EDITOR ’ S QUESTION

SANDRINE MOUSTAFA EL KHODRY , VICE PRESIDENT MEA , ALCATEL-LUCENT ENTERPRISE

With any Digital Transformation initiative , automation is key and networks are more mission critical to its success than ever before . The last two years has witnessed businesses across the world fast-track their Digital Transformation journeys to cope with the change in businesses environment and to adapt to a hybrid work culture . The digitalisation journey is already underway and accelerating for everyone , enabled by digital-age networks , the cloud , and communications .

The Middle East and Africa ( MEA ) region is going through a huge Digital Transformation faster than the rest of the world . The main drivers for Digital Transformation in the region are economic diversity , sustainability , and better quality of experiences for citizens are key factors driving Digital Transformation at the public sector level . A perfect example of this is the development and use of applications to enable government departments and public interaction for public services . On the private sector level , businesses are in line with the government ’ s mandate to drive a sustainable economy – at the same time , businesses are focused on enhancing their processes to drive efficiency , accelerate business growth , provide an efficient working experience for employees and an elevated level of customer service .

The acceleration of the digitalisation of the world has been triggered because most organisations had to speed up their technology evolution in response to the global health crisis . This has boosted the consumption of cloud-based services delivered on a subscription-based model , which provide the flexibility and agility organisations need in order to keep adapting to a continually evolving business environment . Digital Transformation is also helping reshape how organisations view technology and its direct impact on the business . Because simply adding new capabilities , like choosing an analytics application or expanding your Customer Relationship Management ( CRM ) system , is not a Digital Transformation , but digging deeper , for example , to ensure information is available , accessible and useable via any device and location , gives your organisation a means to reinvent processes , technologies and products that drive performance . My best advice to any business on their Digital Transformation journey is to do your best to have a clear idea of your company ’ s digital ambition . This will help measure progress , see successes and challenges , all while considering the culture of your company , customers and partners to succeed your business .

With cloud computing is transforming how organisations work , connect , and live , this trend is expected to continue in 2022 . And with the advent of high-speed technologies such as 5G and fibre making it easier for businesses to capture and transmit data in real-time , and to process and analyse it with the power and speed of the central network , the cloud makes this information easier to access as it is available from anywhere . However , the acceleration of these technologies is also creating challenges in how companies handle their Digital Transformation and how they effectively implement real-time communications throughout the digital IT ecosystem .

There is no single , right way to transition from an existing system to the digital age since each company must adapt from an existing ecosystem . The good news is Digital Transformations are happening – first through the adoption of more flexible models to migrate to a digital workplace , then by rethinking communications to put them at the centre of business processes , for faster decision-making and increased employee empowerment .

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