A Turning Point: 8 Indicators that IT Transformation is in Full Swing

In the digital era, the narrative of the IT department has changed. Innovative digital systems are fanning the flames of IT transformation. They draw a path for IT teams to reach their strategic goals and let go of device management.

As digitalization escalates, this department’s evolution is in full swing.

Technological innovation spurs IT transformation, the reassessment and overhaul of an organization's information technology (IT) systems and practices with an aim to modernize IT operations, evolve team responsibilities, and accelerate digitalization.

Read on to get a glimpse into the digital innovation that occur in the IT departments today. We will also cover some ideas on how to navigate transformational changes effectively.

Change Manifests in IT Departments

According to Info-Tech’s 2023 Tech Trends report, it has become the role of the CIO to push the organization harder. To ensure business growth, CIOs must adopt technology that is future-proof and supports digitalization.

In the CIOs’ new relationship with the business, there’s an appetite for change to traditional IT infrastructures. More and more IT admins want to make their IT systems autonomous, efficient, and simple to use.

The complexities of their infrastructures frustrate IT professionals. Pains range from connection issues, deploying and updating hardware, riffling through heaps of documentation, and navigating complex feature sets, to managing user setups and troubleshooting user issues.

In a report by the Economist (‘ITs Changing Mandate in an Age of Disruption’), 83% of the respondents say adapting to change requires improvements to their IT infrastructure and applications. In the last few years, we’ve seen huge technology enhancements make life easier for the people driving IT projects. These take away multiple repetitive processes from the list above. That’s why digital innovation has become the future of IT.

Traditionally perceived as a support team, fixing bugs and dealing with user issues, modern IT departments are at a pivotal turning point. As their systems become autonomous and easier to oversee, the IT team can transform into influential business enablers. They’re now able to strategize and facilitate technological solutions—to drive business growth and build the backbone of the digital enterprise.

IT departments are playing an increasingly crucial role in strategic decision-making. This journey marks the beginning of a new chapter for IT departments as they grow to directly impact their organizations' bottom line. IT teams now build and implement new digital use cases that lead to top-line revenue growth.
 

8 Indicators That IT Transformation is in Effect

As IT departments transition into their new roles, their priorities evolve. The traditional emphasis on managing system infrastructure is giving way to a more strategic mindset, driving mission initiatives and facilitating business success. The IT team is transitioning from the techies in the basement to real business influencers.

These are the 8 main indicators that the transformation of the IT department and systems approach are in full swing:

#1. Pressure is High and Demands are Evolving

IT departments now get assigned mission-critical projects. With that, there’s an increase in demand for converged infrastructure solutions and low-touch software that creates a frictionless experience for IT and end-users.

“To do more with less” may very well be every CIO’s mantra. With economic downturns leaving organizations struggling to hire sufficient talent, there’s pressure to make existing workforces more productive. That’s why IT teams work to remove wasteful processes and automate repetitive, low-level tasks.

IT teams are looking for managed IT service solutions that they don’t have to touch anymore. Instead, the solutions provider manages the software. For the IT department, their solutions are starting to function like power in a socket and serve as a utility.

#2. Cloud technology is on the Rise

"We're starting to see those markets that were cloud resistant become very cloud positive." - Paul Birkett, Head of Print & Workflow Management at HP (listen to the full Podcast episode).

Some noteworthy statistics on cloud computing:

• By 2025, 85% of organizations will be cloud-first
• 47% of organizations follow a strict cloud-first strategy today
• 92% of ITs prefer the public cloud over hybrid and private

• Third-party platforms are 40% more cost-effective for SMBs
• Cloud technology improves online security by 94%

There’s no doubt that cloud adoption has seen immense growth since the covid pandemic.

According to Alastair MacKay from Ricoh Europe, “In 2019, we had defense customers saying, ‘everything has to be on-premises', service only, nothing in the cloud. Come April 2020, that same defense customer says ‘We want a cloud print solution. We need to get rid of our servers, we need to support our distributed workforce’.” (listen to the full podcast episode).

Cloud solutions have become popular for their versatility, flexibility, and durability in the face of change. McKinsey’s State of Organizations survey tells us that only 50% of respondents are prepared to react to future shocks. This is one of many reasons why cloud technology is at its peak. It allows businesses to bounce forward quickly and gain advantages over others in their space. 

Learn more about the advantages of cloud technology:

📖 Read on:
→ 5 Reasons to Move Your Print Infrastructure to the Cloud
→ Why Move to the Cloud: 11 Tested and True Reasons
→ 7 Ways Pure Cloud Solutions Drive Innovation Forward

#3. Consumerization of IT

Automation and technology advancements have become key enablers for the self-service trend. Here, IT consumerization is a big driver for digital innovation.

Consumerization of IT is the cycle of technology emerging first in the consumer market and reaching organizations after. Users then get more control over the devices they use, meeting the need for the flexibility commonly seen in hybrid workspaces.

The modern IT team isn't interested in products; they are more interested in bigger business outcomes and real-value IT services. When employees use technology that they're comfortable with, they can complete their tasks more efficiently.

That’s why IT consumerization helps drive the modern IT department forward. It means less training to get employees to feel confident in the solutions they use, a.k.a. more time to work on strategic projects.

#4. Applied Artificial Intelligence  

The corporate use of AI has doubled since 2018. Artificial intelligence is growing rapidly with tools like ChatGPT and Google Bard (to name a few). As a result, many IT teams focus on becoming knowledgeable about AI technology.

According to McKinsey’s 2024 Global Survey on AI, 65% of respondents report that their organizations regularly use generative AI. This number has almost doubled since the previous survey, which was conducted less than a year ago.

While AI is still new to many industries, generative AI has become more popular in customer-facing departments. The internal value of such technology is becoming clearer every day. Here are some of the many benefits of applied AI in ERP systems:

• Easier system- and user onboarding
• Enhanced user experiences for direct customers and end-users
• Improved cyber security and fraud management
• Accelerate automation of repetitive processes
• Reduced level of human error
• Smoothly grasps, interprets, and handles big data
  

#5. Digitalization Strategies

Today's IT teams are hard at work building the company’s digital backbone. As more companies welcome digitalization strategies, they show that they're ready to let go of traditional infrastructure setups to accelerate their digital transformation and competitive advantage.

📖 Read on:
→ What is a Digital Transformation journey (DX)?
→ How to Drive Change with the Right Digital Transformation Strategy

According to Gartner, 91% of businesses are engaged in digital innovation initiatives. On top of that, 87% of senior business leaders say digitalization is a distinct priority. If that wasn’t enough, 89% of all companies have already adopted a digital-first business strategy. If they haven't already, they are planning to adopt more emerging technology in the near term.

#6. Low-Touch, Self-Managed IT Systems

IT consumerization and IT solutions have become a commodity offering. Digital transformation solution providers are enabling customers to free up time to work on more meaningful projects.

It has become clear that customers see value in real-value IT services that effectively lessen their burden. This is not about cutting jobs but recognizing that IT teams have more difficult projects to handle. That’s why low-touch, self-managed systems gradually become more attractive. That’s why low-touch, self-managed systems gradually become more attractive.

Automation is part of this technological innovation. Today, 76% of businesses use automation to standardize or automate daily workflows.

With it, IT professionals no longer need to manage non-strategic infrastructure work. Instead, they can work with their CIO to generate business for the company and drive digitalization projects further. Ultimately, companies that embrace automation are more likely to steer their businesses toward greater success than those lagging behind. 

At Y Soft, we’ve focused our offering on delivering zero management with SAFEQ Cloud. Since managing devices and systems are becoming less of a strategic priority, why should you have to do it? Learn more here: 

 📖 Read on → Say Goodbye to Print Management 

#7. Future-Ready Security Mechanisms

Managing solutions quickly becomes one of the most time-consuming tasks for IT departments. This is also true when managing the company’s security posture and advanced risk mitigation mechanisms. Luckily, they’re also part of IT transformation.

Solutions like SAFEQ Cloud have security embedded across all bases. Your solution provider can manage vulnerability detection and responses (E.g., vulnerability scanning), conduct software penetration tests, provide disaster recovery, and prevent intrusion. Pre-configured security features ensure IT administrators don’t have to oversee the software’s security manually. Thanks to digital innovation, that’s covered for you.

These security mechanisms keep your security in check:

• Zero trust network architecture
• Dynamic security enhancements
• Authentication (MFA, SSO, cloud, and on-prem)
• Pull printing (roaming)
• Role-based access control (pre-defined rules)
• Identity management
• Regulatory compliance

Learn more about risk mitigation and security here:

📖 Read on:
→ What are Secure Cloud Services
→ Protect your Data with a Zero-Trust Printing Approach

#8. Users Require Flexibility

Users want to access their solutions anywhere, at any time, and with immediate fulfilment. As user flexibility becomes non-negotiable, digital transformation solution providers make more of an effort to incorporate different levels of user flexibility into new product offerings.

96% of employees are obstinate in their need for flexibility, and the ‘why’ is not a mystery. With globalization and remote workforces becoming the norm, user flexibility is a must. As a result, improving customer experiences has become a top priority for tech providers.

Today, new solution offerings are all about user flexibility and great experiences. While this is a great way to address end-users, it’s also a key point in addressing IT departments’ need for converged infrastructure solutions.

Flexibility within software solutions and digital technology ensures you can expect the unexpected. You'll be able to increase productivity with remote access and remove device constraints and compatibility issues. Many flexible, modern solutions are also brand-agnostic.

FAQs on Developing IT Departments

Q1) How can Technology Help IT Departments?

Investing in the right tools and technological innovations is a crucial step in making IT departments more efficient. Modern IT solutions help alleviate the IT burden by streamlining processes, automating repetitive tasks, and swiftly resolving technical issues. IT transformations simplify IT infrastructures and help IT teams focus on business goals. This includes:

• Managed IT services
• Automation features
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)
• Cloud-based tools
• Cybersecurity solutions

Q2) What's the Difference Between IT and Digital Transformation?

Digital transformation involves a comprehensive overhaul of a company's business model, customer experience, operational processes, and technology inventory. IT transformation uses technological innovation to modernize and optimize IT infrastructure and processes, including the evolution of the IT department's practices and priorities.

Final Points

The role of IT departments is evolving, and it's a change that businesses should welcome and foster. The narrative of the traditional IT department is changing, and this signifies a positive shift in the business world. One where technology and strategy merge to create significant long-term business success with real value IT services.

IT departments are no longer a support team. Because of the future-ready solutions they integrate into their IT environment, they become enablers and strategic business partners. Today, they propel businesses forward.

This reminds me of Michael Scott (The Office) saying, “I saved a life. My own. Am I a hero?... I really can’t say, but yes!”.

This is the first time calling an IT team 'hero’ doesn’t feel like a backhanded compliment, followed by a new pile of work. That’s progress!