The world around us continues to evolve at an exponential pace due to new and emerging technologies, all of which help to improve how we work, communicate and exchange information. Increased digitization and the growing interconnectedness of people, organizations, and machines are already having a profound impact on the world’s economies at both the macro and micro level.
Recognizing this potential, government strategies within the GCC are emphasizing the role of digital in accelerating economic diversification, promoting sustainability and ensuring citizen happiness. They are more motivated than others to embrace disruption and accelerate the integration and implementation of an economy fueled by technology.
For nations to succeed however, governments need to take proactive measures to adopt emerging technologies that will facilitate the growth of their services, organizations that operate within the country and the nation’s economy. But what is required to drive the future of growth and how can governments help to accelerate the development of digitally advanced economies?
The first step is to build an understanding of how to use data effectively. In order to achieve heightened levels of productivity, efficiency and profitability, businesses and governments need to first operationalize data-driven discoveries. Organizations need newer and faster ways to analyze data and build a truly integrated organization. For example, a multi-cloud infrastructure has proven that it can unify the entire business by connecting mission critical applications, processes, data and services. What needs to be tapped into more is that this environment can also drive automation, artificial intelligence and machine learning, and extend the ability to manage, move and process data where and when required. In fact, as data becomes increasingly distributed, we will see a host of new cloud models emerging to support a range of apps and services that are used every day, while 5G will increase its speed accessibility and delivery. According to our recent Index, while 35% of organizations plan to invest in multi-cloud in the next 1-3 years, 36% plan to spend on AI, and 52% on IoT.
Governments across the region are leading the way as they place ICT at the heart of their transformation plans. With the goal of improving citizen experiences and fueling economic growth, governments in the GCC have launched ambitious initiatives with a major focus on enabling digital transformation. For example, one of Oman’s national priorities is “Governance of the Administrative Apparatus, Resources and Projects” -an administrative apparatus that is flexible, innovative, future-oriented and adhere to good governance.
The second is to be prepared. We often forget that disruption is a process that plays out over time; sometimes slowly, but completely. It is imperative that organizations invest in a holistic and strategic approach to chart and respond to the pace of disruption. This investment calls for the convergence of technologies, to connect, collaborate, and ultimately create new services and experiences that will ultimately help weather disruption. Surviving and thriving in this age of constant disruption requires iron will. But it also requires the right digital technology foundation. Organizations need to train their staff as well as their processes to learn, adapt, and steer themselves along this path of this agile process.
As we move forward, businesses and governments that embrace technology to re-imagine their services and encourage an ecosystem of innovation, will be the ones that will shape future digital economies.
By Havier Haddad
General Manager – Gulf (Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman) at Dell Technologies
