DM May-Jun 2023
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Dm OPINION: CLOUD<br />
Cloud computing as the engine<br />
of digital transformation<br />
A modern content management approach means cloud<br />
content services, argues David Littler, General Manager,<br />
enChoice UK<br />
It is no coincidence that digital<br />
transformation and cloud computing<br />
have taken hold of enterprise<br />
technology agendas almost in parallel.<br />
They are codependent and mutually<br />
enabling in ways that have driven<br />
unprecedented progress.<br />
It's a relationship worth taking a moment<br />
to consider. While the term "digital<br />
transformation" has become so ingrained<br />
in our vernacular that it is now almost a<br />
blanket descriptor of progress, at its core<br />
the term marks a real and fundamental<br />
shift in how we all manage information<br />
and information-based processes. It<br />
represents the seismic shift from the<br />
analogue to the digital; from the physical<br />
to the virtual; from manual processes to<br />
automated processes.<br />
Few have questioned the inherent value<br />
and inevitability of digital transformation,<br />
but we have all grappled with the new sets<br />
of challenges it presents. It is common for<br />
businesses and government organisations<br />
to become so excessively engrossed in<br />
addressing technical and infrastructure<br />
requirements during their digital<br />
transformation journey, that they can lose<br />
sight of their larger goal of achieving<br />
customer-centric outcomes.<br />
It comes as no surprise then, that cloud<br />
computing has revolutionised the pace<br />
and scope of digital transformation in our<br />
world. Providers such as Amazon AWS and<br />
Microsoft Azure have invested eyewatering<br />
amounts of time to solve the<br />
infrastructure challenges of digital<br />
transformation through public and private<br />
virtual cloud offerings. And a next<br />
generation of solution and application<br />
providers has emerged to help enterprises<br />
adopt and fully leverage the value of these<br />
cloud offerings.<br />
REALITY CHECK<br />
The lockdown and remote working<br />
necessitated by the Covid-19 pandemic<br />
were also an unexpected reality check for<br />
organisations of all sizes. In a sense, the<br />
global health crisis has served as a catalyst<br />
for establishing the value and flexibility of<br />
cloud computing and has led to more and<br />
more organisations charting the course for<br />
their journeys toward cloud computing<br />
and digital transformation.<br />
Many of the conversations about cloud<br />
computing in the past were focused on<br />
leveraging modern infrastructure for<br />
quicker innovation, faster time to market<br />
and cost optimisation. However, the<br />
pandemic has brought additional factors<br />
into focus to allow for more resilient<br />
business functions. These factors include<br />
flexible computing power, high<br />
availability, disaster recovery, costeffectiveness<br />
in backup and DR, a robust<br />
core for business processes and<br />
continuity, the risk associated with legacy<br />
skills, remote workforce management, a<br />
safe transition back to the workplace, and<br />
business agility.<br />
Enterprises have overcome initial<br />
concerns over cloud security, regulation,<br />
and cost to embrace the migration of their<br />
computing power and data storage needs.<br />
This shift to the cloud is, in turn, enabling<br />
digital transformation and the adoption of<br />
digitally enabled business models, across<br />
all sectors.<br />
Content is at the heart of digital<br />
transformation, not only in the<br />
management of the information assets<br />
that drives decision making, but also<br />
because it supports more advanced<br />
functions associated with transformation,<br />
such as personalisation and artificial<br />
intelligence initiatives.<br />
One of the main tasks in digitally<br />
transforming a business is moving existing<br />
data to digital formats. The sheer volume<br />
of documents and content has driven the<br />
need to manage and store the<br />
information, as well as to make it available<br />
and usable. A modern content<br />
management strategy is crucial to meeting<br />
these digital transformation objectives.<br />
DEMOCRATISATION OF CONTENT<br />
As demands for collaboration capabilities<br />
increase and content becomes more<br />
digital, the ability to provide simple,<br />
secure, and seamless access to content is<br />
crucial to driving business success. It is vital<br />
that the democratisation of content and<br />
data enables everybody in an organisation,<br />
irrespective of their technical know-how,<br />
to work with data comfortably, to feel<br />
confident talking about it, and as a result,<br />
make data-informed decisions and build<br />
customer experiences powered by data.<br />
Cloud content services simplify access,<br />
content creation, and processing,<br />
streamlining the experience of interacting<br />
with content for all stakeholders. A<br />
30 <strong>May</strong>/<strong>Jun</strong>e <strong>2023</strong> www.document-manager.com<br />
@<strong>DM</strong>MagAndAwards
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