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Business Transformation

Do you have control of your ERP data?

Monday, May 9, 2016

I think the key message that I came away with is that it is more crucial than ever for organizations to have an overview of their ERP data. In order to reap all the benefits of the new technologies that were introduced at Envision, the common theme for me was how important it is to have good control of ERP data – otherwise these technologies will not provide the competitive advantage needed to stay ahead.

Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella, highlighted 4 key trends in businesses across the world. He said that businesses are:

  • Becoming more engaged with customers
  • Finding new ways of empowering their employees
  • Optimizing their business operations
  • Transforming products and services using digital content

To be competitive, organizations need to use data intelligence to understand what employees and customers need. And then connect the data points and form smart networks of information to generate predictive insight and improve productivity.

Businesses transformed by technology

Satya discussed the benefits of digital transformation in business and shared stories about companies that are deepening their relationships with their customers by, for example, using analytics to get a 360°-view of a customer and then turning these insights into predictive power to deliver personalization.

In his keynote speech, Nadella posed the question: “How is your core business model being changed by digital technology?”  To help answer this question, it is clear that the business community is using innovative new technologies such as Cortana, machine learning, and predictive search – that are all part of the Microsoft offering, fully integrated with AX, CRM, GP and NAV Dynamics products, as well as Office, SharePoint and Power Bi.

Smart conversations

Nadella also focused on speech processing and it was very exciting to hear about how language itself is becoming the interface. We are on the verge of seeing conversation as more than a method of navigating existing interfaces and while it’s clear that ERP development under a Dynamics framework is already a multi-disciplinary art, it’s about to get more interesting as speech and language-processing experts join in!

Digital transformation and international business

I believe there were more than 5,000 business leaders from 70 countries attending Envision – so it is truly an international affair. The key takeaway for me about digital transformation is that it represents a huge potential change in the way organizations operate – and in particular international organizations.

Technology enables growth and shifts internal and external relationships for global businesses, encouraging a more collaborative and consistent approach between departments and subsidiaries – and with customers. And digital transformation helps businesses to act as quickly as possible and get ahead of their competitors, responding to customer demands, and – crucially – figuring out the needs of a global market and how to meet them.

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