In its recent paper, Driving Innovation Through Data Storage Modernization, IDC reveals the essential features of a data-first storage infrastructure strategy designed to help organizations keep up in an era of breakneck modernization, emerging technologies, and business innovations.

IDC predicts that the number of “digitally determined” organizations with a fully integrated, enterprise-wide technology architecture will grow from 46% to more than 90% over the next two years. IDC also posits that organizations can remain in control of their digital future by investing in modern storage infrastructure from trusted vendors, enabling them to become “digitally determined” by leading with data as a differentiating asset.

Because organizations pursuing digital transformation have already established investments that deliver or enhance their business outcomes, IDC proposes that leaders in these “digitally determined” enterprises are more empowered to make the technological, organizational and financial decisions necessary to extend their business’ competitive differentiation into 2020 and beyond.

 

Modernizing your infrastructure

For businesses looking to modernize their infrastructure in 2020, IDC recommends these strategic components:

  • Hybrid cloud infrastructure delivered as code, allowing organizations to utilize the benefits of both traditional data centers and cloud services simultaneously.
  • Cyber-resilient architecture for stronger security in their infrastructure, protecting both hardware elements and the data on them.
  • An open design for deployment flexibility while minimizing challenges with vendor lock-in and platform integration.
  • An AI and analytics-friendly infrastructure to incorporate AI-driven data insights and analytics into every process.
  • Consistent data availability and recovery protecting against unplanned business downtime by providing mechanisms to speed data recovery, simplify management, lower storage costs, and improve data security.

 

A blueprint for digital success

Using the results from a global study of 1,987 digital leaders, IDC has developed a blueprint for digital success relying on four key elements:

  1. A single enterprise strategy. All digitally determined organizations rally around a single strategy, as opposed to organizations that try to coordinate multiple digital strategies rooted in the various lines of business and functional areas.
  2. Resoluteness to make required organizational and cultural changes. Digitally determined organizations are twice as likely to have digital assets embedded throughout the organization, as opposed to residing in a central digital group.
  3. A long-term investment strategy based on the principle that digital transformation is inherently valuable to the business. Digitally determined organizations are more likely to fund their digital transformation through a capital budget, as opposed to a short-term funding mechanism.
  4. A single, integrated digital platform to scale technology innovations. Digitally determined organizations focus on scaling digital operations and are working toward a single digital platform.

The report also cautions against an undesirable byproduct of digital transformation initiatives: the creation of “islands of innovation,” each driven by its own infrastructure. This means that while an organization may employ business innovations on the front end and back end, they will still need to connect these innovations to one another with their existing enterprise systems to achieve scale or risk each being isolated on an “island.”

This approach of starting with a single enterprise strategy that lays a foundation for a long-term investment strategy— can have a major impact on the way businesses tackle initiatives for infrastructure modernization. While organizations that are too focused on their own internal process may not ever be able to bring meaningful ideas to market, those that can will be able to reap the benefits of their innovation efforts. Mobilizing resources will bring meaningful digital transformation throughout the enterprise, allowing the organization to respond to customer needs with the rapid creation of new products and services.

 

Why modernize your infrastructure?

Though the proposition of a data-first storage modernization strategy can seem challenging to some organizations, the goal should always be a fully integrated, enterprise-wide technology architecture that empowers digital products, services and experiences while modernizing and integrating the internal IT environment. To learn more about strategies for data-first storage modernization, be sure to discuss your infrastructure options and business objectives with your Sirius representative, or contact us for more information.