a-formal-strategy-for-digital-transformation-and-face-increasing-disruption-as-a-result-according-to-centurylink-study-conducted-by-451-research-300462020.html

SOURCE CenturyLink, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.centurylink.com

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Only half of global enterprises have a formal strategy for digital transformation and face increasing disruption as a result, according to CenturyLink study conducted by 451 Research

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The survey - which polled executives in , and - found that disruption will continue to ramp up over the next three years, with 42 percent of study respondents expecting major disruption as the deployment of new digital technologies continues to play out in their respective fields.

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After searching the internet for articles I chose the article "What So Many Strategists Get Wrong About Digital Disruption", from Harvard Business Review. I chose this article because I thought it would be interesting to see what the author thought so many people were getting wrong about digital disruption. The author addressed four key areas where he thought were misconceived by strategists: the biggest network always takes all, new technology makes old technology obsolete, geography no longer matters, and the idea that because technology changes fast companies must change fast with it.

I thought the article was an interesting read and also relevant to what we're learning in class. Technology has undoubtedly changed day-to-day business for pretty much every industry, and I disagree with the authors opinion that businesses do not necessarily need to change with it. I feel that if a business fails to stay with the times they will be beat by their competitors that take advantage of the advancing technology because most consumers like to be up to date with technology.

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"Digital is coming and it's coming fast"; "No industry sector is immune to disruption"; "One thing is certain about digital transformation: It will be a big change for your entire organization"; "Digital will disrupt your industry."

Judging by the headlines and opening lines of recent articles and business books, digital is about to disrupt your industry and you with it - unless you act now (and buy the book).

And, in fact, I don't disagree - at least not entirely. It would be terribly naïve to assume that nothing in your business will need to change. However, some of the most common beliefs about how this will happen, repeated by conference speakers, self-proclaimed gurus, and consultants, have been oversimplified, misunderstood, or misapplied. In most "normal businesses," the impact of digital will be different than for digital behemoths like Amazon, Google, and Facebook. Here are four to watch out for.

1. Network effects: The winner does not always take all.

The first common misconception is that in a digital world, the winner takes all. Many business models that make extensive use of digital technology have network-type properties. This means that the more users and content-providers you sign up, the better the business model will work. People flock to Facebook, for example, because most of their friends and family are on it, which in turn allows Facebook to collect a large amount of data about us, and attract advertisers. Given these network effects - as many proclaim - markets get "winner takes all properties": the largest network will win, crowding out the remaining competitors (like MySpace and Google+). That's the reason a company like Uber needs to grow big, fast - and why it's investors didn't worry about losing money early on. And they are losing money: Uber's losses in just the first half of 2016 totaled over $1.27 billion.

That logic sometimes holds, but more often it does not. That is because networks are rarely exclusive. Travel to Singapore, for example, and you will see why. Every taxi driver has at least two mobile phones in her window: if a ride comes in on one network, she will click "accept" and turn the other off. Taxi drivers are invariably part of multiple competing networks. Similarly, most riders have at least two apps on their smartphone. When they require a ride, they will quickly check both apps and then use the one where a taxi is available quickest and at the best rate.

It is a misconception to think that network effects inevitably and always lead to a winner-take-all market. Sometimes that may be true, but there are at least as many network-type markets that can easily sustain a variety of players.

2. Complements are not substitutes.

A second misconception about digital disruption is that new technology will inevitably substitute old technology, rendering it obsolete. And indeed, we have witnessed e-mail replace the fax machine, flash memory supersede diskettes, and Wikipedia supplant the Encyclopaedia Britannica. However, industries with perfect substitutes are the exception to the rule; more often than not, digital will offer a new complement, rather than be a substitute. And this leads to a very different dynamic in the market.

Consider my own field of higher education. Many have been proclaiming that online learning will render lectures obsolete, that physical colleges will be replaced by online universities, and that MOOCs will be the new norm. However, this is not what seems to be happening, any more than the invention of the printing press supplanted in-person sermonizing in the 15 th century.

Business models and competitive advantages are complex systems. This means that they consist of multiple elements - some of them tangible; some intangible - which interact with one another, meaning that it is their combination that makes it work. In many markets, digital will just add one new factor to the mix or replace one element, but not often all of them. This means that in many businesses, digital technology will complement and alter the incumbents' existing resources and capabilities, but it certainly won't always entirely replace them altogether. Therefore, when making strategy, the focus should be on identifying complements, rather than assuming complete substitution.

3. Geography (still) matters.

A third common misconception about how digital disrupt is the assumption that geographic distance has lost relevance since we can now communicate instantaneously with anyone, anywhere around the world. Closeness still matters, however, even though we may not realize it ( research tells us, for instance, that people tend to underestimate the value of face-to-face communication).

Consider the management consulting industry. It has been a stable and quite homogeneous industry for many decades. The top firms have been doing pretty much the same type of thing for many years: matching consultants with clients. As a firm, McKinsey finds consulting projects and then matches them with people they have recruited and trained. And that's how they have always done it.

Recently though, some new companies have figured that, in today's digital age, there are other and perhaps more efficient ways of matching clients with consultants: online, through search terms, and by building rich databases. Some started digital platforms where supply and demand could match themselves. Others began databases of freelance consultants where they searched for suitable people for the projects they secured. However, most of these upstarts haven't been able to scale. What they have underestimated is the relevance of human interaction. In consulting work, the ability to read each other's emotions, intentions, and personalities is paramount, not only in terms of how consultants work with clients, but also for who gets matched with whom. In fact, you cannot successfully do consulting without them.

A company that understood this well is Eden McCallum. They too developed a business model based on a pool of freelance consultants, but rather than rely on a database, a matching platform, or some other digital search function, they understood that in their business - high end strategy consulting - there was no substitute for really knowing people. Therefore, they made the strategic decision to not rely on digital technology, but rather invest heavily in old-school getting-to-know-people: they developed a team of about 20 partners who maintain relationships and interact on a regular basis with about 700 consultants and over 300 major clients. They have opened up offices in London, Amsterdam, and Zurich and were recently highlighted in the Harvard Business Review by Professor Clay Christensen as the prime forerunner of a pending wave of disruption in the consulting industry - albeit with a completely non-digital business model. Eden McCallum shows that not all disruption need to be digital. Digital technology is more likely to make headway in industries and parts of your industry's value chain where face-to-face interaction is less relevant.

4. Speed? Not so fast.

One of the characteristics of the digital era, people continue to say, is that change is fast. And because the world is changing so fast, companies have to change fast too.

The first part of this claim - that the world is changing faster than ever - is in fact already dubious. Academic research suggests that the rate of change has not been increasing at all. Yet, even if your business is undergoing rapid change, this does not mean your company also has to change rapidly - quite the contrary probably.

If in a fast-changing industry you change equally fast, you're likely to be jumping onto all sorts of fads. Remember "Second Life"? The virtual world in which people could live through an avatar? It was supposed to be the next big thing. Dutch bank ING decided to act swiftly, and rapidly assembled a large team of dedicated executives who would explore the new technology, develop applications, and market its products in the virtual world. ING was determined to not miss the boat. But the boat never took off; Second-Life turned out to be a short-lived fad, which disappeared again after a few bleak years; and ING's big investment came to nothing.

Sometimes it is better to deal with contextual change and uncertainty by not changing at all - at least not immediately - but by giving things time to play out. If your company is in an environment in which new technologies come and go quickly, you may need to slow down rather than speed up. Given the level of market uncertainty, you will really only be able to distinguish the fads from the more substantial developments after some time has passed. It may sound paradoxical, but in an environment of rapid change, sometimes trying to match that speed can backfire.

Digital is changing the nature of competitive advantage in many businesses - just like major technological developments have done before. However, the change will not be uniform across all industries. Digital technology is affecting and will affect different businesses in different ways. Miss these nuances and your strategic decisions could lead you seriously astray.

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What So Many Strategists Get Wrong About Digital Disruption

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"Digital is coming and it's coming fast"; "No industry sector is immune to disruption"; "One thing is certain about digital transformation: It will be a big change for your entire organization"; "Digital will disrupt your industry."

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Digital Business is Everyones Business is an insightful article that gives us a look into the future of digital business. Lopez suggest that within the next three years we will be living in essential a world of digital business. In-fact, says that business that succeed in the digital business will be with technological skills and the willingness to adapt.

Lopez, makes the distingusiment between a digital business and an e-business as simple as the connection, integration, and intelligence between people and businesses. He often refers to a digital business as “blurring the digital and physical worlds”.

this article further discusses what it will look like to have a digital business such as retail and banks. It goes into the advancements in technology that will make digital business so beneficial. With all of this new technology Lopez suggest that new digital business will effect executives as well. It will create a demand for out side the box thinking and more advanced technological skills.

This article connects with the material that we have covered in class to date in many ways. First it helps to fully see the possibilities of what a future world of digital business will look like. In addition, it helps give real examples of the benefits of digital businesses. further more, it helps give insight on how executives should prepare for this shift in technology in a realistic way. Overall this article helps to connect the dots to see the larger picture of what is the future digital business.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/gartnergroup/2014/05/07/digital-business-is-everyones-business/#4dc15edb7f82

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While searching the internet for this assignment I came across an article talking about digital disruption and healthcare. This article entitled “Why Health Care is Ripe for Digital Disruption” by Barry Libert, John Grady- Benson, Steve Schutzer, and Megan Beck, talks about how our healthcare system can benefit from a digital transformation.  The article begins by talking broadly about the benefits of a digital platform for healthcare and then goes on to talk more specifically about some of the problems with our healthcare system and proposes some solutions to these problems using technology. This article suggests that a digital transformation in healthcare would not only save money but would provide a more “patient- centric” atmosphere in healthcare as opposed to the “physician- centric” system we currently have in place. The article ends by noting that there are some limitations because of federal regulations of healthcare but digitization of healthcare would ultimately provide better healthcare and give more control to patients.

Personally, as someone going into healthcare, I found this article to be informative and the information to be interesting. I hadn’t thought much about and technology but I can see how various digital platforms could provide better care and a more streamlined experience for patients.

This article built upon what we have been learning in class and gave a real-life example of how we can benefit from embracing technology. Like noted in the book, I can see where these changes in healthcare will not necessarily mean less jobs but rather a shift in the type of jobs that are needed. I can also see how the digitization of healthcare will make healthcare more accessible, especially to people with various disabilities, which is something that our book touched on as well.

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The U.S. health care system, with its brick and mortar, provider-centric business model where doctors dispense face-to-face care during scheduled appointments, is ripe for digital disruption. Although many factors have insulated health care for years, change is coming, if slowly. Platforms, networks, machine learning and artificial intelligence have enormous potential to solve problems that have plagued the industry for decades, according to the authors of this opinion piece, Barry Libert, CEO of OpenMatters and a senior fellow at Wharton's SEI Center for Advanced Studies in Management; John C. Grady-Benson, medical director of the Center for Outcomes Research at the Connecticut Joint Replacement Institute; Steve Schutzer, medical director of the Connecticut Joint Replacement Institute and president of the Connecticut Joint Replacement Surgeons; and Megan Beck, OpenMatters' chief insights officer. The authors would like to thank LiquidHub for sponsoring the research for this series.
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Digital platforms are tools that allow networks of people to come together to connect, share information, and transact with each other. Whether the participants are friends and family, colleagues and mentors, buyers and sellers or doctors and patients, the digital platform allows these networks to interact with each other in ways beyond the physical world to make our lives easier and better. Once established, digital platforms can scale easily. And as they grow, they create increasing value for their participants.

Digital platforms are already disrupting markets broadly. Well-known examples include Airbnb, which is among the most valuable hoteliers but does not own a hotel; Uber, which has become more valuable than Ford and GM but does not manufacture or own a fleet of cars; Facebook, the world's largest publisher with 1.7 billion writers who also act as editors; and Amazon, which is sailing past Walmart by focusing on e-commerce. These companies focus their investing on digital platforms rather than physical assets, and they use the technology, data and relationships of their networks to create exponentially more value than an analog organization ever could on its own. This 'network effect' leads to the emergence of new business and mental models.

The health care industry - specifically medical care - is not impervious to these new business models. It has long been insulated from disruption due to the intricacies of navigating opaque billing systems, the deification of doctors, regulations that suppress competition, and other factors. But now change is coming about. Silicon Valley has been funding a number of startups that are disrupting parts of the industry - and more are likely to come.
Digital Platforms Solve Health Care Problems
Notwithstanding decades of proposed fixes, the health care system today remains woefully fragmented, physician-centric, siloed, disconnected from the holistic needs of patients and in dire financial condition. Consider the following common grievances about health care, and how new digital tools, networks and platforms can address them:

Doctor visits for commonly treated or chronic conditions still require patients to come to the office, and wait, often for hours, to get seen.
What have we tried? The use of 'physician extenders' such as nurse practitioners to lighten doctors' workloads.

What should we do? Enable patients to access validated and shared health care data and information, followed by convenient interaction with a network of available doctors through online platforms or videoconferencing. What have we tried? It is up to patients to obtain and share their records with multiple physicians, which wastes time and effort. What should we do? Create tools to input and store integrated health records across the entire cycle of care, easily accessible to practitioners engaged in a patient's care, but with privacy safeguards.

Systems for coordinating care between multiple physicians treating a patient with a complicated medical condition are inadequate - resulting in duplicative and unnecessary testing, misdiagnoses, and poor health outcomes.
What have we tried? Doctors attempt to keep up with a burgeoning pile of medical literature and then advise patients to seek multiple opinions. What should we do? Create machine learning and artificial intelligence systems to improve the accuracy of diagnoses and customize treatment, or even create platforms for doctors to crowdsource insight from more experienced peers for challenging cases.

The diagnosis and treatment of many disease states is a complex process. It involves a deep physiological understanding of bodily systems and demands accurate interpretation of a multitude of lab and imaging reports. However, physicians can be constrained by their singular experiences and often make intuitive, non-data-driven medical decisions.
What have we tried? Advising patients to change their habits, hoping they do, and checking in next year. What should we do? Create virtual systems for patients and health care providers that can regularly monitor lifestyle habits and health conditions, intervening when needed. Some Internet of Things devices can capture and send data wirelessly to doctors and hospitals.

Preventative care to maintain good health and avoid common lifestyle-related conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease remains largely an afterthought. Physicians focus on solving medical conditions, not nurturing good health. Many patients only interact with their doctor annually, if that.

The technology needed to implement such solutions is here, and has been for some time. While an upfront investment is often required to create the network, ongoing costs should be dramatically reduced. The system would make the interaction between patient and medical professional more efficient, and could improve outcomes.

"The health care system today remains woefully fragmented, physician-centric, siloed, disconnected from the holistic needs of patients, and in dire financial condition."

Two hurdles stand in the way of advancements: the recalcitrant mindset of the health care community and the heavy hand of regulations. Despite these limitations, some visionary organizations and startups are making progress.

At-home tools for capturing clinical data will allow doctors to extend the range of conditions that can be treated with virtual consultations. MedWand, for example, is a device that lets doctors remotely measure your heart rate and oxygen levels, and examine your eyes, ears and throat, among others.

Patients with difficult-to-diagnose conditions can turn to CrowdMed, which uses crowdsourcing to solve tough medical cases.

The startup Practice Fusion offers cloud-based electronic health records software. This software streamlines processes for doctors and simplifies interactions with networks including pharmacies and labs. It also allows patients to access their health records, results and prescriptions electronically.

Blockchain technology, originally developed for the finance sector, is entering the health care space as a way to securely communicate sensitive data among a network of parties such as researchers, doctors and patients. Although mostly early stage, a variety of startups are finding novel uses for the blockchain.

As the health care crisis worsens while technology advances, new tools and platforms will emerge that will change our traditional notion of how health care can be delivered. But it won't be without challenges.
Regulatory Restrictions

"Two hurdles stand in the way of advancements: the recalcitrant mindset of the health care community and the heavy hand of regulations."

An estimated $1 trillion of the $3.3 trillion that the U.S. spends annually on health care is wasted - presenting an opportunity for disruption by tech startups. However, overcoming the protectionist tendencies of industry incumbents is one thing, dealing with outdated federal regulations is another. These laws include the Copeland Anti-kickback Act (1934), the Stark Law (1990) that bans a physician from doing referrals in which there is a conflict of interest, and the patient privacy HIPAA Act (1996).

Created with noble intentions, these regulations are widely recognized barriers to aligning health care stakeholder relationships with the essential needs of the patients. They also impede digital-based solutions and stifle innovation, and as such need to be replaced with contemporary regulations that protect patient confidentiality while fostering greater flexibility and empowering digital transformation.

An array of additional medical malpractice and litigation concerns fueled by electronic transmissions of health data must also be acknowledged by 21 st century regulations. What we cannot do is let these worries halt the adoption of technology that will revolutionize health care.

But who will lead the charge to change the regulatory climate? While health care professionals have deep insight into the implications and practicality of regulation, most prefer not to dive into policy. Unfortunately, this leaves the policy-making to politicians - and probably some entrepreneurs who wish to create space within the regulations for their new enterprises. If established players want to have a role in shaping the future of regulation, the time to step forward is now.

Whoever leads the charge, and we hope they are those with deep health care experience, a new mental model within the health care industry will be essential. Accessible customer-centric health care networks connected by digital platforms will reinvent the patient-doctor relationship, as well as the traditional role of the physician. Indeed, physicians may operate in virtual integrated practice units that will use today's digital platforms to enable patients direct access to the insights they need. They will become "information analysts" and trusted advisors, using machine learning and artificial intelligence systems to improve patient care.

Instead of being the final authority on treatment plans, physicians may provide options and advise patients to consult with a network of similar patients to determine which plans best fit their goals. This shift away from authority and control may be a difficult pill to swallow, so to speak, for many in health care, but every patient deserves ultimate control over their own health care.

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Why Health Care Is Ripe for Digital Disruption - Knowledge@Wharton

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The U.S. health care system, with its brick and mortar, provider-centric business model where doctors dispense face-to-face care during scheduled appointments, is ripe for digital disruption. Although many factors have insulated health care for years, change is coming, if slowly.

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The article that I read is "7 Emerging Truths of Digital Disruption", from Forbes. This article goes into detail about how companies are working to shift to larger-scale digital platforms, and why companies are hesitating to do so. Established companies are having a harder time switching things over to digital, as they have been doing the same thing for quite some time, and are scared or not quite sure how to do it. Startups, on the other hand, " tend to have what-have-we-got-to-lose cultures, and are comfortable with applying cloud, data analytics, mobile and social media to disrupt and separate established companies from their customers."

The article is extremely interesting, and very relative to what we are learning. Technology is a huge component of the way that we interact with each other, and it is fast becoming the way that companies interact with consumers. Companies that are not embracing the change are quickly going to be left behind.

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Digital Business is Everyone's Business - Alex Brown

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Digital Business is Everyone's Business - Alex Brown

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The article "Digital Business is Everyone's Business" by Jorge Lopez discusses how by the year 2020, there will be over "seven billion people and businesses" which are all connected to the internet. More and more people are negotiating and doing business in the digital world than ever. People will continue to purchase items online, communicate with others, and sharing new technology and intelligence over the internet. Jorge Lopez states that "Digital business is about the creation of new business designs by blurring the physical and digital world." Organizations that are able to adapt and "excel in the digital industrial economy will be those that can become more technologically capable and sophisticated."
This article helped me to build my knowledge and understanding of the material covered in our course so far because we've covered some aspects as to what digital business is, however this article is basically saying that digital business is coming weather we're ready for it or not. The more we learn and adapt to it, the more successful we'll be.

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Gartner, Inc
By 2020, more than seven billion people and businesses, and at least 30 billion devices, will be connected to the Internet. With people, businesses and things communicating, transacting, and even negotiating with each other, a new world comes into being - the world of digital business.

Digital business is the creation of new business designs by blurring the digital and physical worlds. It promises to usher in an unprecedented convergence of people, business and things that disrupts existing business models - even those born of the Internet and e-business eras.

What makes digital business different from e-business is the presence and integration of things, connected and intelligent, with people and business. This could be the incorporation of greater intelligence and sensors into jet aircraft engines to improve passenger jet performance and to reduce the need for aircraft maintenance.

In retail, digital business could involve providing retail fashion customers a world with seamless integration between the digital and physical that blends the boundaries between the two. For example, a customer would enter a retail apparel store, try on a coat, and the store systems would know this had happened. They would then project an image of the buyer on a screen with the coat on and propose some accessories or alternatives that would go well with the new clothes, all the time taking into consideration any price limits placed by the customer in the process of discussing their purchases.

Another example would be the ability to reassess loan portfolio risk for a bank with real-time reporting directly from financed physical assets. This could happen, for example, in the course of a car crash. Systems on the car would not only let the first responders know of the crash and the condition of the occupants and the car, they would also notify the bank, so it can assess its risk portfolio in real time. Say the owner was in no condition to make payments if they were not directly working- that would say the bank needs to prepare for a loan default.

Some may confuse the Internet of Things with digital business. The Internet of Things plays a crucial role in a digital business, but it is much more than this. The Internet of Things as, Gartner defines it, is the network of physical objects that contain embedded technology to communicate and interact with their internal states or the external environment.

Digital business is about the creation of new business designs by blurring the physical and digital world. It is about the interaction and negotiations between, business, and things. It is when things starts to negotiate amongst themselves as well as people and business that we start to see how we have entered an entirely new and disruptive world. In the past, people were a proxy for things in business. In the future, things will be an agent for themselves and will thus shift that way a business views its opportunities.

The fact is that digital business will disrupt all industries and business executives, CIOs and technology providers will need to think differently to help their businesses avoid disruption. This is a new world that makes the prior ones obsolete while creating massive opportunities for those who can visualize the opportunity. Business executives who understand the digital industrial economy of 2020 will play a leading role in helping their organizations win in this new era.

Successful business leaders will need digital business skills. While new roles, such as a chief digital officer, will emerge as catalyst roles, all business leaders and CIOs will need to develop digital leadership and technology capabilities to define and execute a digital strategy. In 2020, digital leadership skills will be assumed for all business leaders and on a par with other executive skills such as finance.

Business leaders who do not respond to the challenge of digital business will find their own careers sidetracked. CIOs who do not respond to the leadership challenge may end up as custodians of infrastructure and back-end technology only. In 2020, the new digital business technology organization will coordinate the business-critical digital business architectures and back-office IT.

The promise of digital business is that a universe of applications and digitalized assets that work together almost automatically will allow very rapid development of new capabilities that will yield competitive advantage. The reality will be that the billions of things, humans and businesses that are connected together will require sophisticated engineering, integration and orchestration to fulfill the promise of a future of people, business and things.

Digital technology drives improvement at the traditional business process and business model levels. However, the differentiating fight will be for "business moments" - the third level of digital reinvention created by the need to compete with increased speed and agility. Technologies such as the Internet of Things and 3D printing will enable new digital business processes, models and moments.

For example, a critical part shipped from Canada could find itself stopped at the border as customs agents decide to further examine a line of trucks containing goods for the US. The critical part would know it is not moving because it would have GPS as well as some amount of intelligence to know it needs to be at a destination in a time shorter than left with the delay. The part would then communicate via the Internet to find other parts like itself that could be rerouted and substitute for the one that is delayed. At the same time, arrangements would be made to reroute the delayed part to the customer who did not have the time critical need.

Organizations that excel in the digital industrial economy will be those that can become more technologically capable and sophisticated. Their digital stories will be written in technology.
Jorge Lopez is a vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner, where he focuses on issues of concern to business executives, especially the CEO, and their relationship to IT and the CIO.

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By Jorge Lopez Gartner, Inc By 2020, more than seven billion people and businesses, and at least 30 billion devices, will be connected to the Internet. With people, businesses and things communicating, transacting, and even negotiating with each other, a new world comes into being - the world of digital business.

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My article is titled "7 Emerging Truths of Digital Disruption" by Forbes.com. Forbes seems as though it is one of the biggest business and technology websites with what is new and upcoming, what's working and what's not. I was drawn to this article because I like to know the good, the bad, and the ugly about certain aspects in the business and technology world. This article does just that. The 7 truths it goes into explaining are digital transformation is hard work, it is not about the technology, corporate culture and speed matter, digital-savvy corporate culture goes deep, the success depends on the progress, the digital leaders have to be open leaders, and digital transformation means thinking like an entrepreneur. All of these together have been emerging since new disruptions have been made. When someone in this field goes to create something new for the field it cannot be specific to just one device, it has to be interchangeable or there will be no progress or development. I think anyone pursuing a degree in this field should read this article to know what to and not to do when it comes to disrupting technology.
All that we have learned for far in the first few weeks of classes really ties into digital disruption one way or another. For example, if Excel or Access were to not be made for multiple devices or be interchangeable it would not succeed in our world. When they do become updated there is a disruption. But because this application was made to be interchangeable from device to device it is propelled into success. The information systems used by businesses also come into play here. Because these are made interchangeable and can be updated they will succeed without further disruption. All in all, digital disruption comes into play with almost everything we have learned so far.

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What holds business leaders back from plunging full-throttle into digital transformation? It's fear -- fear of the unknown, especially since everyone is learning their way around this new world as they go along.

Paramount among these fears are fears of cannibalization, of undermining long-established and currently profitable ways of doing business and replacing it with something new and unknown. But disrupting one's own business may be the only way to stave off the threats of disruption by hungry and tech-savvy startups. As Ganesh Ayyar, CEO of Mphasis, puts it: "If you don't embrace cannibalization - for all the good talk that we have of the CEO transformation, self-transformation, organizational transformation, a new set of strategies, new culture - you will stop in your tracks and you will not progress."

In a recent and engaging interview with Knowledge@Wharton, Ayyar and University of Pennsylvania Wharton professor Tyler Wry explored what it means to undertake digital transformation. Does it mean going to cloud for most services and applications? Does it mean setting up electronic channels for customers and partners to do business? Does it mean competing on data analytics? Is it social media? While there are no hard and fast rules for digital transformation, there are some truths that have emerged in recent years:

Digital transformation is hard work. Despite what vendors may say, there's no such thing as a seamless, overnight transformation to digital bliss. "When you're talking about a digital transformation in an analog industry, with cannibalization, there is an incredible amount of risk that gets layered onto these decisions when they're in established organizations versus small firms or start-ups," says Wry. "This is something that takes a lot of thought, and it's a very challenging thing - how you engage cannibalization in practice because you are risking existing relationships, you are risking existing business lines, revenue streams, employees. And it's a really tough challenge. If you are not willing to undertake that part of the journey it's probably game over anyway."

Digital transformation is not about technology. While it may seem counter-intuitive, digital transformation shouldn't be pinned to a particular technology. "Technology is changing at such a fast pace that if an organization implements a technology and calls itself digital, it's missing the point," Wry says. "You need to actually develop the capabilities to guide the organization through not just one change, but ongoing changes over time, as technologies change. And then you can start to have the conversation about this being a digital enterprise."

Corporate culture and speed matter. Embracing digital technologies doesn't make an enterprise a digital enterprise, says Ayyar. Corporate culture is what delivers, along with the ability to boost productivity in a massive way. "When we analyzed digital enterprises, two qualities stood out," Wry explains. "One is continuance innovation or a culture of experimentation, and second was speed. Everything was done at five times, 10 times, 50 times the speed. These two attributes - and having the right culture and those technological elements - make a digital enterprise."

A digital-savvy corporate culture goes deep. Startups tend to have what-have-we-got-to-lose cultures, and are comfortable with applying cloud, data analytics, mobile and social media to disrupt and separate established companies from their customers. That's a far cry from the way established organizations look at the world. "Culture is not about meetings, it's not communication, it's not the superficial things," says Wry. "If people have been doing the same thing in the same way, and believe that it's the right way, getting them to change and having that change stick is an extraordinarily difficult thing to do. And then, if you are a multinational enterprise, you layer different sorts of national cultural expectations on top of that. So this is really tough."

The success of digital transformation depends on the ability to measure progress. Measurement is key, Ayyar and Wry agree. Ayyar indicates his company employs two key measures: "Are we winning business in new areas?" and "Am I relevant to my customers?" Wry adds that "the most immediate indicators are the behavioral ones. Do you see behavioral change? Do you see sales? Do you see positive customer responses?"

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What holds business leaders back from plunging full-throttle into digital transformation? It's fear -- fear of the unknown, especially since everyone is learning their way around this new world as they go along. Paramount among these fears are fears of cannibalization, of undermining long-established and currently profitable ways of doing business and replacing it with something new and unknown.

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The article that I chose was about how digital disruption is more than new technology and not something that happens overnight.
The article goes on to explain how no matter where you are in the process, a large firm, or a brand new start-up, having the advancement of technology is challenging. Technology as we all know is constantly changing, new phones and computers come out numerous times a year, each with a slight variation from the last. Taking on the risk of transforming to technology has its own risks and rewards.
Another thing the article talked about was how digital disruption can also be classified as being culturally aware and speed. If the firm isn't culturally aware of different practices, then they could loose valuable clients. Also, nobody likes having to wait for a long period of time (simple human nature). If a consumer has to wait weeks for a simple document, then they won't be satisfied. They'll see the product as less than it could be valued at, and potentially drop the company.

Everything that we've learned so far in some way can be related to the article. Technology is an important aspect in our everyday lives. As we learned earlier, having the ability to understand the basics of the newest technology, can give us a major boost in the job field. Being able to help a corporation incorporate new technology can be a big benefit to you and the company.

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What holds business leaders back from plunging full-throttle into digital transformation? It's fear -- fear of the unknown, especially since everyone is learning their way around this new world as they go along.

Paramount among these fears are fears of cannibalization, of undermining long-established and currently profitable ways of doing business and replacing it with something new and unknown. But disrupting one's own business may be the only way to stave off the threats of disruption by hungry and tech-savvy startups. As Ganesh Ayyar, CEO of Mphasis, puts it: "If you don't embrace cannibalization - for all the good talk that we have of the CEO transformation, self-transformation, organizational transformation, a new set of strategies, new culture - you will stop in your tracks and you will not progress."

In a recent and engaging interview with Knowledge@Wharton, Ayyar and University of Pennsylvania Wharton professor Tyler Wry explored what it means to undertake digital transformation. Does it mean going to cloud for most services and applications? Does it mean setting up electronic channels for customers and partners to do business? Does it mean competing on data analytics? Is it social media? While there are no hard and fast rules for digital transformation, there are some truths that have emerged in recent years:

Digital transformation is hard work. Despite what vendors may say, there's no such thing as a seamless, overnight transformation to digital bliss. "When you're talking about a digital transformation in an analog industry, with cannibalization, there is an incredible amount of risk that gets layered onto these decisions when they're in established organizations versus small firms or start-ups," says Wry. "This is something that takes a lot of thought, and it's a very challenging thing - how you engage cannibalization in practice because you are risking existing relationships, you are risking existing business lines, revenue streams, employees. And it's a really tough challenge. If you are not willing to undertake that part of the journey it's probably game over anyway."

Digital transformation is not about technology. While it may seem counter-intuitive, digital transformation shouldn't be pinned to a particular technology. "Technology is changing at such a fast pace that if an organization implements a technology and calls itself digital, it's missing the point," Wry says. "You need to actually develop the capabilities to guide the organization through not just one change, but ongoing changes over time, as technologies change. And then you can start to have the conversation about this being a digital enterprise."

Corporate culture and speed matter. Embracing digital technologies doesn't make an enterprise a digital enterprise, says Ayyar. Corporate culture is what delivers, along with the ability to boost productivity in a massive way. "When we analyzed digital enterprises, two qualities stood out," Wry explains. "One is continuance innovation or a culture of experimentation, and second was speed. Everything was done at five times, 10 times, 50 times the speed. These two attributes - and having the right culture and those technological elements - make a digital enterprise."

A digital-savvy corporate culture goes deep. Startups tend to have what-have-we-got-to-lose cultures, and are comfortable with applying cloud, data analytics, mobile and social media to disrupt and separate established companies from their customers. That's a far cry from the way established organizations look at the world. "Culture is not about meetings, it's not communication, it's not the superficial things," says Wry. "If people have been doing the same thing in the same way, and believe that it's the right way, getting them to change and having that change stick is an extraordinarily difficult thing to do. And then, if you are a multinational enterprise, you layer different sorts of national cultural expectations on top of that. So this is really tough."

The success of digital transformation depends on the ability to measure progress. Measurement is key, Ayyar and Wry agree. Ayyar indicates his company employs two key measures: "Are we winning business in new areas?" and "Am I relevant to my customers?" Wry adds that "the most immediate indicators are the behavioral ones. Do you see behavioral change? Do you see sales? Do you see positive customer responses?"

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What holds business leaders back from plunging full-throttle into digital transformation? It's fear -- fear of the unknown, especially since everyone is learning their way around this new world as they go along. Paramount among these fears are fears of cannibalization, of undermining long-established and currently profitable ways of doing business and replacing it with something new and unknown.

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I found an interesting article titled What So Many Strategists Get Wrong About Digital Disruption written by Freek Vermeulen who is a professor of strategy and entrepreneurship at the London Business School.  His main objective in the article is to tackle the common misconceptions associated with digital disruption. For example, the idea that “digital is coming and it’s coming fast” and “digital will disrupt your industry.”  He goes on to explain that he doesn’t disagree with this entirely because it would be naïve to assume that nothing in businesses would have to change in order to keep up with the constant improvements being made in technology. However, he talks about the most common misconceptions regarding digital disruption. Among these were:

1. Network effects inevitably and always lead to a winner-take-all market.

2. New technology will inevitably substitute old technology, rendering it obsolete.

3. The assumption that geographic distance has lost relevance since we can now communicate instantaneously with anyone, anywhere around the world.

4. Because the world is changing so fast, companies must change fast too.

His conclusion to the article is that “digital is changing the nature of competitive advantage in many businesses. However, the change will not be uniform across all industries.”

This article builds on my knowledge obtained so far in this course by helping to give me an understanding of how exactly the business world is currently reacting/conforming to the digital world. Also that an extremely important aspect of interacting with or operating a business is being prepared for the different directions in which digital advancements may take your business.

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"Digital is coming and it's coming fast"; "No industry sector is immune to disruption"; "One thing is certain about digital transformation: It will be a big change for your entire organization"; "Digital will disrupt your industry."

Judging by the headlines and opening lines of recent articles and business books, digital is about to disrupt your industry and you with it - unless you act now (and buy the book).

And, in fact, I don't disagree - at least not entirely. It would be terribly naïve to assume that nothing in your business will need to change. However, some of the most common beliefs about how this will happen, repeated by conference speakers, self-proclaimed gurus, and consultants, have been oversimplified, misunderstood, or misapplied. In most "normal businesses," the impact of digital will be different than for digital behemoths like Amazon, Google, and Facebook. Here are four to watch out for.

1. Network effects: The winner does not always take all.

The first common misconception is that in a digital world, the winner takes all. Many business models that make extensive use of digital technology have network-type properties. This means that the more users and content-providers you sign up, the better the business model will work. People flock to Facebook, for example, because most of their friends and family are on it, which in turn allows Facebook to collect a large amount of data about us, and attract advertisers. Given these network effects - as many proclaim - markets get "winner takes all properties": the largest network will win, crowding out the remaining competitors (like MySpace and Google+). That's the reason a company like Uber needs to grow big, fast - and why it's investors didn't worry about losing money early on. And they are losing money: Uber's losses in just the first half of 2016 totaled over $1.27 billion.

That logic sometimes holds, but more often it does not. That is because networks are rarely exclusive. Travel to Singapore, for example, and you will see why. Every taxi driver has at least two mobile phones in her window: if a ride comes in on one network, she will click "accept" and turn the other off. Taxi drivers are invariably part of multiple competing networks. Similarly, most riders have at least two apps on their smartphone. When they require a ride, they will quickly check both apps and then use the one where a taxi is available quickest and at the best rate.

It is a misconception to think that network effects inevitably and always lead to a winner-take-all market. Sometimes that may be true, but there are at least as many network-type markets that can easily sustain a variety of players.

2. Complements are not substitutes.

A second misconception about digital disruption is that new technology will inevitably substitute old technology, rendering it obsolete. And indeed, we have witnessed e-mail replace the fax machine, flash memory supersede diskettes, and Wikipedia supplant the Encyclopaedia Britannica. However, industries with perfect substitutes are the exception to the rule; more often than not, digital will offer a new complement, rather than be a substitute. And this leads to a very different dynamic in the market.

Consider my own field of higher education. Many have been proclaiming that online learning will render lectures obsolete, that physical colleges will be replaced by online universities, and that MOOCs will be the new norm. However, this is not what seems to be happening, any more than the invention of the printing press supplanted in-person sermonizing in the 15 th century.

Business models and competitive advantages are complex systems. This means that they consist of multiple elements - some of them tangible; some intangible - which interact with one another, meaning that it is their combination that makes it work. In many markets, digital will just add one new factor to the mix or replace one element, but not often all of them. This means that in many businesses, digital technology will complement and alter the incumbents' existing resources and capabilities, but it certainly won't always entirely replace them altogether. Therefore, when making strategy, the focus should be on identifying complements, rather than assuming complete substitution.

3. Geography (still) matters.

A third common misconception about how digital disrupt is the assumption that geographic distance has lost relevance since we can now communicate instantaneously with anyone, anywhere around the world. Closeness still matters, however, even though we may not realize it ( research tells us, for instance, that people tend to underestimate the value of face-to-face communication).

Consider the management consulting industry. It has been a stable and quite homogeneous industry for many decades. The top firms have been doing pretty much the same type of thing for many years: matching consultants with clients. As a firm, McKinsey finds consulting projects and then matches them with people they have recruited and trained. And that's how they have always done it.

Recently though, some new companies have figured that, in today's digital age, there are other and perhaps more efficient ways of matching clients with consultants: online, through search terms, and by building rich databases. Some started digital platforms where supply and demand could match themselves. Others began databases of freelance consultants where they searched for suitable people for the projects they secured. However, most of these upstarts haven't been able to scale. What they have underestimated is the relevance of human interaction. In consulting work, the ability to read each other's emotions, intentions, and personalities is paramount, not only in terms of how consultants work with clients, but also for who gets matched with whom. In fact, you cannot successfully do consulting without them.

A company that understood this well is Eden McCallum. They too developed a business model based on a pool of freelance consultants, but rather than rely on a database, a matching platform, or some other digital search function, they understood that in their business - high end strategy consulting - there was no substitute for really knowing people. Therefore, they made the strategic decision to not rely on digital technology, but rather invest heavily in old-school getting-to-know-people: they developed a team of about 20 partners who maintain relationships and interact on a regular basis with about 700 consultants and over 300 major clients. They have opened up offices in London, Amsterdam, and Zurich and were recently highlighted in the Harvard Business Review by Professor Clay Christensen as the prime forerunner of a pending wave of disruption in the consulting industry - albeit with a completely non-digital business model. Eden McCallum shows that not all disruption need to be digital. Digital technology is more likely to make headway in industries and parts of your industry's value chain where face-to-face interaction is less relevant.

4. Speed? Not so fast.

One of the characteristics of the digital era, people continue to say, is that change is fast. And because the world is changing so fast, companies have to change fast too.

The first part of this claim - that the world is changing faster than ever - is in fact already dubious. Academic research suggests that the rate of change has not been increasing at all. Yet, even if your business is undergoing rapid change, this does not mean your company also has to change rapidly - quite the contrary probably.

If in a fast-changing industry you change equally fast, you're likely to be jumping onto all sorts of fads. Remember "Second Life"? The virtual world in which people could live through an avatar? It was supposed to be the next big thing. Dutch bank ING decided to act swiftly, and rapidly assembled a large team of dedicated executives who would explore the new technology, develop applications, and market its products in the virtual world. ING was determined to not miss the boat. But the boat never took off; Second-Life turned out to be a short-lived fad, which disappeared again after a few bleak years; and ING's big investment came to nothing.

Sometimes it is better to deal with contextual change and uncertainty by not changing at all - at least not immediately - but by giving things time to play out. If your company is in an environment in which new technologies come and go quickly, you may need to slow down rather than speed up. Given the level of market uncertainty, you will really only be able to distinguish the fads from the more substantial developments after some time has passed. It may sound paradoxical, but in an environment of rapid change, sometimes trying to match that speed can backfire.

Digital is changing the nature of competitive advantage in many businesses - just like major technological developments have done before. However, the change will not be uniform across all industries. Digital technology is affecting and will affect different businesses in different ways. Miss these nuances and your strategic decisions could lead you seriously astray.

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What So Many Strategists Get Wrong About Digital Disruption

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"Digital is coming and it's coming fast"; "No industry sector is immune to disruption"; "One thing is certain about digital transformation: It will be a big change for your entire organization"; "Digital will disrupt your industry."

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https://www.forbes.com/sites/gartnergroup/2014/05/07/digital-business-is-everyones-business/#77debe4f7f82

I picked an article called “Digital Business is everyone’s business” by Forbes.com because first and foremost Forbes has a ton of information regarding the current state of business and future business and also because the article had some valid points regarding why business is important to everyone. If you take a look at the article I have chosen, you will see that by 2020 nearly all businesses will be digital. I am sure most of you know that the world has become increasingly technological over the last decade and it isn’t going to stop, it is just going to become bigger and more involved in business.

What we have learned so far is just a touch of what is included in digital business and I am sure the rest of the book will shine an even bigger light on what is important to know for the business world. Departmental information systems for example are a collection of applications in a single department. That means there are multiple departments in a company, leading to hundreds of applications. The article I picked shows that in the next 3-5 years anyone in the business world needs to be highly educated on the digital part of business to keep a job in the industry, or even get considered for a job. The digital world is not going to stop growing and neither should we.

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Digital Business/ Disruption- Claire Riddle

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Digital Business/ Disruption- Claire Riddle

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In the article "Top 5 Technologies for Digital Disruption," Gil Press discusses the 5 technologies he thinks will make an incredible difference in the business world.  As a society, we are becoming so demanding to where businesses are failing because they are not up to date with the latest technology trends.  Gil breaks down each technology function he believes is crucial for a busness to create competive advatage and stay profitable.  From intelligent agents, virtual reality, IoT software and solutions, to AI and cognitive technology, and lastly hybrid wireless technologies, businesses will be able to interact with and understand their customers, use machines to mimick humans to do work, and change the whole customer experience.  He said over half of the businesses that made technological improvements and made strides into the digital world were more profitable. The key is to find capabilities that aren't yet here, and to work with technologies until they do that function.

Working in retail for a while as well as being a customer, it is clear that technology is extremely important to stay in business.  Today, you basically need to be up to date with the latest technology trends or else customers will go somewhere else.  Many people believe that machines and intelligent technologies are just taking away jobs from people. In my opinion, people will make the machines do certain work to improve efficiency so that the human worker can do other tasks. With it being a relatively new thing, I think a lot of jobs will be created from the use of technology.  It will only grow from here, but it will be beneficial for both customers and businesses.

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Digital disruption is the flip side of digital opportunity. Established companies and startups alike enlist new technologies in the fight to dislodge incumbents, protect entrenched positions, or re-invent entire industries and business activities.

To help business and IT executives evaluate emerging technologies and their potential impact on the digital transformation of their organizations, Forrester recently published " Top Technologies for Digital Predators, 2017," a detailed analysis of 15 emerging technologies with a wide range of disruptive potential and time-to-impact. Here's my summary description of the 5 technologies with the highest potential to create competitive advantage, change markets, or alter the business landscape altogether:
Intelligent Agents
AI solutions that can interact with their users, learn their behavior and understand their needs, and even make decisions on their behalf. Today's prototypes include Amazon's Alexa, Microsoft's Cortana, Google Now and Google Home, and Apple's Siri. The landscape for this emerging technology is expanding rapidly to include a wide range of chatbots, virtual agents, robotic process automation, and other digital assistants. Personalized, high-quality experiences promise to increase customer loyalty and reduce customer attrition. As minders of internal processes, Intelligent Agents also promise to reduce costs, improve productivity and optimize all types of business activities. Example of current use: Artificial Intelligence From Salesforce Partner DigitalGenius To Boost KLM Customer Service.
Augmented and Virtual Reality
Augmented reality (AR) overlays digital information and experiences on the physical world while virtual reality (VR) creates a new interactive digital environment. AR has the potential to radically change the customer experience (especially in retail) and the way employees perform their work (e.g., assisting in machinery maintenance). VR will have a more limited impact, but can play a disruptive role in consumer applications. Example of current use: Lowe's Introduces In-Store Navigation Using Augmented Reality.
IoT Software and Solutions
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5 Top Technologies for Digital Disruption

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Digital disruption is the flip side of digital opportunity. Established companies and startups alike enlist new technologies in the fight to dislodge incumbents, protect entrenched positions, or re-invent entire industries and business activities.

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While using google to find an article about digital business, I came across an article by the name of "The Risk of Changing Your Prices Too Often." On the website titled Harvard Business review,  Utpal M. Dholakia explains how the technology today has allowed popular sites such as Amazon change prices frequently. However, managers who aren't setting prices digitally are struggling to come up with price tactics without the help of technology.

According to Dholakia, price changes were historically expensive and time consuming. Large companies had to recalculate, type up, and mail price lists to distributors and customers. Following that, the companies also had to print catalogs, labels, and signs. All of the above was done by actual employees.

With recent technology,  prices can be changed by the help of software and dynamic pricing methods. Having technology do the work lead to managers changing prices more frequently. Flash sales, promos that were only offered for a limited amount of time, and deals that varied every day started flooding digital businesses. With the digital sales and price changes companies hoped to hook individuals into buy their products.

This made buying decisions way too difficult for the common consumer. Having so many sales opportunities left customers not knowing when to buy the product they're after. Soon many websites caught onto this hook for business which confused individuals even further.

Personally being the big online shopper I am, I can definitely relate to the confusion with sales. After constant e-mails about flash sales and promos, knowing when to buy a product has become a challenge.

URL for the article
https://hbr.org/2015/07/the-risks-of-changing-your-prices-too-often

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 Keegan Bailey's Interpretation of "What So Many Strategists Get Wrong About Digital Disruption" by Freek Vermeulen for HBR.ORG

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 Keegan Bailey's Interpretation of "What So Many Strategists Get Wrong About Digital Disruption" by Freek Vermeulen for HBR.ORG

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When searching for articles to fulfill the criteria for this assignment, I stumbled-upon an article on the Harvard Business Review (HBR) website titled, "What So Many Strategists Get Wrong About Digital Disruption". However, it was the not the title of the article that caught my attention, but rather the first name of the author, which is highly unusual. The article discussed the main misconceptions that surround the concept of 'digital disruption' and how some organizations are utilizing fear of this construct for monetary gain. The first of these misconceptions is titled, "Network effects: The winner does not always take all." As the title suggests, in most cases, he who has the greatest network often experiences great success. However, the article uses Uber as an example of a company that hasn't necessarily reaped the commonly-expected benefits of a large network, as it experienced a sizable loss during the first half of 2016. The second is titled, "Complements are not Substitutes." This title is less self explanatory, as this segment of the article is in reference to technology updates, which may attempt to push-out or compete with current methods of accomplishing some tasks. It argues that, although technological advances are occurring at a rapid pace, most serve as compliments to current processes, rather than substitutes for them entirely; it is not always necessary or smart for companies to replace their old ways of accomplishing tasks as soon as updated methods become available. The third misconception is titled, "Geography (still) matters." This basically sheds light on the fact that human interaction on a face-to-face basis is something that will likely never be completely phased-out and that it is unwise to expect such to occur smoothly in a business in which in-person customer relations is standard. The fourth and final misconception is titled, "Speed. Not so fast?" and addresses the fallacy that companies must change rapidly with the times in order to stay afloat. There are many organizations that rely on long-held traditions which customers have grown to trust.

Going into this class, it was my understanding that businesses must embrace certain, technological updates in order to stay afloat. However, this article has changed that misconception, as I now understand the value of holding-on to what customers love, while also taking speed, efficiency, and quality into consideration. Both are equally important. As the old saying goes, "The customer is always right." and this article indicates that it goes deeper than mere surface interactions.

Article link:
https://hbr.org/2017/01/what-so-many-strategists-get-wrong-about-digital-disruption

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I chose an article by Lundberg Media called "What is Digital Business" Prior to this class, I have heard the term digital business online and around my father but I never really knew what it meant. Sure, it is easy to assume that digital business means online business but it is much more complex than that.

There is a lot of misconceptions and a lack of a concrete definition when it comes to what digital business really is. The article discusses how it is OK for different businesses to have their own definitions for the term, as long as they have one

The analogy "it's not the big fish that wins the day, it's the fast fish" is very accurate in terms of digital business. It is important for businesses to stay ahead of competition and with a lot of digital disruption this is crucial. There is a section in the article where it is noted how Netflix is considered one of the world's largest "movie theaters", yet it does not operate a single theater. This shows how digital disruption is already around us.

Successful digital business means finding new ways of interacting with customers and revolutionizing the purchasing experience. While reading this article, I thought of the MS Access videos that we have been watching, as Access would be a very useful tool to gather data about customers and their wants and needs. This, in return helps digital business thrive and businesses find ways to revolutionize the online digital business experience for all involved in the market.

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"Digital Disruption Is Changing Business Roles" - CBR 10May2017, as understood by Eric McGuigan

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"Digital Disruption Is Changing Business Roles" - CBR 10May2017, as understood by Eric McGuigan

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After googling 'digital business and digital disruption', I found an article posted by Computer Business Review on 10May2017 that really caught my attention.

The article uses two points to support the thesis that traditional roles are being changed as quickly as the change of technology, as the job of CIO isn't necessarily a position being filled by candidates with technical backgrounds but now candidates from marketing or sales backgrounds.

The first position is that "a successful business unit cannot be ran, much less transformed, without some understanding of technology." The second position is that because technology evolves so quickly, "technical skills don't stay relevant for long."

In my role as a Business Analyst for the IT Operations group at Ford, I witness daily the value of interpersonal, project management and analytic skills in the IT space.

This article really struck a tone with when I thought about this: We're currently learning about MS Access in class, and simultaneously I'm working with a group of developers at Ford to replace a tool built with Access so we can move towards a web-based platform.

Mind=blown

http://www.cbronline.com/digital-transformation/digital-disruption-changing-business-roles/

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I chose an article from Forbes titled, "Digital Business is Everyone's Business." This articles main topic talks about the future and what business will look like for us. It describes how digital business will become the main form of business for our future. This is because of how rapidly it's already starting to grow, and how advanced it will become. Another main point the article talks about is how digital business skills are going to be a key factor when dealing with any sort of job position in this field. Since technology and business are always changing, business men and women are going to have to change with the times as well.

This article goes to show that IT is going nowhere but to the future, and is only going to get more advanced as time goes on. Keeping up with digital business will be key for any future that someone wants to have in business. Digital business won't necessarily impact the customers as much as it's going to affect companies in major ways.

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Gartner, Inc
By 2020, more than seven billion people and businesses, and at least 30 billion devices, will be connected to the Internet. With people, businesses and things communicating, transacting, and even negotiating with each other, a new world comes into being - the world of digital business.

Digital business is the creation of new business designs by blurring the digital and physical worlds. It promises to usher in an unprecedented convergence of people, business and things that disrupts existing business models - even those born of the Internet and e-business eras.

What makes digital business different from e-business is the presence and integration of things, connected and intelligent, with people and business. This could be the incorporation of greater intelligence and sensors into jet aircraft engines to improve passenger jet performance and to reduce the need for aircraft maintenance.

In retail, digital business could involve providing retail fashion customers a world with seamless integration between the digital and physical that blends the boundaries between the two. For example, a customer would enter a retail apparel store, try on a coat, and the store systems would know this had happened. They would then project an image of the buyer on a screen with the coat on and propose some accessories or alternatives that would go well with the new clothes, all the time taking into consideration any price limits placed by the customer in the process of discussing their purchases.

Another example would be the ability to reassess loan portfolio risk for a bank with real-time reporting directly from financed physical assets. This could happen, for example, in the course of a car crash. Systems on the car would not only let the first responders know of the crash and the condition of the occupants and the car, they would also notify the bank, so it can assess its risk portfolio in real time. Say the owner was in no condition to make payments if they were not directly working- that would say the bank needs to prepare for a loan default.

Some may confuse the Internet of Things with digital business. The Internet of Things plays a crucial role in a digital business, but it is much more than this. The Internet of Things as, Gartner defines it, is the network of physical objects that contain embedded technology to communicate and interact with their internal states or the external environment.

Digital business is about the creation of new business designs by blurring the physical and digital world. It is about the interaction and negotiations between, business, and things. It is when things starts to negotiate amongst themselves as well as people and business that we start to see how we have entered an entirely new and disruptive world. In the past, people were a proxy for things in business. In the future, things will be an agent for themselves and will thus shift that way a business views its opportunities.

The fact is that digital business will disrupt all industries and business executives, CIOs and technology providers will need to think differently to help their businesses avoid disruption. This is a new world that makes the prior ones obsolete while creating massive opportunities for those who can visualize the opportunity. Business executives who understand the digital industrial economy of 2020 will play a leading role in helping their organizations win in this new era.

Successful business leaders will need digital business skills. While new roles, such as a chief digital officer, will emerge as catalyst roles, all business leaders and CIOs will need to develop digital leadership and technology capabilities to define and execute a digital strategy. In 2020, digital leadership skills will be assumed for all business leaders and on a par with other executive skills such as finance.

Business leaders who do not respond to the challenge of digital business will find their own careers sidetracked. CIOs who do not respond to the leadership challenge may end up as custodians of infrastructure and back-end technology only. In 2020, the new digital business technology organization will coordinate the business-critical digital business architectures and back-office IT.

The promise of digital business is that a universe of applications and digitalized assets that work together almost automatically will allow very rapid development of new capabilities that will yield competitive advantage. The reality will be that the billions of things, humans and businesses that are connected together will require sophisticated engineering, integration and orchestration to fulfill the promise of a future of people, business and things.

Digital technology drives improvement at the traditional business process and business model levels. However, the differentiating fight will be for "business moments" - the third level of digital reinvention created by the need to compete with increased speed and agility. Technologies such as the Internet of Things and 3D printing will enable new digital business processes, models and moments.

For example, a critical part shipped from Canada could find itself stopped at the border as customs agents decide to further examine a line of trucks containing goods for the US. The critical part would know it is not moving because it would have GPS as well as some amount of intelligence to know it needs to be at a destination in a time shorter than left with the delay. The part would then communicate via the Internet to find other parts like itself that could be rerouted and substitute for the one that is delayed. At the same time, arrangements would be made to reroute the delayed part to the customer who did not have the time critical need.

Organizations that excel in the digital industrial economy will be those that can become more technologically capable and sophisticated. Their digital stories will be written in technology.
Jorge Lopez is a vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner, where he focuses on issues of concern to business executives, especially the CEO, and their relationship to IT and the CIO.

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By Jorge Lopez Gartner, Inc By 2020, more than seven billion people and businesses, and at least 30 billion devices, will be connected to the Internet. With people, businesses and things communicating, transacting, and even negotiating with each other, a new world comes into being - the world of digital business.

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In the article “What so many strategists get wrong about Digital Disruption” Free Vermuelen discusses what he believes are the top 4 misconceptions about digital disruption. While he does agree that no industry is immune to disruption, he believes that the impact differs between a normal business and digital giants such as Facebook and amazon.com. The first misconception he covers is that in the digital world, winner takes all. He agrees that in situations such as social media, this is true (almost everyone is on facebook) but he gave an example of the Taxi industry, where users have two separate apps on their smartphones, and they will check both apps to find out which taxi is closest and has the best rate. The second misconception is that new technology will replace old technology. While this is true in situations such as email taking over the fax machine, but that in most businesses, digital technology will be an added complement to an existing business model. The third misconception is geography no longer matters, because we can instantaneously communicate with anyone, anywhere around the world. He points out that the management consulting industry still requires human interaction to be successful. The fourth misconception is that change happens fast, and companies have to change fast as well to keep up with the industry. He suggests that sometimes it’s better to not change at all immediately, and give things time to play out. This allows companies to distinguish between fads and substantial developments.

This article aligns with what we covered in chapter 2 - that market pressures and technology pressures have a huge impact on business models, and innovation strategies cause constant change in any given industry. It reinforced the fact that digital is the driving force in current competitive advantage strategies. The article did help me understand that digital technology will affect different industries in different ways.
https://hbr.org/2017/01/what-so-many-strategists-get-wrong-about-digital-disruption

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Digital Business – Michelle Bartus                                               In this article, What “digital” really means. Karel Dorner talks about how business needs to create value with technology, known as digital.  Technology is the way of doing business, and it builds the foundation of a lot of businesses today.  Karel talks about how there is three components to digital, creating value at the part of the new business world, creating value in the process of customer experience, and building a foundation of the business.  Without these components, digital loses it credit and gets lost in the business.  Digital is important, but also needs to be looked at to make sure businesses aren’t getting ahead of themselves on trends.  Businesses need to understand their customer, and understand their behaviors to make their experience a top notch experience.  Reading this article, made me more aware of the digital world, and how businesses rely on it to succeed in today’s world.  Without the internet, some businesses don’t advertise.  Individuals read online reviews only, from certain businesses creating decisions before leaving their house.  Online reviews, have changed over the years, and have created data that is readily available for consumers to see before they go out into the world.   

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Digital Business – Michelle Bartus                                               In this article, What “digital” really means. Karel Dorner talks about how business needs to create value with technology, known as digital.  Technology is the way of doing business, and it builds the foundation of a lot of businesses today.  Karel talks about how there is three components to digital, creating value at the part of the new business world, creating value in the process of customer experience, and building a foundation of the business.  Without these components, digital loses it credit and gets lost in the business.  Digital is important, but also needs to be looked at to make sure businesses aren’t getting ahead of themselves on trends.  Businesses need to understand their customer, and understand their behaviors to make their experience a top notch experience.  Reading this article, made me more aware of the digital world, and how businesses rely on it to succeed in today’s world.  Without the internet, some businesses don’t advertise.  Individuals read online reviews only, from certain businesses creating decisions before leaving their house.  Online reviews, have changed over the years, and have created data that is readily available for consumers to see before they go out into the world.   

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http://www.mckinsey.com/industries/high-tech/our-insights/what-digital-really-means

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Companies today are rushing headlong to become more digital. But what does digital really mean?

For some executives, it's about technology. For others, digital is a new way of engaging with customers. And for others still, it represents an entirely new way of doing business. None of these definitions is necessarily incorrect. But such diverse perspectives often trip up leadership teams because they reflect a lack of alignment and common vision about where the business needs to go. This often results in piecemeal initiatives or misguided efforts that lead to missed opportunities, sluggish performance, or false starts.

Even as CEOs push forward with their digital agendas, it's worth pausing to clarify vocabulary and sharpen language. Business leaders must have a clear and common understanding of exactly what digital means to them and, as a result, what it means to their business (for a deeper look at how companies can develop meaningful digital strategies and drive business performance, see " Raising your Digital Quotient ").

It's tempting to look for simple definitions, but to be meaningful and sustainable, we believe that digital should be seen less as a thing and more a way of doing things. To help make this definition more concrete, we've broken it down into three attributes: creating value at the new frontiers of the business world, creating value in the processes that execute a vision of customer experiences, and building foundational capabilities that support the entire structure.

Creating value at new frontiers

Being digital requires being open to reexamining your entire way of doing business and understanding where the new frontiers of value are. For some companies, capturing new frontiers may be about developing entirely new businesses in adjacent categories; for others, it may be about identifying and going after new value pools in existing sectors.

Unlocking value from emerging growth sectors requires a commitment to understanding the implications of developments in the marketplace and evaluating how they may present opportunities or threats. The Internet of Things, for example, is starting to open opportunities for disrupters to use unprecedented levels of data precision to identify flaws in existing value chains. In the automotive industry, cars connected to the outside world have expanded the frontiers for self-navigation and in-car entertainment. In the logistics industry, the use of sensors, big data, and analytics has enabled companies to improve the efficiency of their supply-chain operations.

At the same time, being digital means being closely attuned to how customer decision journeys are evolving in the broadest sense. That means understanding how customer behaviors and expectations are developing inside and outside your business, as well as outside your sector, which is crucial to getting ahead of trends that can deliver or destroy value.

Creating value in core businesses

Digital's next element is rethinking how to use new capabilities to improve how customers are served. This is grounded in an obsession with understanding each step of a customer's purchasing journey-regardless of channel-and thinking about how digital capabilities can design and deliver the best possible experience, across all parts of the business. For example, the supply chain is critical to developing the flexibility, efficiency, and speed to deliver the right product efficiently in a way the customer wants. By the same token, data and metrics can focus on delivering insights about customers that in turn drive marketing and sales decisions.

Critically, digital isn't about just working to deliver a one-off customer journey. It's about implementing a cyclical dynamic where processes and capabilities are constantly evolving based on inputs from the customer, fostering ongoing product or service loyalty. Making this happen requires an interconnected set of four core capabilities:

Proactive decision making. Relevance is the currency of the digital age. This requires making decisions, based on intelligence, that deliver content and experiences that are personalized and relevant to the customer. Remembering customer preferences is a basic example of this capability, but it also extends to personalizing and optimizing the next step in the customer's journey. Data providers such as ClickFox, for example, blend data from multiple channels into one view of what customers are doing and what happens as a result. In the back office, analytics and intelligence provide near-real-time insights into customer needs and behaviors that then determine the types of messages and offers to deliver to the customer.

Contextual interactivity. This means analyzing how a consumer is interacting with a brand and modifying those interactions to improve the customer experience. For example, the content and experience may adapt as a customer shifts from a mobile phone to a laptop or from evaluating a brand to making a purchasing decision. The rising number of customer interactions generates a stream of intelligence that allows brands to make better decisions about what their customers want. And the rapid rise of wearable technology and the Internet of Things represents the latest wave of touchpoints that will enable companies to blend digital and physical experiences even more.

Real-time automation. To support this cyclical give-and-take dynamic with customers and help them complete a task now requires extensive automation. Automation of customer interactions can boost the number of self-service options that help resolve problems quickly, personalize communications to be more relevant, and deliver consistent customer journeys no matter the channel, time, or device. Automating the supply chain and core business processes can drive down costs, but it's also crucial to providing companies with more flexibility to respond to and anticipate customer demand.

Journey-focused innovation. Serving customers well gives companies permission to be innovative in how they interact with and sell to them. That may include, for example, expanding existing customer journeys into new businesses and services that extend the relationship with the customer, ideally to the benefit of both parties. These innovations in turn fuel more interactions, create more information, and increase the value of the customer-brand relationship.

Building foundational digital capabilities

The final element of our definition of digital is about the technological and organizational processes that allow an enterprise to be agile and fast. This foundation is made up of two elements:

Mind-sets. Being digital is about using data to make better and faster decisions, devolving decision making to smaller teams, and developing much more iterative and rapid ways of doing things. Thinking in this way shouldn't be limited to just a handful of functions. It should incorporate a broad swath of how companies operate, including creatively partnering with external companies to extend necessary capabilities. A digital mind-set institutionalizes cross-functional collaboration, flattens hierarchies, and builds environments to encourage the generation of new ideas. Incentives and metrics are developed to support such decision-making agility.

Would you like to learn more about our Digital Practice?

System and data architecture. Digital in the context of IT is focused on creating a two-part environment that decouples legacy systems-which support critical functions and run at a slower pace-from those that support fast-moving, often customer-facing interactions. A key feature of digitized IT is the commitment to building networks that connect devices, objects, and people. This approach is embodied in a continuous-delivery model where cross-functional IT teams automate systems and optimize processes to be able to release and iterate on software quickly.

Digital is about unlocking growth now. How companies might interpret or act on that definition will vary, but having a clear understanding of what digital means allows business leaders to develop a shared vision of how it can be used to capture value.

About the author(s)

Karel Dörner is a principal in McKinsey's Munich office, and David Edelman is a principal in the Boston office.

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Companies today are rushing headlong to become more digital. But what does digital really mean? For some executives, it's about technology. For others, digital is a new way of engaging with customers. And for others still, it represents an entirely new way of doing business. None of these definitions is necessarily incorrect.

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The digital age is upon us and businesses can either transform or be disrupted. The way we do everything is changing and the world around us is moving at a much faster pace. This article talks about how to build your business for the future and covers the importance of utilizing technology in order to increase value for your customers in ways like never before.

This article demonstrates to me that IT is growing and innovating the business world in a major way. In order to be successful, you need to be able to adapt to change and be creative. In doing so, you will gain a competitive advantage. Business should use technology to their advantage, to expand their horizons and reach a whole new way of achieving success.

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Digital is ready to change everything with a promise to reinvent your industry as you know it. Simply put, it will redefine business models. Today, digital giants are blazing a trail of growth to prove their prowess.

Search engine giant Google is foraying into payments, operating systems, social networking, communications, and automobile segment. China's e-commerce juggernaut Alibaba is making inroads into finance, payments, cloud and online insurance industry. The app-based tax aggregator Uber is reimaging urban transportation with on-demand air transport with flying cars besides sniffing for long-term business opportunities in food delivery. Electric car major Tesla is muscling its way into battery storage and solar panels. Taking a cue from the futuristic organizations in the business ecosystem, software behemoth Microsoft is limbering up for the cloud and mobile race.

Not for nothing is it said that the best way to predict the future is to create it. These forward-thinking organizations are disrupting themselves to avoid getting disrupted.

In a feature with ETCIO, VS Parthasarathy, Group CIO & Group CFO, Mahindra & Mahindra discusses the strategic roadmap for digital business transformation

Digital is the way to business development
The future of digital business is ICE- Innovation and Adaptability, Climate Change and Experiential Commerce. This is an S curve of epic nature and those who are able to look at these three dimensions will survive and thrive in the digital era.

The pace of change is dramatic. So the best way to outpace, outmaneuver and outthink disruption is to unleash the power of strategic partnership, new business model, digital technology, value creation, customer focus, platforms and shared services.

"Strategic partnership will play a key role in the digital era. Collaboration and alliances in the digital era will define and defy conventional logic. So organizations should foster a "collaboration first" culture internally across business units. They should make 360-degree alliances with industry players and policy makers. They should harness industry-wide best practices and lessons from failure," says VS Parthasarathy, Group CIO & Group CFO, Mahindra & Mahindra.

Organizations should use shared platform to reduce the risk of technology adoption. They should create collaborative digital B2B platforms and harness technologies like cloud and open source.

Businesses will find themselves caught up in the whirlwind of change. But two factors will remain constant- customer and value. Businesses can no longer hinge on a fuzzy customer focus. In the digital era ownership of products and services will mean ownership of experience. We are entering an age of experiential commerce. In their quest to provide an experience- based product or service, organizations will strive to create business moments. Analytics of Everything which is an amalgamation of insights from people, process, business, machine and things will help enterprises create business moments.

"Value creation is at the heart of digital transformation. Companies can capitalize on digital to create new business models. Technology plays a definitive role in designing these business models. Companies like Uber and Airbnb have launched paradigm shifting innovation using technology," he states.

Several organizations are thriving on open innovation by crowdsourcing ideas from within and outside. Some are creating corporate garage within their organization. Whatever approach organizations take to digital they need to ensure that their business model is based on B2C (Built to Change) IT systems.

ABCD- the lingua franca of digital business
Analytics, biometrics, cloud and digital are the building blocks of a digital business.

The next generation analytics will be a heady mixture of cloud, Internet of Everything, AI, machine learning, data mining and predictive modeling.

"An analytics-driven business culture enterprises will have to make insights a way of life. An insight a day keeps the blues of disruption away. Organizations should get an insight every day to help them disrupt themselves before someone disrupts their business," Parthasarathy outlines.

Change from being in IT to BT is the biggest chasm that CIOs will have to cross. "If the ability to spearhead digital transformation comes through some other route then the CIOs will be destined to remain the data center manager. If you are slow to catch up CIOs will be out of the race," he cautions.

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Analytics, biometrics, cloud, and digital is the new ABCD of business: VS Parthasarathy, Mahindra & Mahindra - ET CIO

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Digital is ready to change everything with a promise to reinvent your industry as you know it. Simply put, it will redefine business models. Today, digital giants are blazing a trail of growth to prove their prowess. Search engine giant Google is foraying into payments, operating systems, social networking, communications, and automobile segment.

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Digital Business Disruption - Joshua "Louis" Mehay - https://ibm.co/2rATjdF

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Digital Business Disruption - Joshua "Louis" Mehay - https://ibm.co/2rATjdF

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One thing that I think most of us can agree on is the new age has brought change. This change has been dubbed the "Digital Revolution", We have been through others the most impactful before this was the industrial revolution.
With Revolutions, things change or they become instinct.  We see this across America and the World. Companies such as Amazon and Google thrive and "traditional" retailers from Target to JcPenny Suffer.
This has made mergers and completely changed the retail landscape. Nothing has been left to be entire industries have been redefined.
*Personal note, for those of us that have embraced and become immersed in the digital revolution (Millennial's Mainly) we are the future and new ideas and structure will soon be open to Our design and traditional will surrender to us.*
The speed of the game is the most unbelievable to traditionalist. Everything is faster, from supply chains to the information getting to the consumer. Also things have more of an impact than they have in the past.
- This article suggest the following to CIO's in the Digital Age;
- Embrace Risk Taking, this to me means make a change, take a shot, but be ready to change on the fly and make it so that a quick change is seamless instead of devastating.
- Make you business smaller and much more agile. Operators need a broad strategy, by the time a hyper focused "Perfect Plan" is devised the market and landscape has likely changed again.
- Drive with Data. The ease of access and ability to disseminate data is easy, use that to your advantage. The numbers matter.

The summary is to be quick, agile, adapt to change and frequently make changes. Go beyond market forecast make the next landscape change is the only way to stay on top of it. Be different just like everyone else. Thank you for Reading!

*This article origin was LinkedIn*
*Below is the link, also in the title*
https://ibm.co/2rATjdF

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"Why digital disruption leaves no room for bimodal IT" by Clint Coulton, explains how the evolving digital world is leaving the two track IT method in the dust.  No longer can their only be 2 modes, stable and free-thinking.  One mode cannot handle the bulk of technology, and the second helm the experimentation and agility (i.e. R&D).
Most companies have used bimodal IT even in 2017, 71% of the top companies said it improved innovation.  But just as in life, if everyone is doing it, it is no longer special, it is normal.  The customer is moving too fast and CIOs (Chief Information Officer) have to move with the customer.  This means overhauling their method and work together.  The article uses agile and DevOps as a solution to the problem.  having everyone work together and get a "minimum viable product out the door” then they get customer feedback and can refine the product.

This article helped build upon what I have learned in this class, by showing a current tech issue facing many companies, but still keeping with the tradition of technology.  The digital world is constantly evolving and even proven and true business methods will need to be overhauled or scrapped to keep up, if everything around you is changing and evolving, you must not become stagnant, instead you must adapt to your surroundings.

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Saying bimodal IT is dead may be a tad premature. But as digital disruption continues to sweep across sectors -- driven by companies such as Amazon.com, Uber and Airbnb -- two-speed IT is beginning to look and feel antiquated. Some CIOs and consultants argue that the operating model hinders innovation at a time when companies must accelerate their digital initiatives.

Introduced by Gartner in 2014, bimodal IT splits technology departments into two groups: a stable mode (Mode 1) where the bulk of technology is carefully cultivated and refined and a second mode (Mode 2) that espouses experimentation, free-thinking and agility. Forking IT into separate tracks made sense a few years ago, as many CIOs worked to plug gaps in talent, process and technology, Forrester Research analyst Matthew Guarini tells CIO.com.

Marketing, sales and other departments consumed cloud software in the shadows, sending CIOs scrambling to accommodate them. But CIOs also recognized that they needed to move faster to counter digital rivals and incumbent competitors. CIOs paced development of ERP and other systems of record deliberately while fast-tracking innovation. The fast track ran in parallel to the slow track. Many companies have embraced and enjoyed success with bimodal IT. Gartner said in its 2017 CIO survey that 71 percent of top performing companies report that bimodal IT improves innovation.

Why bimodal no longer works

But bimodal is proving untenable at a time when CIOs are overhauling their technology operating models to move at the speed of the customer. A major reason for the disconnect is that bimodal bifurcates the IT department, pitting cool kids focused on cutting-edge technologies and innovation, (such as mobile apps and voice recognition), against developers grinding their way through ERP implementations or supply chain revamps.

The slow versus fast teams creates competing cultures, posing operational challenges, Guarini says. "If you continue to do bimodal, the gap [between the IT departments] is going to get bigger and bigger and bigger and cause more and more problems," Guarini says. "At some point you have to throw the reins off and accelerate and it's a lot easier with a common culture."

Guarini says CIOs need to adopt cohesive business technology models, which include modern technology platforms and processes. Key ingredients include cloud software, microservices and APIs. Agile and DevOps, which includes continuous integration, testing and deployment, are the preferred development models. Code that previously took weeks or months to update was updated in minutes or days.

Many CIOs have discovered that they can complete more projects more quickly in agile and DevOps. And they argue that bimodal won't work as they race to stay ahead of incumbent competitors, digital startups, regulations and other obstacles. CIOs need to get minimum viable products out the door, learn from customer feedback and refine the products. They are operating as product developers rather than order takers. As Trevor Schulze, CIO of chipmaker Micron Technology, told peers at the Forbes CIO Summit last month, "If you're asked to run revenue and you're asked to deliver something to a customer that has a check associated with it your whole mindset has to change."

Adapt or perish

Take creating a mobile application intended for retail customers, for example. Developers who race to code the app in the agile or DevOps models shouldn't get bogged down as it seeks to pull data from the ERP, a company's crucial system of record, which has historically been built in waterfall. CIOs know they can create a workaround, typically in the form of an API service call, to extract the data from the transactional system, Guarini says. This is the hallmark of a business technology strategy designed to win, serve and retain customers. But it's just as crucial to adapt your processes to business technology.

Singtel established a customer experience learning program for more than 800 IT employees in Singapore and Australia, Guarini says. Every member of the IT staff went through a one-day awareness program covering IT service levels, customer journeys, and key technology touchpoints. IT also used a Net Promoter Score measurement program tied to employee key performance indicators.

Guarini says that mature digital companies will look to extend the fast-paced ethos beyond IT to other business functions, just as companies leveraged Six Sigma across their entire enterprise, Guarini says. That we're-all-in-this-together mindset often requires a cultural shakeup that is hard to affect but must start with the CEO.

"The company will look to the CEO for the overall challenge, and your team will look to you for leadership," Guarini and fellow Forrester Research analyst Tim Sheedy wrote in a research report last month. "Your actions must demonstrate the core set of values that will be important to your business going forward. Agility, innovation, and speed should be central to this new culture." Those who don't run the risk of watching their companies perish.

"I think two-speed IT is dead," said Ralf Dreischmeier, global leader of The Boston Consulting Group's Technology Advantage Practice, at the Forbes CIO Summit. "There is only one speed of IT that exists today and that is fast."

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Why digital disruption leaves no room for bimodal IT

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Saying bimodal IT is dead may be a tad premature. But as digital disruption continues to sweep across sectors -- driven by companies such as Amazon.com, Uber and Airbnb -- two-speed IT is beginning to look and feel antiquated. Some CIOs and consultants argue that the operating model hinders innovation at a time when companies must accelerate their digital initiatives.

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In the article “Digital disruption is coming but most businesses don’t have a plan”, senior writer Thor Olavsrud explains how most businesses are either aware of this, or it has already taken place and businesses are failing.  Microsoft sponsored a survey which found eighty percent of businesses from a wide range of industries feel that a digital disruption is coming, half of them believing that traditional business models will be obsolete by the year 2020, and yet fewer than half are actually ready.

Abbie Lundberg of the Harvard Business Review explains in some detail how companies can either struggle, or thrive.  To begin with, a strong “digital leader” is important, but you also need plan, or a strategy.  Whether a company is digital or not, the CIO or other leadership, plays an extremely important role to help with the transformation by being proactive, inventive, and assertive.

Microsoft underwent their own digital transformation over the last few years, by changing the company culture, and becoming more customer focused.  The work they have done with their digital culture is the cause for their success.  Microsoft, having undergone this change, is now helping other companies with their digital changes too.  Many of these companies realize that they, too, need to be customer focused.  The mix of technologies are rapidly changing, and with these changes, companies need to change too, if they haven’t already, if they plan to succeed.
http://www.cio.com/article/3193746/it-industry/digital-disruption-is-coming-but-most-businesses-dont-have-a-plan.html

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I decided to research digital business and why it’s important to fully understand what digital business is all about. The article “Why It’s Important To Understand The Digital Business” by Cory Crosland ( A writer at CIO) talks about how to understand digital business and how to take your first steps in being successful in a digital marketplace. Cory goes onto to talk about the 3 “pillars” of successful digital businesses. They are market insight, a collaborative leadership team, and one or more technology platforms.

Digital market insight is useful to see and understand the market around you. Along with how you can be different from other businesses allowing you to be successful. You will also need a team of intelligent and talented leaders to help put your ideas in motions, and to help choreograph different departments to achieve your business goals. Lastly, is the pillar of technological platforms.  This is the pillar that will allow you to fulfill your goals and objectives of your business, as well as help you create new digital business ideas by bringing them to life.

This article made me realize just how much of an impact technology has on any type of business. We use technology so much that I think we may sometimes forget how often we use it. Knowing that technology can help invasion your business goals, and objects, makes this course that much more useful outside of the classroom.

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For the last 50 years, enterprise software traditionally solved a business problem by providing a software stack. Human Resources needed a problem solved, there is a stack for that. Accounting, same thing, Marketing, got one too. And hopefully, there would be a nice database on the back-end to tie it all together. This model has driven significant efficiencies in business over the years. And, if you continue to develop, implement and manage your applications in this manner, you are on the wrong side of history. The future of enterprise software is the digital business.

You can probably sense the limitations of the current business model. While inefficiencies have been wrung out of the system, very little fundamental business innovation has occurred from leveraging these technology platforms. Sure, stacks have been moved to the cloud and apps are integrated with back-end systems. However, it is a rare occurrence when a new platform focuses on the organization's business needs over technology capabilities.

In a recent article, long-time technologist and author Larry Loeb, puts the potential digital marketplace at about 11 percent of the Global market or slightly more than $11 trillion. Loeb's market estimates are supported by and, in fact, based on studies and predictions from major global analyst firms that include Gartner, Forrester, McKinsey and Accenture.

So how is a digital business different from doing business digitally?

A successful digital business is supported by three primary pillars

First and foremost, a digital business is a fundamentally different mindset, manner and way of approaching how your organization delivers products or services to a marketplace. On a more granular level, a successful digital business is supported by three primary pillars -- market insight, a collaborative leadership team and one or more technology platforms. From a technology perspective, a digital business will include one or more software platforms leveraging the best technology available for your business requirements.

This combination of market insight and technology will be architected, driven and guided from the beginning to address the needs uncovered by a cross-functional team of business leaders and technology engineers who maintain this holistic focus on building increased organizational value. And, once the digital business is built, just like any business, in order for it to succeed it will require consistent care and feeding.

Digital market insight is no different than any other form of market awareness or business understanding. It represents your organization's ability to identify market challenges leading to opportunities based on your ability to meet these needs by employing technologies. Key to successful digital market insight is the ability to define business success metrics within a given opportunity. Your organization's view of success provides milestones for both future digital business development and ensures business development efforts do not become over-focused on technology but remain dedicated to building your business.

In order to keep your digital business activities on track you should assemble a team capable of blending business strategy with an expertise in engineering technologies across all devices. These leaders will begin by articulating a clear and concise business vision to all business and engineering team members involved. This collaboration ensures that engineers are immersed in the business vision and developing the digital platform with a complete understanding of the purpose behind each technology decision.

The final pillar of success for your digital business is the platform or technologies that enable it to fulfill the business vision, goals and objectives you originally identified when deciding to expand or create a new digital business.

Digital businesses use technology as a tool for innovation not as an end goal

You may think so far we've somewhat played down the technology or platform component in the digital business development process. As counterintuitive as that may seem, the reason is simple. What separates digital businesses from platforms is the emphasis on the business, not the technology. Digital businesses use technology as a tool for innovation not as an end goal. The digital platform must drive real business value throughout the organization as one piece of the larger process.

The value of your digital business will ultimately be determined by how well your market insight, leadership team and platform development come together to realize and accomplish your initial business vision. Metrics for success will be tied closely to your digital business' purpose, market and organizational needs.

There are the many intrinsic benefits for organizations that build successful digital businesses that include reduced overhead and time-to-market as well as increased productivity and improved customer service. However, the more important benefits derived from developing a digital business include the ability of your organization to rapidly develop and move into new markets; uncover and form partnerships; reach new customers and expand your brand with new and existing customers as an innovator, among many others.

Regardless of the type of business you are in or how global market predictions may eventually play out, building a successful digital business plan is no longer an option, it is an imperative for survival. Understanding what a digital business is and how it relates to your current operations is the first step to achieving success in the global digital marketplace.

Copyright © 2016 IDG Communications, Inc.

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Why it's important to understand the digital business

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Regardless of the type of business you are in or how global market predictions may eventually play out, building a successful digital business plan is no longer an option, it is an imperative for survival. Understanding what a digital business is and how it relates to your current operations is the first step to achieving success in the global digital marketplace.

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Digial Business: Casandra WhitmoreThe article “The 5 Paradoxes of Digital Business Leadership” by Tomas Nielsen and Patrick Meehan can help leaders in the transition to a digital enterprise.   The Five Paradoxes are: 1.	Radically innovate while optimizing operations2.	Compete in sprints while delivering long-term value3.	Integrate external partners while operating as a single entity4.	Recognize that providing immediate digital value plays a large role in sales but that more value is delivered over time.5.	Provide technologically enabled offerings while focusing on value, not technology.This article highlights how important IT knowledge is and how exciting it is to be learning the basics of IT and how important it is to never quite learning if you want to run/own a success business in the innovated era we are in. https://hbr.org/2015/07/the-5-paradoxes-of-digital-business-leadership 

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Digial Business: Casandra WhitmoreThe article “The 5 Paradoxes of Digital Business Leadership” by Tomas Nielsen and Patrick Meehan can help leaders in the transition to a digital enterprise.   The Five Paradoxes are: 1.	Radically innovate while optimizing operations2.	Compete in sprints while delivering long-term value3.	Integrate external partners while operating as a single entity4.	Recognize that providing immediate digital value plays a large role in sales but that more value is delivered over time.5.	Provide technologically enabled offerings while focusing on value, not technology.This article highlights how important IT knowledge is and how exciting it is to be learning the basics of IT and how important it is to never quite learning if you want to run/own a success business in the innovated era we are in. https://hbr.org/2015/07/the-5-paradoxes-of-digital-business-leadership 

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In the article, What does it really mean to be a digital business. Kevin lonergan starts by talking about how every company is now a technology company. also how Technology is no longer seen as an internal facilitator of everyday business practices. It is now at the heart of business strategy and data can be used by businesses to harvest, store and analyse relevant information so that it may stay ahead of its competitors. The article then goes into how the complexity of digital business is ever growing in that now a lot of companies use more and more technologies to stay ahead. which makes it ever more difficult to keep up and maintain. which leads to IT in a company to cost more and use more of the companies resources. which is leading more companies to outsource its IT so that it may refocus on its daily tasks.
I knew IT had a large part in business but as this article says. It's to the point where we as a nation use technology in every decision we make and helps make the world run at such a fast past it's almost impossible to keep up. new apps are appearing everyday that affects us in one way or another in both our professional lives as well as our personal life. A lot of people talk about how jobs are harder to come by because of technology but with all these new apps it will require people to run and manage them so i believe the growth in IT will make other jobs that maybe higher paying more available as time goes on. We just need to educate people so that they can fulfil these new openings.

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Although the complexity of ERP systems cannot be reduced, it can, with the right approach, be cleverly concealed

As everyone knows, one of the immutable laws of the relentless passage of time is that things change. Everything from places we know, to things we like, and even the people we love are subject to the whims of change - so why should technology be any different?

This seems to be the thought process for many who are increasingly expecting legacy ERP systems to move with the times and adapt to a world of changing circumstances. The trouble with technology is that, unlike people, it is rarely flexible enough to be able to meet these expectations. So, where does that leave us?

Take ERP systems, for example. When SAP systems first came into widespread use in the 1990s, they were primarily used for the purpose of integrating and supporting data and business processes. Fast forward to today and, although these systems continue to fulfil this role, departments are increasingly beginning to demand even more from them. Gone are the days of using SAP as a simple transaction and integration system; today we also want to use it to carry out analysis on the basis of the large amounts of available data and generate meaningful reports from them.
> See also: Highly customised ERP systems soon to be relegated to 'legacy' status, says Gartner
Unfortunately, for many organisations, this has proven to be a step too far, and it's important to remember that ERP systems are incredibly complex and that they were not originally developed with these new purposes in mind.

As a result, we're seeing more and more companies attempting to simplify their ERP systems, whether or not in collaboration with external suppliers, which can often be a futile exercise. After all, ERP systems are, by definition, complex, which leaves us back where we started. So what should organisations do to enable analyses to be carried out on the basis of data from ERP systems? Offer a solution that hides the complexity of the system, of course!
A knotty problem
The problem of simplifying ERP systems is reminiscent of William Ashby's Law. This British psychiatrist and pioneer in the area of systems theory stated that the complexity of an operating system (in this case the ERP system) can never be less than the complexity of the system being operated (the processes and the staff). To illustrate this he cited the example of a theatrical company.

The director is responsible for the budget, and in order to produce an outstanding show, he wanted to have his company take the stage in magnificent costumes. But there was a stiff price attached to this. So what did he do to cut these costs? He reduced the number of parts, simplifying not the operating system, but the system being operated.

The operating systems we are talking about have improved over recent years, but have become even more complex as well. With its ERP solutions, SAP offers an extremely rich functionality with far-reaching possibilities for customer-specific adjustments.

Remember, the (normalised) databases of ERP systems contain many thousands of tables, designed with attention paid to avoiding redundancy, ensuring safety and permitting a large number of users. In itself that is already a great deal of complexity to manage.
> See also: Majority of ERP projects still plagued with over-spend and confusion
In addition, you can choose from a large number of operating methods and techniques, and you can easily add or adapt data fields as required. Add in multiple languages, and you can see how data model complexity can become an issue.

As long as the ERP system is used exclusively as a transaction system, this complexity has less negative impact. Thousands of users can work without difficulty on hundreds of processes, while the data remains fully available. However, things change once you, as an organisation, want to start using the available data to conduct analyses. Here, large quantities of data must be combined, and the complexity starts to work against you.
Keeping it behind the scenes
Of course, you cannot wave a magic wand and reduce this complexity by claiming that it does not exist. However, you can use solutions that at least conceal the complexity. This concealment means that users will not be burdened with complicated data models, and ensure that they are simply able to conduct analysis in the way they see fit.
> See also: If HANA fails, SAP dies: Teradata CTO
To be clear, this does not mean that the ERP system has to be undressed. However, it does mean that clever things have to be done with the data structures 'under the bonnet', without the user noticing. The existing data structure that has been set up for transactions must be made available for analysis and reporting. It must be possible for business-focused users to be able to carry out analyses of complex processes in milliseconds, without having to change the basis of the ERP system and without having to learn IT lingo.

Data complexity might not be able to be reduced, but it can certainly be cleverly concealed. As a result, the way we use data can become considerably simpler. What does this teach us? Perhaps it's that although you can't always expect technology to change, you can certainly use tools that allow you to make the best of what you've already got!
Jacques Adriaansen, ‎co-founder of Every Angle

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How to keep ERP complexity out of the spotlight - Information Age

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As everyone knows, one of the immutable laws of the relentless passage of time is that things change. Everything from places we know, to things we like, and even the people we love are subject to the whims of change - so why should technology be any different?

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In the article, What the Companies on the Right Side of the Digital Business Divide Have in Common, Robert Bock explains how businesses have made use of digital technology and how it is paying off for them. He goes on to share some of the research that he had done that showed the organizations who had been digitally transformed performed much better than the organizations that lagged which showed the “digital divide” between companies. This article also talks about the four operating pillars that build the digital operations. The four pillars are customer interaction and relationship management, manufacturing product and service delivery, product creation and delivery, and human capital management. It has been shown that digital leaders have achieved more capabilities across all the model pillars.

If there was anything I knew before reading this article, it is that many people don’t do well with change which includes businesses. The article I read states, “driving digital transformation does not imply replacing old business assets and capabilities. But, like any significant building addition, doing it well requires modifying the existing structure.” That statement was spot on. This article taught me that change isn’t always a terrible thing. If anything, it’s not necessarily change. It’s improvement. The business world is constantly changing and it is important to take advantages of all the tools that are available to us.

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In the article Digital Business is Everyone's Business, Jorge Lopez talks about how Digital Business is the creation of new business designs by blurring the digital and physical worlds. The article gives the example on how digital business could help with retail. You would go shopping and you would try something on, they would then project on the screen a picture of you in the clothing item as well as other items in the store that would go with the specific item you tried on. This would help you get a better understanding of how you would look in this specific item as well as all these other accessories and items that go along with it. Digital Business is about the interactions and negotiations between business, and things. In the future, things will be an agent for themselves and will then shift the way a business views its opportunities. This is a new world that makes the prior ones obsolete while creating massive opportunities for those who can visualize the opportunity. The article talks about how the promise of digital business is that the universe of applications and digitalized assets that work together almost automatically will allow very rapid development of new capabilities that will yield competitive advantage.
This article builds my knowledge to be more aware of the constant changes that are happening and the the things that will be occurring. It is important to be up to date and aware of the new things that are coming about. Technology is always changing and more things are becoming available to us daily so it is important to know and be aware of the upcoming things in life and in technology. I think that digital business will help companies if they handle it the right way. I don't see where customers would have an issue with the new things that are coming about in life.

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Gartner, Inc
By 2020, more than seven billion people and businesses, and at least 30 billion devices, will be connected to the Internet. With people, businesses and things communicating, transacting, and even negotiating with each other, a new world comes into being - the world of digital business.

Digital business is the creation of new business designs by blurring the digital and physical worlds. It promises to usher in an unprecedented convergence of people, business and things that disrupts existing business models - even those born of the Internet and e-business eras.

What makes digital business different from e-business is the presence and integration of things, connected and intelligent, with people and business. This could be the incorporation of greater intelligence and sensors into jet aircraft engines to improve passenger jet performance and to reduce the need for aircraft maintenance.

In retail, digital business could involve providing retail fashion customers a world with seamless integration between the digital and physical that blends the boundaries between the two. For example, a customer would enter a retail apparel store, try on a coat, and the store systems would know this had happened. They would then project an image of the buyer on a screen with the coat on and propose some accessories or alternatives that would go well with the new clothes, all the time taking into consideration any price limits placed by the customer in the process of discussing their purchases.

Another example would be the ability to reassess loan portfolio risk for a bank with real-time reporting directly from financed physical assets. This could happen, for example, in the course of a car crash. Systems on the car would not only let the first responders know of the crash and the condition of the occupants and the car, they would also notify the bank, so it can assess its risk portfolio in real time. Say the owner was in no condition to make payments if they were not directly working- that would say the bank needs to prepare for a loan default.

Some may confuse the Internet of Things with digital business. The Internet of Things plays a crucial role in a digital business, but it is much more than this. The Internet of Things as, Gartner defines it, is the network of physical objects that contain embedded technology to communicate and interact with their internal states or the external environment.

Digital business is about the creation of new business designs by blurring the physical and digital world. It is about the interaction and negotiations between, business, and things. It is when things starts to negotiate amongst themselves as well as people and business that we start to see how we have entered an entirely new and disruptive world. In the past, people were a proxy for things in business. In the future, things will be an agent for themselves and will thus shift that way a business views its opportunities.

The fact is that digital business will disrupt all industries and business executives, CIOs and technology providers will need to think differently to help their businesses avoid disruption. This is a new world that makes the prior ones obsolete while creating massive opportunities for those who can visualize the opportunity. Business executives who understand the digital industrial economy of 2020 will play a leading role in helping their organizations win in this new era.

Successful business leaders will need digital business skills. While new roles, such as a chief digital officer, will emerge as catalyst roles, all business leaders and CIOs will need to develop digital leadership and technology capabilities to define and execute a digital strategy. In 2020, digital leadership skills will be assumed for all business leaders and on a par with other executive skills such as finance.

Business leaders who do not respond to the challenge of digital business will find their own careers sidetracked. CIOs who do not respond to the leadership challenge may end up as custodians of infrastructure and back-end technology only. In 2020, the new digital business technology organization will coordinate the business-critical digital business architectures and back-office IT.

The promise of digital business is that a universe of applications and digitalized assets that work together almost automatically will allow very rapid development of new capabilities that will yield competitive advantage. The reality will be that the billions of things, humans and businesses that are connected together will require sophisticated engineering, integration and orchestration to fulfill the promise of a future of people, business and things.

Digital technology drives improvement at the traditional business process and business model levels. However, the differentiating fight will be for "business moments" - the third level of digital reinvention created by the need to compete with increased speed and agility. Technologies such as the Internet of Things and 3D printing will enable new digital business processes, models and moments.

For example, a critical part shipped from Canada could find itself stopped at the border as customs agents decide to further examine a line of trucks containing goods for the US. The critical part would know it is not moving because it would have GPS as well as some amount of intelligence to know it needs to be at a destination in a time shorter than left with the delay. The part would then communicate via the Internet to find other parts like itself that could be rerouted and substitute for the one that is delayed. At the same time, arrangements would be made to reroute the delayed part to the customer who did not have the time critical need.

Organizations that excel in the digital industrial economy will be those that can become more technologically capable and sophisticated. Their digital stories will be written in technology.
Jorge Lopez is a vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner, where he focuses on issues of concern to business executives, especially the CEO, and their relationship to IT and the CIO.

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By Jorge Lopez Gartner, Inc By 2020, more than seven billion people and businesses, and at least 30 billion devices, will be connected to the Internet. With people, businesses and things communicating, transacting, and even negotiating with each other, a new world comes into being - the world of digital business.

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In his January 2017 HBR article, “What So Many Strategists Get Wrong About Digital Disruption”, London Business School professor Freek Vermeulen discusses four core misconceptions about digital disruption, arguing that disruptive entrants impact different industries unevenly; and that, due to the complexity of business models and the interdependent elements comprising competitive advantages, industry disruption is the exception–not the rule. The first misconception involves the winner take all myth–most markets can sustain a variety of players. Secondly, market entrants rarely render current technology or services obsolete but instead complement them. He uses the example of MOOCs to illustrate a disrupter that has coexisted with rather than toppled traditional college modalities. Thirdly, he argues that geographic proximity and face-to-face interaction is much more important than flat advocates would concede: some industries and sectors, such as sales and consultancy, thrive on interpersonal relationships. Finally, he dispels the idea (so common to agile and lean start up) that moving fast and breaking things is necessarily the way to go: “[E]ven if your business is undergoing rapid change, this does not mean your company also has to change rapidly  … Sometimes it is better to deal with contextual change and uncertainty by … giving things time to play out [and] to distinguish the fads from the more substantial developments.”

This perspective somewhat departs from the review of disruptors in the Wiley text–mostly a catalog of examples intended to illustrate the central role of MIT in the world of commerce. It also implicitly departs from Freedman’s flat theory in Vermeulen’s argument that disruption impacts social, cultural and economic sectors unevenly (Freedman has been criticized for his wild generalizations). But Vermeulen’s argument that MOOCs have not truly disrupted higher education may be wishful thinking; the user experience of MOOCs is much more integrated than cobbled-together WCC (or other college) online courses. People are now expecting and will increasingly expect their online learning experience to be as fluid as Walmart checkout—or as a MOOC. Perhaps a more nuanced understanding of disruption understands it as (to combine ideas of Malcolm Gladwell and Cass Sunstein) a tipping-point nudge.

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The article, What is Your Digital Business Strategy, by Sunil Mithas and Henry Lucas Jr the importance of having a digital business strategy is discussed.  The author’s focus on the digital advantage, making IT a strategic asset, and ITracy.  In this article, ITracy is defined as investing in digital literacy.  Digital business strategies or the lack of, can optimize a business or threaten a business.  A good example discussed in the article is Netflix and Blockbuster.  Netflix address a need by utilizing the internet to solve the problem of being able to stream movies and watch television shows via the internet.  The timing for Neflix was important, they had the ability to establish themselves and as a result when other competitors such as Roku entered the market they were not threatened.  Blockbuster on the other hand, when they sought to embrace a digital strategy it was too late.

This article builds my knowledge to be more creative and to stay competitive.  The material in this course shows us the importance of technology.  IT is constantly changing and evolving.  Additionally, it is essential to our lives; IT helps benefit us to work smarter, to be more efficient, and increases business productivity.  As discussed in the book it is paramount for companies and businesses to maintain a competitive advantage.  Consequently, some people want to stay with the old and not embrace the new.  Nonetheless, it is imperative to stay current by gaining computer and IT knowledge to help build your brand and to promote business growth.  Lastly, Blockbuster unfortunately did not adhere to these changes in a timely manner, they hurt their business and brand.

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In the article Disrupting Digital Business in 2017 by Nicholas D. Evans, four technology trends are endorsed for 2017 and the idea that a holistic approach to digital transformation is the future.  Companies should embrace a platform business model versus a traditional business model.  According to Evans, over 40 percent of companies are at risk because they are not up to speed with the digital future.  Evans continues with three more trends to embrace: disruptive technologies – from discrete technologies to technology combinations; digital services mastery – from discrete techniques to digital assembly lines; innovation management-from idea centricity to ‘where to play’ and ‘how to scale.’ (p.16-17)

Digital transformation is a relatively new space for many organizations.  Evans emphasis that the concept of mastering digital business and digital transformation as being in its infancy but sees it as being here to stay.  According to the Wiley text, vast career opportunities in fields involving information systems are in demand and they are expected to continue over the next 10 years.  As stated in the course text, information technology can significantly impact a number of business.  IT can reduce cost and therefore lead to more revenue.  The article I chose was in line with what I read in the course text.  The article expanded on what practices business should adapt to master digital business.