Because the shift towards a mix of traditional and distant work models becomes more pronounced, and consumer expectations exceed the capacities of legacy systems, executives are in pursuit of adaptable digital infrastructures able to immediate response. Nonetheless, this quest for digital progression uncovers a big rift: while IT departments consider creating resilient infrastructures, business units are more concerned with enhancing the digital interface for consumers. Merging these two priorities—achieving a unified link between technological foundations and customer engagement—is now critical for future success.

Organizations on the forefront of the digital curve are distinguished by their holistic, customer-oriented processes, elevated adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation, and streamlined collaboration with partners. These entities are turning to resilient digital platforms to bolster internal and external connections. These organizations are achieving a comprehensive integration by intentionally weaving together customer, worker, partner, and community experiences with foundational technology and procedures.

Critical Components of a Digital Strategy Centered on Platforms

Platforms play a pivotal role in confronting the challenges of modernization and operational efficiency. The present shift from the normal “construct or buy” dilemma towards a model that values customization and integration allows businesses to cut back legacy burdens by replacing or upgrading modular elements as needed.

Findings from a study conducted by Forrester, commissioned by EdgeVerve, indicate that almost all decision-makers in large organizations perceive a platform-centric strategy as an important accelerator of digital transformation. Specifically, 70% agree that utilizing platforms to bridge the gap between business and technology initiatives leads to more practical digital undertakings. Moreover, 66% foresee an uplift in customer satisfaction through such strategies, underscoring their potential to amplify organizational competencies and generate positive client experiences.

Strategies Centered on Platforms for Comprehensive Transformation

A digital strategy emphasizing platforms as central to fostering connections and visibility across the company and IT landscapes holds great promise for enhancing human capabilities and driving essential efficiencies inside organizations. Exploring key elements reveals:

1. Enhanced Connectivity: Organizations with advanced connectivity practices are 1.7 times more more likely to witness significant value from their digital transformation efforts. Leaders in these organizations understand the importance of improving connections across the ecosystem of partners, mixing human and AI intelligence, and integrating data and networks for successful digital transformation.
2. Give attention to Human Potential: The prioritization of automation and an AI-first approach signifies a long-term investment in human capability. Businesses deeply engaged in digital transformation are more inclined to reinforce human efforts, with 72% viewing the mixing of human and AI talents as a fundamental requirement of their digital strategy. Moreover, 71% are focused on automating customer interactions to boost customer and worker engagement.
3. Cloud and Platform Adoption: Organizations with a mature digital perspective and a commitment to connectivity barely lead in adopting cloud and platform solutions. In line with the Forrester – EdgeVerve Survey, about 60% of respondents already employ platform-based methods for technological integration, with those further along of their digital journey emphasizing expanding platform functionalities, notably through a platform-as-a-service model.
4. Effective Partner Ecosystems: For leading organizations, cultivating impactful and interconnected partner ecosystems represents a transformative step. Achieving synergy between IT and business units, alongside partners, data, and networks, is a top priority for 78% of digital leaders, highlighting its importance in establishing successful digital entities.
5. Utilization of Emerging Technologies: Industry leaders increasingly leverage generative AI to boost services, experiences, and productivity, aiming to attain remarkable growth and outperform competitors. These leaders are more committed to investing in generative AI, with their executives more willing to include trust as a fundamental aspect of its adoption, specializing in practical and quantifiable applications. Investments are notably directed towards natural language processing, autonomous workplace assistants, and transparent AI to spice up integration, automation, and intelligence, counting on proprietary business data to develop generative AI models and applications.

Strategies for Developing a Platform-Centric Digital Strategy for Optimal Impact

In an era increasingly influenced by generative AI, platform-centricity isn’t merely a competitive edge but a blueprint for survival. By orchestrating ecosystems of talent and technology, platforms will function incubators for innovation, fostering collaboration between humans and AI without displacing human roles. As a substitute, this synergy will transform the workforce, introducing latest roles that demand skills in communication, critical considering, and ethical considerations in an AI-driven world.

Recommendations

• Align business objectives and IT resources with tools, systems, and metrics focused on customer-centric technology. Start with transformation goals within the early phases, ensuring alignment towards a cohesive enterprise.
• Prioritize AI and automation to introduce more self-service options, enhancing human capabilities, boosting worker productivity, and improving customer experiences.
• Adopt emerging technologies, including generative AI, with clear use cases geared toward driving business outcomes.
• Enhance partner ecosystems through a platform-centric digital strategy, promoting transparency and accountability and enabling creative differentiation to stimulate growth. Utilize platform strategies to deal with digital transformation inefficiencies and capitalize on generative AI for automation and productivity enhancements, adopting a strategic and distinctive approach.

The challenges and inefficiencies in digital transformation underscore the importance of aligning priorities across the business, IT, and partner ecosystems while fostering technical connectivity through systems, data flows, and operational processes to facilitate change.

In summary, adopting a platform-centric strategy focuses on developing and expanding a platform because the primary engine for value creation and impact. This approach goes beyond merely constructing a platform; it involves nurturing a dynamic ecosystem around it that draws users, developers, and partners, thereby generating network effects and exponential growth. Encouraging an open and adaptable architecture that supports API development and third-party integration fosters customization and enhances integration with existing workflows.