Just under 80% of CIOs in South Africa are prioritizing customer excellence through the development of new products and services as a key outcome of their ongoing digital transformation initiatives. That’s according to a survey conducted by global technology research and consulting services firm International Data Corporation (IDC), which found a similar focus on driving operational excellence through the optimization of supply chains, distribution networks, and ecosystems. The survey identified the enablement of talent excellence — through change management, collaboration, and the implementation of an innovation culture — as another key focus area for DX initiatives in South Africa.
IDC’s associate vice president for Sub-Saharan Africa, Mark Walker, will dissect the findings of this research and offer guidance on aligning the outcomes of DX initiatives with key business priorities as he opens the virtual edition of this year’s IDC South Africa CIO Summit on October 22, 2020. Running under the theme ‘The Race to Reinvent: Connecting Leaders to Empower Digital Transformation’, this exclusive digital event will serve up an unrivaled immersive experience for all participants as they seamlessly engage in content-rich presentations and panel discussions, connect with exhibitors via video chat and interact with IDC analysts and key industry players in designated networking zones.
IDC’s global president, Crawford Del Prete, will present the event’s keynote address as he unveils IDC’s new five-stage guide for helping organizations plan their recovery in the economic aftermath of COVID-19. In the session, titled ‘The Five Stages to Enterprise Recovery: Charting Your Course to the Next to Normal’, Del Prete will urge organizations in the country to focus on the imperatives of business continuity, cost optimization, business resiliency, and targeted investment as they strive to emerge as lean, dynamic, and innovation-fueled enterprises of the future.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has been an unexpected blow for businesses around the world,” says Del Prete. “And while it has underscored the importance of digital transformation in the eyes of CEOs across all industries, it has also forced a complete rethink of their digital strategies. IDC’s vision of the ‘Future Enterprise’ is an organization that is completely digitally transformed. Such an organization underpins business processes with technology, is fueled by innovation, and is both platform-enabled and ecosystem-centric.”
The IDC South Africa CIO Summit 2020 will bring together future-shaping executives from across the region to hear first-hand accounts of what it takes for an organization to become truly digitally determined. Providing a unique opportunity to engage directly with South Africa’s most influential ICT decision-makers, the event will showcase insights from respected industry thought leaders on a wide range of pressing issues, such as implementing next-generation enterprise IT, putting security at the heart of the business, enabling sustainable business continuity, and preparing workspaces for the future of work.
The virtual CIO Summit will also see a series of senior regional IDC figures host four individually themed Focus Groups that will address the following topics:
• ‘Next-Generation Security and Resilience’
– Chaired by Jonathan Tullett, Research Manager, IT Services (Africa), IDC
• ‘Artificial Intelligence: A Slow-Motion Explosion’
– Chaired by Ranjit Rajan, Associate Vice President, Research (META), IDC
• ‘Building Hybrid Clouds for The Digital Era’
– Chaired by Mark Walker, Associate Vice President (Sub-Saharan Africa), IDC
• ‘The Future of Work’
– Chaired by Jyoti Lalchandani, Group Vice President & Regional MD (META), IDC