It is no longer news to anyone that the world is going through an accelerated Digital Transformation in all sectors due to the covid-19 pandemic. Could we expect that everything will be back to “normal” during and after 2022? This is a hard question. However, companies are moving more and more towards ensuring business sustainability by increasing investment in technologies.

The digital world offers operational cost reduction, sales scaling increase, and territorial expansion. But you need to assemble a structured team and use assertive tools to deliver the essential pillars of the Digital Transformation: added value, security, and experience.

According to a KPMG global study, 61% of more than 500 interviewed CEOs from 11 different countries declare that they keep investing in digital tools to offer a better experience to their customers. Besides, 52% of them prioritize data security measures, 50% focus on customer-centered technologies, and 49% are committed to digital communications, like video conferences and message exchange.

More and more qualified professionals are needed to meet this demand for technology. Three years ago the IT sector used to have around 100 thousand open positions. Today there are 200 thousand open opportunities, and it is expected that this number will increase to 300 thousand by 2024. Currently, Brazil is the biggest IT Market in Latin America, which expanded 5,5% in 2020 (with $344,68 million in revenue) According to the IDC (International Data Corporation), this amount represented 3% of the Brazilian GDP.

• You might be interested in: Digital maturity: one of the most important business metrics - and your company should keep an eye on it

In addition to the IT tools and professionals, an essential factor when speaking of Digital Transformation is a mindset change. There is no point in acquiring tools if the operation will not be able to use them correctly. The famous data orientation, or data-driven company, is when the action is only performed after a thorough analysis of the data followed by the metrics.

When we speak about digitalization, soon we will be in touch with solutions like artificial intelligence, big data, machine learning, and even disrupted digital products. But what really creates and spreads a technology culture is the change of thinking, and it has to start on the C-levels and decision-makers, passing through all the operations.

Companies like Uber, Spotify, and Amazon are well-known brands that were born in the digital world, but they would not be able to lead the market if they did not have a sense of methodology and adaptation. These companies are inserted into the digital world, but they are also fed from other innovation companies and hubs. Samsung invests millions of dollars every year in startups to foment new solutions for their business. In contrast, we know what happened with Yahoo! and MySpace.

Digital transformation also is (re)positioning. Magazine Luiza is a fine example of it since the company was a traditional retailer that used to sell stoves and other home appliances and transformed itself into a brand that is a reference on the stock market. Magazine Luiza bought in the last 18 months 18 new companies from several segments - and one of them is Jovem Nerd, a geek communication platform. It shows how Magazine Luiza is very ambitious in attracting several different audiences to the brand.

• You might be interested in: How to choose the right technology partner?

The pandemic flung the reality wide open: we have a long path ahead. But as the saying goes: “Done is better than perfect”. If you did not start any Digital Transformation in your company or place of work because you think it is a complex movement or because you do not understand the subject, just begin with a simple excel sheet until you figure out the pain and the action that may solve it. The transformation goes beyond technology, professionals and technical terms.

Content originally published on Tiinside.