Minister Dara Calleary TD: ‘Digital transformation of businesses is a rare opportunity’
Sometimes the biggest leap for a business can be that first step. Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation, Dara Calleary TD, outlines the opportunity facing Irish businesses embarking on digital transformation journeys.
We are all now aware that digital technologies are changing the world around us at an ever-increasing pace, but when we speak of digital transformation it often can seem like a daunting all-consuming task but that is not necessarily the case.
The marker of success in this phase of innovation is how businesses respond. Those that are open to opportunity and are prepared to seize it have the greatest advantage. It is for this reason that digital transformation is at the very heart of our enterprise policy, and we have strong ambitions for Ireland to remain a digital frontrunner, a leading country at the very heart of European and global developments.
As a government, we are committed to supporting the digital transition in business and through our enterprise agencies, the Local Enterprise Office and Enterprise Ireland, we are supporting businesses at every stage of their digital journey, because the benefits are clear; the implementation of digital technologies can help to enhance productivity, sustainability, and overall inclusivity.
Digital transformation can be the key to unlocking entirely new areas of innovation and increasing productivity. It can help to increase a business’s reach by enabling access to new markets, or by helping it to better understand and respond to customers’ needs, allowing tailored offering to suit their demands.
Digital technologies can also be used to transform many aspects of a business’s existing processes and products. The digital transformation of a business might begin with something relatively simple, like using software to automate invoicing process, or something more complex, like changing the way data is stored and analysed so that better, more informed decisions can be made from day to day. That could mean looking to digital innovation to help make a series of incremental improvements or it could mean making fundamental, structural changes to the way a business operates.
Whether steps toward digital transformation are significant changes to a business or building on the digital transformations that have already begun, it helps to view these actions as individual stages in a larger digital journey. The digital transformation of a business is not a single project, it is a long-term process that will help to ensure businesses can be more efficient, more flexible, and more resilient in the face of external shocks.
It is increasingly clear that we are at a turning point; alongside the digital transition, we are also progressing towards a green transition, placing ever more emphasis on improving sustainability and lowering emissions.
Green transition
Since 2022, we have all become keenly aware of our businesses’ energy demands. The implementation of digital technologies can help us to be more energy efficient. That may mean taking advantage of new technologies or by considering new opportunities through improved logistics.
At the same time, through the introduction and widespread drive towards hybrid and remote working, digital technologies can help us to strive for greater sustainability even beyond the direct impacts of our business themselves, meaning that the day-to-day work-pattern of our businesses contribute to the lowering of emissions overall.
These same technologies and patterns can also have a significant impact on accessibility and inclusiveness, making our businesses more accessible for both employees and customers than they might otherwise have been. We are determined to make Ireland one of the most digitally inclusive states in the EU, as well as one of the most digitally advanced.
“We have strong ambitions for Ireland to remain a digital frontrunner.”
Dara Calleary TD, Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation
The digital transformation of businesses is a rare opportunity to make products and services available to as wide an audience as possible, and to address existing barriers to accessibility. To achieve this, we must keep accessibility to the fore as we work on digital transformation.
In an increasingly digitalised society, we must always be cognisant of the fact that our efforts towards digital progress can introduce new accessibility challenges or may widen an existing digital divide. As such, it is important that, as we seek to benefit from the opportunities of digitalisation, we do so with a view to making our products and services more accessible wherever possible.
For many businesses, the question is not one of whether to take advantage of digital technologies, but of how to begin, of what should be the first step in that process. Often, the best way is to take a look at the ‘pain points’ in your own business.
For some, that may mean shifting some of your existing processes into the cloud, for others it may mean opening yourself to online bookings for the first time, or it may be about automating elements of those processes where they are already in place. For others, it may mean using big data or artificial intelligence to further refine and enhance your products, or to recognise new efficiencies.
The truth is that there is no easy answer. There is no sure-fire, one-size-fits-all approach to digitalisation. The pathway to digitalisation of your business will be as individual as your business itself and our enterprise agencies are an important resource, there to support and advise businesses on where to start.
For those willing to take those steps there are significant advantages to be had. Regardless of the approach you take, these transformations will help you move towards a future that is more open, more inclusive, and more responsive to new developments.
