A vital pillar of the digital transformation technology ecosystem, without a doubt, is cloud computing. The cloud is the enabler of digital transformation, says Jayakumar Mohanachandran, Group Chief Information Officer, Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group, UAE, and offers the scale and speed needed for businesses to focus on transformation.
Mohanachandran, adds, “There is no better time for CEOs or leaders to invest in technology and capitalise on it. They have to make sure they drive innovations and changes in their organisation, and be a part of the transformational journey.”
Excerpts from the interview:
What advice would you give companies in the early stages of their digital transformation?
Digital transformation is a necessity. Most organisations have gone through it in the last two years. It is the most significant enabler for B2B and B2C companies to use technology better. For organisations in the early stages of transformation, there is only one thing to watch out for: the world is changing fast, and make sure that you are in the race.
There is no better time for CEOs or leaders to invest in technology and capitalise on it. They have to make sure they drive innovations and changes in their organisation, and be a part of the transformational journey.
Which verticals in your business group have seen the maximum ROI with cloud strategy?
We are a business conglomerate, so we cannot mention only a few lines of business. We have a real estate, retail, trading business, and manufacturing. In every industry, the adoption of technology is on different bases. If you look at retail, it has transformed dramatically in the last two years, especially the eCommerce platforms, with the AR and VR technologies. Similar is in the real estate and manufacturing industries.
One of the interesting things to note, there was always a need for technology in retail, like starting an eCommerce portal and other industries, but was reluctant to take that transformation journey and invest in technology.
In the last two years, we have seen many changes in the requirements, especially in customer experience. The digital transformation journey transformation in the retail business units within our group is growing very fast. At the same time, it’s important to be ahead of the game and be resilient. Having a cloud strategy greatly impacts retail.
Which emerging technologies do you see having a big impact on retail and real estate in the immediate future?
Cloud technology is a big enabler for all the Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group business units. Technology such as augmented reality and automation has a big impact in retail, eliminating inefficiencies and helping organisations be as lean as possible. We need to ensure that the business gets the maximum out of it in the transformation journey. Automation is a transformative technology.
How has the role of data and analytics changed in your organisation?
The importance of data and analytics is more crucial nowadays. People who were earlier happy with a static dashboard are now looking forward to getting real-time information that helps them make quicker decisions. We are building an analytics strategy, connecting all our applications to our existing platform. We will soon have a foolproof plan for analytics. And obviously, it is a key element of our digital transformation.
If you liked reading this, you might like our other stories
Top 6 Retail Tech Trends in 2021
Top Six Middle East Retail Brands Using AI to Enhance CX
