IDC predicts that $1.7 trillion will be spent worldwide with digital initiatives by 2019. Moment asks for changes in the way of thinking in business.

by Mônica Miliatti*

“In nature nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed”. That quote could have been said today, but it is from 1775, when the French chemist Antoine Laurent Lavoisier discovered the principle of conservation of mass. Regardless of sounding cliché, the discovery that guides modern chemistry is easily applied to human and technological evolution: change  becomes a natural and necessary trait for survival.

Digital Transformation is considered by specialists as the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and that subject will remain in focus in the near future: according to IDC, by the end of 2019 worldwide spending on technologies related to Digital Transformation will reach $ 1.7 trillion, an increase of 42% compared to 2017 .

“This scenario, characterized by remarkable advances in new technologies, creation of disruptive models and an increase in the level of client’s expectations, shows that there is no way to remain competitive and up to date, other than follow a journey of profound changes in core business and in corporate culture,” points out Cassius Buda, Spread CEO.

This is not about promoting transformation for its own sake. According to Cassius, current technologies and expertise must be adapted to the new reality, which demands of IT a strategic role to connect old and new ways with agility. “Digitizing and automating processes is still important for CIOs and other information technology professionals so they can gradually move their efforts to new and necessary tools, such as Blockchain, Deep Learning and Big Data,” he explains.

People is key

At the same time, this is the moment to attract innovative and entrepreneurial professionals, capable of leading Digital Transformation. “That requires people who really think outside the box, easily adapt to Agile and Lean models, and contribute to continuous structural changes. Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence will cut jobs at some sectors, but on the other hand new jobs are emerging as user experience becomes more and more important for business continuity,” Cassius says, citing as an example the role of Data Scientist, which is increasingly necessary.

Cassius adds that the journey to Digital Transformation is not simple and the path is still uncertain. “But whoever doesn’t change will be left behind, obsolete and stalled,” he warns.

* Mônica Miliatti is a journalist at essense, the agency responsible for Spread’s content strategy