National Technology Day is January 6, and what better way to celebrate the profound impact technology has had on your company. Technology has driven fundamental change in the way companies operate. They produce products faster and better. They simplify internal operations and squeeze costs out of almost every conceivable process. And they market, sell and interact with their customers in a far more personal and intimate way—all thanks to technology innovation.
Take this opportunity on January 6 to examine how various departments in your organizations are leveraging technology to make life easier for your employees, and help create a more profitable enterprise. Here are a few ways to usher in Technology Day.
1. Applaud the Role of Your Digital Marketers and Sellers
Marketing is a discipline that has made leaps and bounds over the last few years with the help of digital techniques and technologies. Social media in particular has revolutionized the way companies connect with their audiences and generate better and more qualified leads. Buyers who use social media have budgets that are 84 percent higher than those who don’t, and that fact isn’t lost on social media experts who leverage their trade to stake their claim to those dollars. Meanwhile, 72 percent of sales teams that use social media outperform their peers that don’t, and they exceed quota 23 percent more often. And it goes beyond social media: Pay per click and SEO strategies are becoming invaluable for digital marketing teams that need to optimize their marketing dollars, and 72 percent of companies are already planning to ramp up their PPC campaigns, so watch out!
2. Prepare for New ITIL Standards to Rock Your ITSM World
The IT landscape has also grown phenomenally over the years, and companies are embracing new IT standards and foundations to streamline everything from self-service help-desk centers to company-wide information governance programs. The IT service management (ITSM) market is projected to reach $8.78 billion by 2021, thanks in part to the rise of big data, subscription-based pricing models, the Internet of Things (IoT), hybrid cloud infrastructures, and much more. And one of the leading frameworks used to manage such growth is ITIL (IT Infrastructure Library), which establishes international quality benchmarks for IT professionals around the world.
A major ITIL update took place in 2018, designed to provide a more practical viewpoint to the entire ITIL framework, offering optimal integration with several complimentary platforms on ITIL technology such as Agile, DevOps, and Lean. IT teams should plan for the next ITIL stage through upskilling programs like the ITIL Capability Expert Program to reap the business benefits of technology.
3. Be Thankful for Everyday AI
AI is one of those modern technologies that has everyone excited because it promises to impact so many aspects of an enterprise. The market for AI, machine learning, deep learning, and robotic process automation are expected to exceed more than $191 billion by 2024 at a CAGR of 37 percent, showing that momentum is building for both companies that produce AI technologies and companies that use it to improve business operations. A PwC research study reported that 72 percent of business leaders believe AI provides a business advantage, and top-performing companies are twice as likely to harness this technology in their marketing than their lower ranked peers, according to Adobe. AI is impacting areas of the business that no one could have predicted even a few years ago, such as improving cyber security, analyzing health care needs, and creating higher-quality products with a faster production lifecycle. And in the end, consumers will benefit too: 63 percent of people believe that AI will help solve the complex problems that plague human society. Now that’s an exciting thought to celebrate.
4. Celebrate the Growing Importance of Data
In many ways, data is the fuel that drives the success of the technology. The digital world is increasingly dependent on the use of data to help companies act smarter and make better business decisions. Eighty-five percent of companies report that they are starting programs to create a data-driven culture. And usually, those initiatives are led by a new senior management position: the chief data officer (CDO). Gartner reports that 57 percent of companies now have a formal title of CDO on their management teams, many of whom report directly to the CEO. These CDOs are charged with leveraging the strategic value of data across the organization, including distributing data insights across different lines of business, identifying new areas to innovate, and using data analytics to build better products. Big data skills such as SAS and R are becoming more vital as companies attempt to solve real-world challenges with the power of data.
Whether you’re in the early stages of implementing new technology solutions or are already far along, take January 6 to recognize the value tech has on our businesses and how impactful it will continue to be in the world at large.