BY KIP NG, TECHNICAL DELIVERY MANAGER
The New World
Digital transformation seems to be the key talking point for all businesses nowadays. Everyone is discussing it. All businesses, from large financial services organizations, governments, and telecommunication companies to small retailers, coffee shops, etc., are looking at transforming digitally. The word transformation, according to the Oxford Dictionaries site, is a synonym for “reorganization,” “overhaul,” “remodeling,” “metamorphosis,” and “revolution.” These words have one thing in common—that is, change, and, in many cases, it means introducing uncertainties.
As this book is drawing to a close, I wanted to reiterate the vision for this volume and, at the same time, share my opinions on the mentalities an information technology (IT) technical resource must embrace to be successful in this journey of digital transformation revolution.
Digital transformation is the change associated with the application of digital technology in all aspects of human society. 1
The scope is huge, because you are looking at almost everything that technology touches. For that reason, it is not always easy to understand the full impact of how such revolution affects our businesses, jobs, and interactions with people, as well as our lives. In fact, it isn’t always clear what one must do or how to get ready for it.
Fortunately, for all of us, digital transformation is a process. It isn’t something that happens overnight in a magical way. It means that you can’t just become a digitally transformed organization overnight, especially for a well-established large organization. There are phases to follow. Now, it is not my intent to discuss how a business goes through digital transformation. However, I do want to share some of my thoughts about where and how this digital transformation will affect us all, specifically IT infrastructure technical resources in days to come.
“Keeping the Lights on” vs. Productivity -Focused IT
IT is meant to empower an organization. However, that is not what we always observe in many institutions. In fact, many have viewed IT as a cash consumer, a huge expense item. As a result, most organizations just want to retain the status quo: that is, to do the minimum to keep the lights on. In fact, many will even go to the extent of cutting huge chunks of the IT budget as a starting point. There is no right or wrong here, but history has shown that, in most cases, deep cuts to IT budgets without thorough consideration usually results in a loss of competitiveness, reduced productivity, and an increase in unplanned system downtime, etc.
The good news is that many companies are beginning to realize that they can do more with IT and use IT to help accelerate their business growth, instead of viewing it as just another expense. The not-so-good news is that most of the technical IT personnel have grown accustomed to the “keeping the lights on” modus operandi. Many still do not see the need to change the way they operate, their mindset to be a more productivity-focused IT resource.
For all IT personnel, this must change. I believe the time to re-skill is now. Moving the IT infrastructure to the cloud is only step one, the beginning of the digital transformation process for many IT applications and solutions in enterprises. As companies move toward a more productivity-focused IT or, as I like to call it, a more “business-purpose-driven and intentional IT,” that old mindset is just not going to cut it. Those “keeping the lights on” and a heavily technically focused skill set for many of the on-premises technologies will also start to lose their relevance. The expectation is that all IT personnel must be more business savvy, not just technically skilled.
Cloud Isn’t Replacing IT People, Not If They Evolve
So, what does that really mean? Does that mean moving to the cloud will eventually result in job loss and a reduction in many current-generation IT workers? The answer is yes—and no.
Yes, because the demand for the current skill set is decreasing as IT evolves as part of this digital transformation. At the same time, no, because this digital revolution will create a lot of other opportunities, as many businesses are being disrupted by this digital transformation. It will, however, require re-skilling.
In fact, the re-skilling isn’t just for the IT workers, it starts from the top and goes all the way to the bottom. I want to end this section by bringing to your attention Microsoft’s company mission statement. For the last few months, I have gone through mission statements from different companies, but Microsoft’s current mission statement, in my opinion, really captures the essence of how the IT personnel of the current generation should evolve their thinking.
Our Mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.
—Microsoft’s Mission Statement
Staying Relevant
The following guidance is recommended.
Don’t Fight It, Embrace It; It Is Here to Stay
Looking at the current digital transformation trend, it reminds me of the time when PC servers were growing in popularity and replacing those large mainframes. I remember speaking to a friend when I was working for Compaq, and he told me that PC servers, client servers would go away after a while. Enterprises would never adopt those PC servers as their mission-critical systems. Well, we know he was wrong.
Fast forward to just six years ago, in 2011. I was discussing with a customer the prospect of moving their enterprise messaging system to a hosting cloud solution. I was laughed at and was told a similar reason: enterprises such as large financial services will never adopt cloud for their mission-critical systems. We all know this is happening as we speak, whether we want it or not. Digital transformation is here to stay, and it is not a matter of if, but when. You can’t fight it. Rather, ride the wave.
Expand Your Technology Breadth
Am I saying that all your skill sets will become obsolete and irrelevant? No, absolutely not, at least not all of it. As technology changes, and as we journey through this digital transformation, the only way for anyone to stay relevant to the market is to continuously learn and pick up new skills.
For example, those who now know only Microsoft Exchange Servers may have to start learning more, not just about Exchange Online in Office 365, but the whole Office 365 suites, which may include messaging, collaboration, unified communications, and, perhaps, even identity and networking.
The process of re-skilling in this case is more about building on top of your experience and your current skill set than a complete replacement. IT is still relevant; however, next-generation IT will demand a next-generation skill set. My advice to all IT administrators and technical resources is to continue to expand your boundaries: be more solution focused and business savvy. Embrace a growth mindset and learn, learn, and learn.
Know the Business , Expand Industry Knowledge
As discussed earlier, IT is moving away from being an expense item in the business. IT should be able about enablement, helping people to do more. This naturally means a closer integration between IT and business.
What does that mean for employees in the IT industry? We must get to know the business better and expand our industry knowledge, because only with that can we learn to think of IT as part of the business and to solutions that will ultimately help the business to grow and be more efficient. Don’t limit yourself to just acquiring technology-related knowledge. You will find that equipping yourself with some business and industry knowledge will go a long way in this digital transformation era.
This Is Just the Beginning, After All…
This book was written by some of the best technical engineers and consultants I know at Microsoft. They are experts on the subject, working closely with various customers day in and day out in the areas that they are writing about.
At a glance, this book may seem unorganized and unfocused, because it touches on different parts and technologies related to the whole Microsoft Office 365 solution. It does not seem to be one of those typical, orthodox books that flows thematically from one chapter to another. This is intentional. Each chapter is quite self-sufficient and highly focused on a specific area. These are the key areas these experts have found most companies or IT administrators having the most questions, issues, and challenges with, for example, areas such as Azure Rights Management, Exchange Hybrid, Hybrid Team sites, or installing SharePoint in Azure instead of using the SharePoint Online from O365.
Each of the chapters was carefully written by someone who not only has in-depth knowledge of that specific area but who is highly experienced in real-life production deployment. Finally, we know that moving some of the services to the cloud, such as the Office 365 solution, is just the beginning, step one toward the full digital transformation. We certainly hope this book will cover some of the critical areas that will help you and increase your knowledge, as you embark on the digital transformation journey.
Footnotes
1 Erik Stolterman, Anna Croon Fors, “Information Technology and the Good Life,” in: “Information Systems Research: Relevant Theory and Informed Practice,” 2004, ISBN 1-4020-8094-8, p. 689.