Datum - a proven platform for digital transformation

Posted on in

The impact of recent global events

The Covid-19 pandemic shook the business world to its core, leaving many companies scrambling to keep their operations afloat amidst the chaos. It quickly became clear that those without robust IT systems and processes in place were at a severe disadvantage, as they struggled to quickly adapt to the new reality of remote work and digital communication. If there were one lesson to be learned from the three years of global pandemic, it was the importance of technology in business continuity. So it is no surprise that the topic of digital transformation was firmly back on the agenda once businesses began to take stock and plan for a future that could bring more lockdown and social distancing scenarios.

Businesses that faced problems accessing on-premise IT infrastructure for emergency and routine servicing during lockdown, companies that needed to streamline offices and on-premise IT due to post-pandemic budgetary pressures, and those that struggled to fulfil customer expectations during lockdown because of issues with technology, have all prioritised decisions around futureproofing their technology, IT infrastructure and workloads, in case something similar happens again.

So, what is digital transformation?

Technology plays a crucial part in businesses’ ability to remain competitive, evolve and continue to offer the best possible service to customers. Digital transformation means embracing technology to build a highly engaged customer base by fulfilling their ever-changing expectations. It entails reviewing all business functions and working out how digital technologies (digitising processes, enlisting greater IT automation and introducing operational efficiencies) can enhance processes, meet changing business and market requirements and add value to customer interactions. Digital transformation is a business-wide strategic shift that is entirely customer-driven – it places the customer at the heart of strategy by understanding their journey, how they interact with a company and what their pain points are.

Many transformation projects fail (or are avoided entirely) due to the sheer enormity and complexity of the process – it is a journey, and one that affects all aspects of a business. The coronavirus pandemic and lockdown (and associated problems with service delivery), were a wake-up call for many businesses, particularly those that were already considering digital transformation in order to keep pace with competitors and fulfil customer expectations. The unpleasant realisation that this first Covid-19 pandemic could be a sign of things to come inspired many companies to rekindle their transformation plans in preparation.

Futureproofing through digital transformation

As businesses become ever more dependent on their digital assets, a greater emphasis is placed on the safe storage of data and intellectual property. The rapid expansion in data volumes, the requirement for archiving and more vigilant back-ups, and the need for more hard-drive real estate to accommodate newer and more sophisticated software and operating systems, is causing many companies to outgrow their on-premise IT facilities and consider consolidating and transforming their IT in one secure location. In this way, IT infrastructure and workloads can be managed efficiently, futureproofed and scaled up or down, based on changing requirements.

Appreciating the need for change is one thing, but deciding how to implement that change is another entirely. Our experience has shown that the undertaking is far less overwhelming when businesses work with a technology partner who can offer a platform for the transformation. In most cases, our digital transformation clients have already decided on the strategic direction of their transformation journey, and come to us looking for an agile, scalable and efficient platform through which to deliver a hybrid IT strategy combining public or private clouds. And our tried and tested two-phase approach, which facilitates the IT side of the transformation strategy, has brought them the success they are looking for.

Datum’s platform for digital transformation – someone to lean on

Through our extensive partner network, including our service provider clients, we offer our clients a one-stop-shop for all IT infrastructure and communications requirements – our extensive partner network allows us to facilitate whichever hybrid or specialist scalable solutions our clients require.

We base digital transformation projects on two phases, which give our clients the opportunity to take stock, review and consolidate during phase 1 before beginning the transformation in phase 2:

  • Phase 1 – Consolidation: All disparate elements of a client’s IT infrastructure are consolidated in Datum’s secure, resilient datacentre (a ‘landing zone’) so that workloads can be mapped, structured and organised.
  • Phase 2 – Transformation: Once everything is up and running, we work with our clients to define how to deliver applications and workloads. This often means transforming to a combined hybrid private/public cloud and datacentre solution.

What can be achieved?

Improved efficiency and increased competitiveness

A key aim of digital transformation. Adopting a hybrid model enables companies to benefit from a largely OpEx cost model and save the substantial capital expenditure required for a scalable in-house IT facility

Hybrid solutions to support in-house IT staff

There is no ‘one size fits all’ solution for digital transformation, which is why hybrid solutions are a critical part of any transformation strategy. With IT infrastructure and workloads safely ensconced in a managed facility, IT staff can focus on business/process improvement projects rather than the day-to-day concerns associated with running a large, in-house IT facility.

Consolidation of infrastructure, applications and workloads

Businesses are running more and more business applications and connected devices, and are increasingly needing to collaborate, consolidate and automate. This is hampered by the logistical challenge of managing distributed IT infrastructure that is often spread across multiple on-premise business locations. Consolidating the IT estate and workloads at the beginning of the transformation process removes layers of legacy technology and IT silos, which hamper the transformation.

Sound interesting?

Futureproofing IT is a priority for many businesses, particularly in this uncertain climate. Datum Datacentres can offer the flexible and reliable platform you need for your IT infrastructure and workloads. Get in touch online, call us on 0333 202 3195 or email us at info@datum.co.uk.

Back to Insights