FEATURE : DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
The increased investment in emerging technologies is surfacing as a key priority for several MEA countries . As a result , the region is forming a strong ability for governments to address challenges via transformational solutions , accelerating and futureproofing resilient growth economies , state the World Bank report .
Kunal Purohit , Chief Digital Services Officer , Tech Mahindra , said Digital Transformation is a term which talks about the myriad of changes in business and society due to the increased usage of digital technologies . Purohit said its impact shows in every industry , every geography , on everything from the way we travel or communicate and do our shopping to the way manufacturers keep track of inventory .
Karl Crowther , VP – MEA , Alteryx
“ While the pandemic acted as a catalyst for our faster momentum towards being a digital-first world , Digital Transformation is now pressing companies to change their business models and adapt to the new market reality . Like all other regions , the companies in Middle East and Africa ( MEA ) are striving too , to develop resiliency by aggressively leveraging technologies such as cloud , AI , digital infrastructure , IoT , 5G and cybersecurity .
“ New digital habits are reshaping not only the consumer behaviour , but also the infrastructure and skills required for taking advantage of fast-evolving technologies that could deliberate a competitive advantage . A successful Digital Transformation strategy positions organisations to survive and thrive in a future where technology is the key economic driver .
“ The technology providers in the MEA region need to ramp up their capabilities to address the evolving needs . The organisations in this region should increasingly embrace new approaches to business by leveraging advanced technologies to drive innovation , transform their products and capabilities , enhance customer experience and facilitate critical business outcomes ,” he said .
Karl Crowther , VP – MEA , Alteryx , said the Middle East has much to gain from Digital Transformation . Crowther said with such a high volume of data being generated each day , it is crucial for businesses to collect , store , transform and analyse that data – turning it into usable and actionable insights to drive business decisions .
He said in part , this transformation undertaking is being driven by customer demand , where consumers require faster and more accurate service than ever before . “ In other areas , this drive for Digital Transformation is for process optimisation and efficiency .
Willem Botes , Head of Solution Specialists South Africa , Iron Mountain , said the move to digital and new technologies affects organisations of all sizes , across all industries . Botes said it reshapes the employee and customer experience , to which all businesses need to respond .
“ Some of the goals of Digital Transformation can include to help automate administrative processes , enhance the end-user experience , provide deep analytic insights , optimise workflows , eliminate data silos , improve security , and reduce costs .
“ Digitalisation accelerated with force during the pandemic and organisations have significantly increased their use of data and the Internet . Data security breaches and cybercrime are rife in this digital age and data needs to be rigorously protected to avoid unauthorised access and exploitation ,” he said .
According to Interpol , this digital demand coupled with a lack of cybersecurity policies and standards across the continent exposes online services to major risks , and it is crucial to have a robust cybersecurity framework .
“ The main cyberthreats in Africa , according to Interpol , are online scams , digital extortion , business email compromise , ransomware and botnets .
“ While the benefits of digitising documents and processes is unquestionable , it has introduced its challenges too . Especially with the growth of remote working , data is increasingly vulnerable to unwanted exposure and the impact of a breach can be enormous ,” he said .
Antoine Harb , Team Leader Middle East and North Africa , Kingston Technology said due to skyrocketing data usage and Digital Transformation is being
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