Digital Continuity: A new age necessity

Written By: Chetna Anand, Global Head of Marketing

In today’s interconnected world, information is the lifeline of any business. The ability to seamlessly flow and access data across systems and departments is crucial for efficient operations, informed decision-making, and overall success. This is where digital continuity becomes key.

This article will dive deep into the nature of Digital Continuity, its operational mechanisms, its significance, and the steps involved in implementing it within your organization.

What is Digital Continuity?

Digital continuity is the ability to maintain and use digital information effectively, ensuring data remains accurate, accessible, and usable over time, regardless of technological advancements. This concept is crucial for organizations that rely on digital information, as it guarantees that data can be found, opened, worked with, understood, and trusted whenever required.

Note: Digital continuity is not solely an IT issue but a fundamental business transformation. It requires a strategic approach that aligns technology with business objectives to ensure data remains valuable and accessible over time.

From a technological standpoint, Digital Continuity involves connecting various platforms through shared databases.

This requires a deep understanding of each system to optimize its capabilities. These systems must then be integrated in a way that provides a comprehensive view of the product and company to all users. The emphasis is on strategic connections that deliver value, rather than simply connecting everything.

Achieving this requires not only IT expertise but also a well-structured process that brings together the stakeholders who will utilize the system.

Challenges in Implementing Digital Continuity

There are many benefits of implementing Digital continuity but first let’s talk about the challenges. One of the primary challenges in achieving digital continuity is the need to connect disparate data sources and systems. We must also critically assess our existing data tools, such as the traditional PLM-MES-ERP trio. These systems were historically developed independently, with connectivity as a secondary concern. However, in today’s interconnected business landscape, seamless integration is essential.

Another critical obstacle in achieving Digital Continuity is the overwhelming volume of data produced by digital platforms. Evaluating the significance, necessity, and appropriate level of detail for inter-organizational data sharing is paramount. Last but not the least, implementing Digital Continuity often requires significant organizational change. Factors like data silos, upgrading or replacing legacy systems, resistance to change from employees, skill gaps, security concerns and leadership commitment often are seen as obstacles and require organizations to implement change management strategies.

What does Digital Continuity look like?

 Digital continuity is achieved when your technology and information management processes enable your information assets to meet your current and future business needs. This occurs when:

• You have a clear understanding of your information assets, including their content and location.
• You understand how you intend to use your information assets, both presently and in the future.
• Your technology and information management processes support your information usage and are adaptable to evolving requirements.

The diagram below illustrates how digital continuity is realized when your technology aligns with the business use you need from your information assets.

Figure 1: ensuring digital continuity

Some of the benefits of Digital Continuity include:

• Product Simulation: Integrating data from various systems into a single platform to simulate the final product.
• Subsystem Integration: Seamlessly combining subsystem designs from different teams into the overall design.
• Macro-Level Integration: Directly incorporating interdependencies between fixed and mobile equipment, products, assets, the factory layout, and more.
• Enhanced Software-Hardware Integration: Improving the integration between software and connected hardware.
• Optimized Inventory Management: Streamlining inventory management processes.
• Improved Collaboration: Working more closely and efficiently with subcontractors and suppliers.
• Environmental Optimization: Designing and optimizing products and processes to meet environmental requirements.

Digital Continuity: Where to Start?

Digital Continuity is a natural evolution of a company’s internal infrastructure and processes, facilitating the free flow of information. However, it may require a significant transformation within your organization. As such, it is a project that should be carefully planned.

• Understanding Your Goals

Begin by examining your company’s strategy. For instance, if your goal is to reduce cycle time by 40%, how can Digital Continuity contribute to achieving this objective? Start with your strategic goals and then determine the technologies that can help you integrate information to deliver on those goals.

• Identifying Key Barriers

Once you have defined your desired future state, map out the different platforms required to achieve it and the obstacles that hinder information flow, which we refer to as “points of digital discontinuity.” This helps you prioritize what is truly essential. For example, integrating a small, local supplier of a non-critical part with outdated IT systems may not be worth the effort. However, for critical components sourced from multiple countries with different languages, integrated data tools for tracking and managing supplies become far more crucial.

• Prioritizing Quick Wins

As with any transformation project, it’s advisable to involve as many relevant stakeholders as possible. Start by focusing on major systemic issues that impact many people and identify quick-win projects to validate value creation in a short timeframe.

These quick-win projects should be easily deployable, such as:

• Focusing on controlled and well-defined environments.
• Involving smaller teams or teams that already practice collaboration.
• Benefiting from the support of an internal leader, a recognized innovator, or someone with significant political influence and motivational leadership.

One effective approach is a use-case incubation model, similar to the startup approach to managing a Proof of Concept (POC): test, get feedback, fail fast, learn, adapt, deploy, and accelerate. Digital transformation is a marathon, not a sprint, and will require collaboration to overcome legacy technology challenges.

Conclusion

In a nutshell, digital continuity is vital for any organization aiming for success in the modern world. By following the digital threads of information flows, companies can enhance communication, streamline operations, and improve decision-making. Embracing intelligent information sharing and monitoring can pave the way for a more connected and efficient workplace. So, are you ready to embrace the flow?