Higher education is Australia’s third biggest export earner, worth up to $28b to the Australian economy.[1] It is also an industry that is continually going through major change and regeneration.

Increasing global competition, the changing needs of learners, and outdated learning practices are all issues Australian universities face. To withstand these factors and to continue to attract talent, Australian universities need to undertake major change.

Western Sydney University (WSU), has undertaken a major digital transformation to improve customer experience. From a brand relaunch in 2015, to a new student portal and revamped website, these initiatives are all aimed at improving the university's end-to-end student engagement and lifecycle approach.

The Australian Government has used the release of the 2018-2019 budget to announce further investment in key platforms and technology to improve people’s experience of government services online.

$92.4 million will be invested into the Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) to deliver in the next phase of work to build Govpass, a key component in the further digital transformation of government.

Govpass aims to provide a simple, safe and secure choice for people to verify who they are and access government services online, reducing the need to visit a shopfront.

The Australian Government have used the release of the 2018-2019 Budget to announce further investment in key platforms and technology to improve people’s experience of government services online.

$92.4 million will be invested into the Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) to deliver in the next phase of work to build Govpass, a key component in the further digital transformation of government.

Govpass aims to provide a simple, safe and secure choice for people to verify who they are and access government services online, reducing the need to visit a shopfront.

When you convert paper records to digital images, your organisation becomes more efficient. The process of indexing, retrieving, storing, sharing and maintaining your records gets faster and resources are not wasted looking for paper based records.

However, the question many businesses ask themselves is “should you attempt to image everything yourself using existing resources, or is it more cost effective and efficient to partner with an imaging provider?”

To answer this question and to help provide an internal business case, you first need to have an accurate idea of the actual costs of doing it yourself using in-house resources.

Medical facilities and providers in Australia have some of the most advanced technology in the world. These technological advancements are leading medical science down the path to provide cures for diseases and sickness once thought incurable, and they are improving every day.

However, there are wide spread reports of hospitals around the country that are falling apart, with electrical sockets becoming faulty and electrical leads tracing across operating floors.[1]

While these matters are being addressed, there is one area also needs to be addressed as seriously as physical issues and is a vital part of any hospital or medical facility; the records system.

When it comes to determining the true value of digital transformation in Australia, for a long time it was hard to look beyond the initial capital outlay of getting a business ‘digital-ready’, which mainly took in to account the equipment and training required to start the transformation. However, a study has been conducted that places a dollar figure on the benefits of digital transformation delivers.

Joint research from Microsoft and IDC has shown that digital transformation solutions could add as much as $45 billion to Australia's GDP by 2021, equating to an increase of 0.5 per cent each year. This growth is derived from digital products and services delivered directly through the use of digital technologies, such as mobility, cloud, Internet of Things (IoT), and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The study has also revealed that benefits from digital transformation can be varied, whether it be an improvement in margin and productivity, cost reduction and increased revenue from new products and services.

 

DTS is pleased to announce we are now on the ICT (Information and Communications Technology) Panel as a preferred supplier for the NSW Government.

This panel is a centralised location where government departments can log on to and order equipment and services they need.

Moving from a paper-based system to an electronic records system can provide tremendous value to any organisation, but it has to be well planned and executed. If it isn’t done right, your vital information and business operations can be adversely affected.

The transition from paper to electronic must be seamless and your staff need to come along on the journey to ensure buy in from the bottom up.

How can you help your staff understand the importance of the change and how it will positively impact their work day?

The finance sector, or more precise accounts payable, is one of the most process driven sectors across all industries. Their main mission is to ensure all vendors, service providers, and employee expenses are paid based on established rules of their organisation, and agreed upon payment terms.

Yet one of the biggest issues is to ensure that payment is only made once the transaction has been completed, all the documentation is in order, and all the rules have been satisfied.  

When it comes to processing transactions, a lot of the workflow is quite repetitive, and time consuming, which means the expertise and skills of the administrative staff charged with looking after the processing of payments and documents, are not being utilised to their fullest potential.

Digital transformation is more than a trend, it is a movement that is readily being adapted across various industries. Some have been quick to start the transition, implementing new procedures and policies, as well as training staff and customers to ensure easy adoption of this newer technology. Manufacturing companies have traditionally been slower than other industries to react and embrace the advent of digital technologies like intelligent robots, nanotechnology and 3D printing.

Industry 4.0 is changing that.

Industry 4.0 is the next phase in the digitisation of the manufacturing sector, driven by four disruptions:

the astonishing rise in data volumes, computational power, and connectivity, especially new low-power wide-area networks;the emergence of analytics and business-intelligence capabilities;new forms of human-machine interaction such as touch interfaces and augmented-reality systems; andimprovements in transferring digital instructions to the physical world, such as advanced robotics and 3-D printing.[1]

Industry 4.0 is so named as it is the fourth major upheaval in modern manufacturing, following the lean revolution of the 1970s, the outsourcing phenomenon of the 1990s, and the automation that took off in the 2000s.

Businesses undertaking a digital transformation are able to take a closer look at how they do things in a far more in-depth way than ever thought possible. The result of this is that companies are having to change their business models and adapt to new market realities.

Yet it isn’t necessarily companies or their IT departments who are driving this change, it’s the customers who have their hands firmly on the wheel, steering businesses towards a far more efficient future.

Customers are expecting a streamlined interaction with companies. Whether it be in the form of relevant content on their website, more efficient ways in which to engage or interact with your business, or just making it far easier to purchase products and services through digital avenues. Because if they don’t get it from you, they will get it from your competitor.

In 2017, IT news sites reported many large Australian corporations and government departments completing digital transformation projects – including the Australian Immigration department, Sydney Water and ANZ to name a few.

According to a November 2017 IDC report, worldwide spending on digital transformation will reach $1.7 trillion by 2019. However, the majority of companies surveyed were still in the early stages of transformation.[1]

Digital transformation is a continuous, and complex, undertaking that can substantially shape a company and its operations. When done right, it will result in a business that is more aligned with customer demands and resilient in the fast-moving digital future.

According to Business Review, developing a digital mailroom, a central platform that collects information within the organisation and sends it to the relevant department, increases productivity by 30 to 50 per cent and reduces customer response time by 3 to 10 times.1

Spencer Wyer, global chief technology officer of UK based EDM Group, says: “Every organisation should capture data and documents from every channel of communication in real time as part of their digital transformation road map. Without this, there is a significant risk of snail mail and even email preventing true digital transformation. “2

"If you do not solve data capture across every channel at the same time, you do not have complete information.

In Australia, local government agencies are estimated to have 120 – 150 various application forms; from registrations, to permits and requests. While there are a few councils that have started migrating legacy paper-based systems to online, for many, this simply meant the forms were available online, with the rate-payers still needing to download, print and post or submit in person. The digital transformation was never truly realised.

Challenges for Local Government in digital transformation

Local Government are facing the challenge of increased compliance and the goal of transforming to more efficient paperless processes and systems by 2020.

Last month, Civica and UTS Institute for Public Policy and Governance announced the results of a survey of 200 professionals within IT teams, finance, Corporate and governance teams at local government councils, state departments and infrastructural organisations from Australia and New Zealand. The Report, titled The Changing Landscape for the Public Sector: The Challenges of Building Digital Bridges highlighted the drivers for digital change and the barriers to it:

The term ‘Digital Transformation’ can mean many things to many people. To some it can seem an overwhelming process to convert known and comfortable physical processes into a new, and unfamiliar, digital process. While to others it is the sign of progression, and the evolution of laborious and outdated processes into a faster and more efficient way in which to conduct business. 

These are both correct. 

Digital transformation is an undertaking to transform all current manual and physical processes into user friendly digital practices. From the scanning of all available documents, to the training of staff to use and incorporate new processes and systems. Once it has been implemented and running for a while, you will ask yourself how you ever lived without it. 

Digital transformation has often been placed in the court of IT due to its digital nature. However, as these digital changes are more about operational improvement rather than IT implementation, it should be the function of an Operations team to be the most important influencer for a truly successful digital transformation; with Operations working in partnership with a skilled IT team.

Amongst the many tasks that an Operations Manager or Operations Team are charged with is efficiency and productivity; driving best practice throughout all areas of the business.

The goal of digital transformation is to reduce cost pressures by streamlining technology investments, creating synergies, and improving utilisation, all in the name of increasing operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. These are the typical core responsibilities for the Operations department, who can add their insight on the specific business operations and productivity challenges.

 

Big data is one of the most hyped terms on the market today. It’s one of the most popular search terms by CIOs and other IT professionals. However, innovation, cultural change, analytical mindset and new skills are required to be proficient at leveraging it.

Digital transformation is all about the transitioning of static document processes to a digital format, for use within internal systems to streamline and improve business processes. By digitising paper based workflows, businesses and companies can improve processes and efficiencies.