Nutanix analysis: Mission, behaviour & purpose - a new ‘digital culture’ emerges

Technology is evolving, obviously, that’s what it does.

Due to the perennial flow of innovation and dynamic change, some say that companies are building better digital habits and systems and that this shift is driving a new realisation that we need to move from a point of digital culture (i.e. there’s a new platform, form factor, device, enterprise suite, social channel, or whatever… so let’s buy it and deploy it) to a new point of value realisation (i.e. that higher state of being where we actually embrace technology for what it can do, how sustainable it is, what its ethical impact is and – perhaps above all – what its outcomes and impact will be in the workplace) in modern business.

This (above) suggested inflexion point comes on the back of surveys conducted with leaders across EMEA.

The IDC InfoBrief, sponsored by Nutanix, From Digital Culture to Value Realisation suggests that 84% of IT leads in EMEA are under pressure to deliver on digital transformation (DX) strategies and 90% of organisations in EMEA recognise that having a digital-first approach is now a must-have.

So breaking that down, we’re saying that DX has to happen and we need IT tools for everything… if this initial suggested point appears somewhat evident, then the nuances in the detail of how this happens should be more illustrative and insightful.

Streamlining shakes-off shoddy sprawl

SVP for EMEA at Nutanix Sammy Zoghlami thinks that digital-first not only requires a system rethink, but it also requires a corporate mindset where all C-suite executives see their digital technologies as the catalyst for business growth.

“The survey clearly states that organisations must consider potential challenges and costs when running multiple cloud instances, highlighting the ongoing need for better multi-cloud management and streamlined deployment to avoid cloud sprawl,” said Zoghlami.

The information presented here wants us to consider the suggestion that translating digital investments into new revenue streams is a top priority for EMEA organisations, as is data and innovation.

Yet, respondents believe the onus can no longer rest solely on the shoulders of the IT department and need to be embraced by the C-suite as globally we come to terms with what a digital culture, digital infrastructure and digital-first means to an organisation.

According to Nutanix, managing cloud sprawl remains a crucial challenge for businesses starting their digital journey.

As a result, finance departments are stepping up to put measures in place to curb expenditure and manage cloud usage. In support of this, 77% have redesigned purchasing processes to enable pay-as-you-use and consumption models, 58% have rationalised business and developer expenditure in external cloud resources, and over 55% have actively reduced costs on legacy on-premises systems.

DX = mission, behaviour, purpose

When asked what measures DX leaders are considering to transform the organisation’s culture effectively, the following three were ranked the highest:

Promoting change in management awareness
Redefining the missions & evaluations of existing businesses
Promoting behavioural change in individuals by renewing the company’s purpose and action guidelines.

According to the survey, three key pillars stand out in how C-suites must cooperate to create the digital culture, using the cloud as the enabler for all three digital culture streams. These are value economics, data-driven innovation and the future workplace.

“Customers no longer just want infrastructure solutions that help them reduce costs today. They want solutions that offer them the flexibility to traverse multiple hybrid cloud environments while cutting operating costs in the long term. As much as embracing digital-first systems requires a culture shift, it still requires a technology makeover so that a business can innovate, partner and explore new revenue streams,” commented Andrea Siviero, Associate Research Director, IDC.

Co-creation & caring

Surveys (and technology surveys in particular) are clearly designed to deliver a ‘payload’ of findings, many of which are typically contrived or at least heavily influenced by the shape of the question posed.

So taking stock then, if this analysis provides us with anything, it is some validation of the fact that enterprise technology has now moved on a little from a basic question of ‘how much’ and ‘what functionality’ to consider the deeper value it can bring to not only the company that deploys it, but to all those who come into a point of interaction with it… hence why we are seeing as many and a third of companies questioned here talk about co-creating new products with customers and partners.

In terms of the workplace, 35% of organisations think that ensuring equal access to information and digital tools to all staff regardless of location will challenge the future workplace.

Let’s all be nicer to each other, shall we? Now, wash your hands.