We often hear about Fortune 500 companies embarking on digital transformation initiatives. While these projects are the ones that make it to the news, small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) are participating in that change. Different factors make SMEs ideal venues for digital transformation.
Unlike large organizations, SMEs are not mired in bureaucratic procedures that make change difficult to achieve. Large companies have also invested a lot in legacy systems that are either complex or expensive to transform, or both, and there is bound to be more resistant to change from departments and individual contributors. In contrast, SMEs are more likely to be using off-the-shelf technology with minimal modifications, making transformation a lot less challenging for developers, stakeholders, and end-users.
Despite all of these reasons to initiate these types of projects, only a small number of SMEs have achieved digital transformation, with just over 50% piloting programs and less than 20% with limited implementation.
One barrier to entry that SMEs face is the perception of cost and challenge, especially for businesses that lack the in-house expertise to lead digital transformation. Some organizations don’t even have a dedicated CIO or CTO. Thus, when they embark on transformation projects, they are forced to pull out resources from operations. These resources might not even have the knowledge needed to lead simple tasks, much less plan, or implement entire initiatives. This could lead to a messy situation where projects are left unfinished while IT resources scramble back to support core operations that had been suffering in their absence.
Fortunately, SMEs now have options when it comes to digital transformation. Cloud technology and collaboration tools are now cheaper than ever, and consulting firms and system integrators like Zenpo Software Innovations, LLC have proven expertise in leading and implementing digital transformation projects for clients of various sizes, from government agencies to non-profits. Contact us now to know how digital transformation could help turn your small business into an industry leader.