Digital Trailblazer

Epilogue

I'm taking a different type of walk today, a hike actually, on one of the trails winding through Saguaro National Park in Tucson, Arizona. I'm not hiking to relieve stress or manage anxieties. I'm here to enjoy the scenery, breathe the fresh air, and clear my mind after completing Chapter 10 of this book. In a couple of days, I'll be up in Scottsdale finishing my fourth in‐person keynote this fall. I'll be talking to IT leaders about how they should prepare for the next wave of digital transformation, or what I refer to in the keynote as digital transformation 2.0.

It hasn't been an easy two years for anyone, and as much as we like to define the “new normal,” there are still many unknowns around the long‐term transformations in areas like hybrid working, supply chain disruptions, evolving customer needs, growing security risks, and the impact of technologies like artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things that are now more mainstream than emerging tech. These are some of the characteristics of what will drive digital transformation 2.0.

And I see greater evidence of more company leaders recognizing the need to transform, from hospitals with a renewed focus on the patient experience to construction companies seeking to integrate their data and develop predictive analytics.

There is no better time to be a Digital Trailblazer. More leaders recognize the need to transform their business and operating model, and you'll be pushing fewer ropes uphill to get buy‐in ...