Cloud Digitization

Paradigm Shift Towards Cloud Solution Making Biobank Management Smarter

The speed with which digitization will transform the global economy is likely to surprise many players. So it is critical that several companies begin now to shift their focus beyond simply selling and maintaining their products and services within the current IT system. Instead, they must rethink everything from their operations to their sales and marketing processes to their cultures if they are to stay relevant in the digital age.

Many large technology vendors understand the need for change. For example, IBM-whose advertising slogan, “Smarter Planet,” suggests its commitment to digitization-has been actively buying companies to support a digitized future. In 2010, it bought data warehouse maker Netezza for $1.7 billion, business integration software maker Sterling Commerce for $1.4 billion, and Unica, a maker of marketing technology, for $500 million. The names of other large vendors’ initiatives suggest their similar visions for the future: Smart+Connected Communities (Cisco Systems); Central Nervous System for the Earth (HP Labs); Intelligent Networks (Deutsche Telekom).

Fully 50 percent of all IT spending in 2017 is expected to be devoted to smart computing solutions, platforms, and processes. There is no doubt that the promised value of digitization can only be captured by companies in these fields that understand the fundamental changes ahead. These changes include the following:

A shift from moving boxes to software-based, cloud-centric business models supplying services on demand
A true multichannel sales approach where the traditional distribution mechanisms of physical products have no meaning anymore, and where the direct online channel becomes primary
Significantly more complex ecosystems that will demand much higher-quality products and services that can provide truly value-creating propositions-and rely on a much deeper understanding of industry-specific applications

Cloud computing and security are universally seen as leading industry areas.