“Software is eating the world,” according to Marc Andreessen. His 2011 article may be more prescient than expected when it comes to telecommunications. Gone are the days of copper carrying the urgent messages of business communications. Today’s data-rich pipelines not only enable more communication, they enable technical inspection and support on a near-instant basis.
Software managed solutions are only part of the challenge when it comes to digitization. Organizational change may be more critical to the long-lasting success of transformation. The Harvard Business Review believes there are three approaches to managing digitization that, depending upon the structure of the business, will yield positive results.
Approaching the problem by restructuring the digitization effort under a single stakeholder is called “Convergence.” While not always possible within the business, especially if the company is a multinational organization with a diverse set of goals, Convergence seems to be the best long-term approach. For telecommunications, this means aligning voice, data and wireless assets under the CIO or CTO. Take it a step further and any digital asset could fall under the umbrella, software licenses as an example. Expense management software like Bruin, Tangoe and more specialized solutions like MOBI enable CxO champions to gain visibility into their telecommunications spend leading to optimized operations. Ultimately, employing TEM software leads directly to digital transformation.
The other two strategies for managing change are “Coordination” and “Separate Digital Innovation Stacks.” These two approaches may be necessary, but the goal is ultimately the same: to transform your business by enabling, managing and scaling digital solutions. Selecting the right software platforms to simplify the digitization process must be as integral as choosing an organizational change strategy.
