A DIGITAL STRATEGIST’S THOUGHTS ON CLOUD COMPUTING, ONLINE APPS, DIGITIZATION AND BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION

Word on the street is that a digital strategist is a strategic expert who helps organizations navigate digital transformation initiatives to gain a competitive edge and meet evolving consumer expectations in an increasingly technology-driven world. As companies adopt more cloud and online SaaS capabilities, digital strategists guide critical business decisions and investments related to emerging technologies.

Unlike IT professionals focused on daily system operations and performance, digital strategists take a big-picture view centered on how technology can be leveraged as a strategic asset to enable business growth, efficiency and disruption. Core focus areas a consultant oversees would span the likes of digital product development, customer experience design, IoT integration, platform ecosystem architecture, intelligent automation, data analytics, machine learning capabilities and more.

Expert digital strategists exhibit a rare blend of creative and analytical strengths. Pros employ design thinking and human-centered methodologies combined with data science applications to solve complex challenges. An insatiable curiosity to explore innovations is balanced by pragmatism, business acumen and strategic clarity when evaluating technologies. Top leaders also have excellent communication skills and thrive when leading change.

Responsibilities of a digital strategist include conducting technology capability assessments, benchmarking competitors, quantifying ROI on digital investments, selecting optimal technologies, architecting digital product roadmaps and platforms, devising adoption strategies, upskilling workforces and tracking progress through meaningful metrics. Advisors crystallize how investments link back to overarching business objectives while future-proofing organizations.

As cloud, SaaS and online technology increasingly intertwines with every facet of business in today’s data-rich, highly-connected global economy, digital strategists will continue rising in prominence within leadership teams. Employing equal parts innovation and pragmatism, creativity and analytics – digital strategists reveal opportunities for leveraging technologies to deepen customer relationships, unlock new revenue streams, improve decision making and sustainably grow market share. Advisors accelerate digital maturity.

In a sea of hype around emerging technologies, digital strategists decode complex innovations, pinpoint game-changing solutions aligned to business goals, and develop playbooks to capitalize on the burgeoning promise of digital transformation.