If you have become the Chief Digital Officer for the digital division of an enterprise, you have so many pressing questions to answer during the brink of digital transformation. You’ve got to consider whether companies are ready to use 5G powered edge analytics and if the enterprise culture has matured enough to handle all the upcoming digital transformations.
The digital segment is one of the fastest-growing divisions of an enterprise. Naturally, these fast-growing segments need to be under someone competent, with many crucial skill sets. Someone like the talents Jen Felch, President of Dell Digital, Chief Digital Officer, and Chief Information Officer for Dell Technologies. She agreed to do our show this year, allowing us to pick her brain regarding the digital transformation acceleration in the past couple of years.
When asked what CIO and CDO are responsible for, Jen replied that Dell carries the responsibilities of being both an IT organization while aiding digital transformation in the company. Their goal is to change the behaviour and attitude of individuals while providing scope for aspiration and thinking – all by broadening and changing the IT name. Jen says that they have now transformed into “Dell Digital”, whose main aim is to provide newer, better digital efficiencies and experiences for both customers and employees. In our opinion, that’s the best way to solve technology and business problems.
Of course, the changes Jen is referring to are the company-wide changes we have been observing at Dell for the last 4 years. Not only have they upended every aspect of their company, but they have also made astounding leaps in the new digital era.
This transformation includes the moving of DevOps and design to the front line of IT to promote better perspectives and newer thinking. According to Jen, both DevOps and Design are two very important aspects of an IT organization. Like an early-stage software company, they too are trying to meet the latent needs of a customer by focusing on their design.
Jen says that this entire path to digital transformation is a whole behaviour and cultural shift. Digital leaders now have to take care of their data while taking part in new user stories. She also believes that proper training is a crucial part of this process. Dell Digital has recently launched a 12-week program for their employees to help them better understand the ways of solving problems with their business partners.
Additionally, the CDO remit works way beyond IT. It extended towards partners, finance, manufacturing, and sales. The teams have to understand how all the new changes will affect the business, the customers, and other products and services. They need to stay on top of 5G edge analytics and IoT while managing cloud security. Thus, Dell has already started seminars and conferences to help talk about 5G and present new opportunities in the future.
Jen offered valuable advice regarding learning from past failures to prepare for these future opportunities. She believes that they always need to have a data strategy. One must always be ready for newer data to use to set themselves up for the future.
You can check out the full podcast to know more about Jen’s advice and predictions, and let us tell you, and it’s extremely interesting and enlightening! We are eternally thankful to Jen Felch and her team at Dell Technologies for saying yes to the podcast and their contribution to the world of digital advancement.
Reference links:
- Episode of Conversations with Dez podcast featuring Jen Felch
- Episode of Conversations with Dez podcast featuring Liam Quinn: Demystifying #5G and its implications in one, five and ten years from now.
- Blog by Jen Felch: Accelerating Digital Transformation to Capitalise on the Next Data Decade
- Click here for more great blogs on the Dell Digital webportal