Since the advent of the digital age, digitization and digitalization have been buzzwords. Lately, digital transformation has also become a popular phrase in business and technology circles. They’re commonly thought to be different words for the same thing, but they’re actually three separate technologies concepts that have different implications for your business. Let’s take a closer look at each one.
What Is Digitization?
Beginning with the particular most straightforward term, digitization is the process of converting analog information to electronic format. This can happen in several ways but is typically done through a process of sampling and quantization, which captures the signal at discrete intervals, then converts it into a numeric representation. Once in digital form, the signal can be manipulated, stored, and transmitted more easily than in its analog form.
Digitization is used in a variety of applications, from audio and video to photography and data storage. The advent of digital technology has revolutionized many industries plus has made previously analog processes much easier and a lot more efficient.
While digitization refers to the particular act of making analog info digital, digitalization is all about moving existing processes into electronic technologies. In other words, digitization is for information, whereas digitalization is perfect for processes. We’ll look at digitalization next.
What Is Digitalization?
Digitalization is the act associated with taking analog processes and making them digital. Gartner’s glossary defines this as using digital technologies to alter the business model and create new opportunities for revenue and value. Quite simply, electronic technology is applied to everyday tasks to improve efficiency and productivity. This could involve anything from automating tasks that were previously done manually, such as using a software program to generate reports instead of using spreadsheets or paper-based processes. Or it can involve making use of digital devices to complete tasks previously carried out offline, such as using a smartphone to make a restaurant reservation or buy movie tickets.
With digitalization, businesses can streamline their operations and make them more efficient. And because digital information can be transmitted and stored more easily than analog information, companies can also save time and money by going electronic.
Exactly what Is Digital Transformation?
Digital transformation is the particular procedure for streamlining a company’s core procedures and customer value propositions using emerging technologies. It’s a comprehensive strategy that requires changes to culture, structure, processes, and governance.
Digitalization will be sometimes referred to as “digital change. ” However , digital change is a broader concept that encompasses not just the digitalization process but also the particular organizational change that accompanies it. This particular transformation is usually a journey that starts with identifying which procedures can be improved or replaced with digital solutions and then implementing those options to maximize their impact.
Several factors are driving the need for digital transformation. Increasingly, customers expect companies to offer digital solutions such because online ordering and self-service, and they are quick in order to take their business elsewhere if they don’t. At the same time, new technologies such as artificial intelligence, big information, robotics, and the Internet of Things produce opportunities for companies to improve their functions and better serve their own customers. Electronic transformation can help companies keep pace with these changes plus remain competitive in today’s business environment.
Relevance with regard to Businesses
Digitization is essential for businesses that want to take advantage of electronic technologies. Digitizing data makes it more accessible and easier to analyze. This is especially important for organizations that deal along with large amounts associated with data, this kind of as healthcare providers and financial institutions.
Digitalization builds on digitization simply by using digital technologies to enhance processes plus performance. For example , many enterprises have implemented enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems to streamline their particular operations — specifically, to manage their inventory, finances, and human resources more efficiently.
Digital modification goes one step further than digitization and digitalization by using digital systems to create brand new or fundamentally different business models. For example, Uber and Airbnb created entirely new companies by leveraging digital technology.
Companies that want to stay ahead of the curve need to understand all 3 concepts: digitization, digitalization, plus digital alteration. By investing in technologies that enable these processes, they can keep their company efficient, agile, and responsive to modify.
Trends in Digitization, Digitalization, & Digital Change
Most enterprises today have digitized their data, other than a few industries, such as the energy and construction sector, where data is often still held in an analog format. As regarding digitalization, numerous enterprises have adopted in least some form of it to improve their performance.
But few have taken the leap into electronic transformation, which requires a comprehensive and strategic approach. Moreover, many businesses which have gone down this path are struggling with it. According to a recent Boston Consulting Group study that surveyed 950 companies, the change for better success rate in 2021 was only 35% . The reasons intended for this are usually varied but include a lack of a clear and integrated strategy, insufficient commitment from leadership, and implementation complexities.
Bottom Line: Digitization vs Digitalization vs Digital Transformation
Companies that have been most successful in digitization, digitalization, plus digital shift have used an outside-in view focused on the needs of their customers and ecosystem. So if you’re thinking of embarking on the digital improvement journey for your company, concentrate on creating value for your own customers plus other stakeholders, not just efficiency to get your organization.
