As businesses strive to become digital, they need to be more flexible, innovative, and agile than ever. Customers are engaging with businesses differently from how they were just five years ago, and the bulk of their interactions are not with people but with systems (think airport and hotel check-in, ordering a product, or getting a taxi).

For all this to work, it's critical that the systems on the back end know who you are, where you are, and what you need, to connect flawlessly to the front-end device. That airport check-in app on your phone, for example, requires integration with the airline reservation system, the ticketing system, the baggage handling system and gate information in order to provide full value to you as a user.

In order to do this, and do it well, businesses need three things:

• Analytics: We know more about things and people than ever before. This data needs to be captured, embedded into our workflows, and made available to customers and employees at the point of impact, so everyone can make the best decisions possible. If the data isn't where it needs to be when it needs to be there, it's useless.
• Automation: Being digital requires speed. Technology achieves this by squeezing out many of the inefficiencies that slow us down. Cut out unnecessary or manual steps, and remove human error wherever possible. Automation is what ensures the data gets where it needs to be when it needs to be there.
• Security: Digital businesses need to be secure by design. Customers need to have confidence that the digital data, both personal and metadata, are being kept in safe hands. Without customer trust, digital business cannot reach its full potential.

Software is what brings these systems and architectures together and brings them to life for the user, offering entirely new experiences by integrating and bringing together new capabilities. Agile software development practices bring together complementary systems and architectures, enhancing the entire experience, and enabling new capabilities for customers. For businesses undergoing digital transformation, harnessing these capabilities is what delivers intelligence and drives agility. It's about helping businesses capitalize on information, make faster decisions, and provide valuable customer outcomes.

It is only through offering these truly digital experiences that businesses will be able to capitalize on the digital disruption happening all around us.

Are you thinking about how software and automation can help your organization become a digital business? Let me know in the comments below.