One of the most apparent consequences of the current situation is the infusion of data-enabled services into the aspects of life; thus, digital transformation is going to be an even bigger imperative for the organizations in the short-term future.

Fremont, CA: Opposite to the popular belief, digital transformation is less about technology and more about people. It is effortless and straightforward to buy any technology, but the ability to adapt to an ever more digital future is based on developing the next generation of skills, closing the gap between talent supply and demand, and future-proofing own and others' potential.

• Put people first: Technology is always about doing more with less, yet that combination is valid only if the technology is paired with the right human skills. Just as technological disruption has generally led to automation and the elimination of outdated jobs, it has also always created new job opportunities. But the creative part of innovation is completely dependent on people. Augment humans and technology can be stimulated if the providers can leverage human adaptability to re-skill and up-skill the workforce.

• Focus on soft skills: Similar to the fact that digital transformation is more about people than technology, the vital technological skills are soft skills rather than hard skills. There is no denying that the recruitment market is hot for cybersecurity analysts, software engineers, and data scientists. There's an even more significant need for people who can be trained in the next wave of IT skills. 

• Steps needed to be considered for data insights: So much of the current discussion on data is focused on artificial intelligence (AI) or specific types of computer intelligence, like machine learning, deep learning, or natural language processing. These great advances in AI are exciting, yet are not viewed as the main differentiator for future-proofing an organization. A much more significant competitive advantage is to harness valuable data, having the necessary skills to translate that data into meaningful insights, and above all, being able to act on those insights.

See also: Top Digital Transformation Solution Companies