It doesn’t have to be hard.
Here’s what to look for–and a few pitfalls to avoid.
First published August 3, 2023. Updated December 7, 2023.
Every organization has legacy processes that can benefit from strategic redesign. Whether the problem is paper-based workflows, unsupportable custom software, or disconnected systems, companies are finding better ways to get things done.
But digital transformation comes with challenges too. It’s easy to take on too much—and not every digital transformation consulting firm wants to work at your pace.
Here’s everything you need to know about digital transformation—and how to find the right consulting firm for your organization.
Digital transformation is the process of optimizing or redesigning existing business practices to leverage the efficiencies offered by digital technology. Goals often include:
Digital transformation projects come in all shapes and sizes. But the key to digital transformation is that it never stops. The healthiest organizations adopt a continuous view of transformation, taking on one limited, highly achievable project after another.
Yet not every digital transformation works out.
Check out this podcast on why digital transformations sometimes fail.
Market-leading digital transformation consultancy for enterprises with $19.4Bn in annual revenue.
Top digital transformation company for enterprises with €22Bn in annual revenue and 360,000 employees.
Leading network of firms offering consulting, audit, and tax services for enterprises. Largest revenue of any digital transformation organization, at $59.3Bn.
Leading enterprise consultancy with expertise in AI and hybrid cloud, with 160,000 consultants serving 3,000 clients.
Top enterprise-class consultancy that emphasizes “total enterprise reinvention,” with 738,000 employees and 9,000 clients.
Market-leading network of firms providing enterprises with audit, consulting, and tax services. $45Bn in annual revenue.
Growth-focused enterprise consultancy with a strong research and publishing arm.
Top enterprise consultancy with $34.6Bn in annual revenue across advisory, tax & legal, and audit services.
Leading enterprise consultancy with expertise in sustainability and AI and $45.4Bn in annual revenue.
When you work with one of the big digital transformation firms, there’s a risk of not getting the personalized attention you need. After all, these companies have tens of thousands of clients. You don’t want to be a statistic.
Looking for a partner who’s big enough to have broad expertise—but small enough to care?
Welcome to Corsica Technologies. From cloud migrations to cybersecurity penetration tests, network upgrades to backup recovery implementations, we’ve helped over 700 companies succeed with their most essential transformation projects.
What sets us apart?
We integrate cybersecurity into every digital transformation project we do. This is essential, as companies are facing a massive increase in cyberattacks as larger organizations become more secure.
Whether you choose Corsica Technologies or not, you’ll want to know what to look for in a digital transformation partner. Here’s what matters most.
Digital transformation has wide-ranging implications. Global enterprises may work with numerous vendors to cover their digital transformation needs, but the rest of us have to find economies of scale. The right partner often has expertise not only in digital transformation, but in three other areas as well. Here are the capabilities that matter most.
The best digital transformation companies also offer AI consulting services. They can audit your internal operations to spot inefficiencies and missed opportunities, then connect those opportunities to the latest in AI technology. AI is revolutionizing how business gets done, and every organization should explore the benefits of AI in the context of their operations.
Is the company large enough to have expertise, but small enough to care?
Do they understand how to prioritize transformation projects in the context of your business?
Have they worked with clients who have little to no IT resources on staff?
All these questions are crucial. The best digital transformation firms can adapt to the unique challenges that you face. They know workarounds, economies of scale, and prioritization techniques that maximize the value of a project with a limited budget.
Do they handle cybersecurity, or just managed services?
Do they proactively contain the threat, or just respond to it once the damage is done?
Do they offer 24/7/365 human monitoring?
It’s essential to take an integrated approach to cybersecurity in any digital transformation project. It’s often too expensive to hire an additional firm for managed cybersecurity services. It’s better to find one partner who can handle it all and define an integrated strategy.
Does the company have comprehensive expertise in all IT matters? Consider network, datacenter, and helpdesk responsibilities. Your digital transformation project may touch any one of these (or all of them). Can your digital transformation company engage the project at a reasonable price point—while still making transformation work for all areas of IT?
Is your digital transformation company a Value-Added Reseller (VAR) of many best-in-class IT and cybersecurity technologies?
Can they configure and install your required hardware and software?
Once again, if you find a partner who acts as a VAR, you can eliminate the number of vendors you have to work with as you engage digital transformation. This brings simplicity, integrated strategy, and cost savings to the equation.
Unfortunately, not all digital transformation firms are created equal. Here are the top red flags to watch out for.
Even the lowest-cost transformation projects should do one of two things.
Either they cut your costs, or they increase your revenue. (Some may even do both.)
If your digital transformation company gets fuzzy about ROI, then that’s a red flag.
Some organizations have a strategic leader in-house who understands the scope of the transformation project. They’re the ideal point person for the initiative, as they can set priorities, measure results, and guide the digital transformation partner on achieving the leader’s goal.
Unfortunately, not every digital transformation company is prepared to work with an in-house leader. A digital transformation company may want to pull the project in their own direction, either to increase billable hours, increase the project scope, or both.
If your digital transformation partner doesn’t respect your in-house expertise, you may have a problem on your hands.
Most companies don’t have that in-house expert who understands the requirements of digital transformation. You’re fighting every day to get the most important things done, and no one has the time or energy for this role.
In that case, the company needs a partner who will overturn every stone that’s relevant to the transformation project. This partner needs to gain a complete understanding of the scenario, and their proposal should reflect this understanding.
If your digital transformation company gives you a generic project that clearly doesn’t reflect your unique challenges and needs, they may not have the expertise to serve you well.
Granted, some digital transformation projects are so cut and dry, a cookie-cutter approach is just fine.
But what about that migration from one ERP system to another, with unique configurations that must be maintained—or strategically replaced?
What about that medical records upgrade that must remain HIPAA-compliant?
Cookie cutters are great when they’re appropriate. When they’re not, a truly excellent digital transformation company will capture everything that’s unique about your business. Their project plan will reflect that uniqueness and ensure you get new digital workflows and systems that fit your processes, applicable regulations, and your customers.
This doesn’t apply if you’ve strictly hired a consultant. They won’t implement your transformation—they’ll merely help you set the course.
But if you’ve hired a partner to implement your digital transformation, there’s one thing you want to watch out for. Do they talk a big game on every call but continue to miss details in execution? If so, it may be time to find a new partner.
Fortunately, you can easily learn how to approach transformation partners so you avoid these red flags. Here are some guidelines to follow.
The big consultancies live in a different universe. They’re used to tackling the problems of global enterprises. While they have tons of resources, they simply can’t provide the personalized attention you need.
The key is to find a transformation partner who works exclusively with companies of your size.
Here at Corsica Technologies, our clients are SMEs, regional businesses, medical practices, mortgage companies, school districts, county governments… we could go on, but you get the picture. We’ve seen what works and what doesn’t, and we’re ready to advise and implement for you.
If you have IT staff in-house, you’ll want to involve them in the process of vetting potential partners. Your IT resources will have technical questions, and they can use the answers to advise you on whether a given partner is a good fit.
If you don’t have IT resources in-house, that’s okay too. Most digital transformation companies for small businesses know how to ask the right questions.
It’s okay if you don’t know exactly how much to budget for digital transformation. The key is to prepare stakeholders ahead of time. Do some research on the typical costs of your project, and let stakeholders know the rough numbers that will need to be allocated.
As you gather proposals from different transformation companies, make sure you’re comparing apples to apples. If necessary, ask for more detailed cost breakdowns so you can understand what you’re getting. From there, you can make your budget recommendations to stakeholders—then select a partner and move forward once the budget is approved.
Are you just looking for a digital transformation consulting firm?
Or do you need a partner to implement as well?
Make sure you understand your in-house capabilities and workload. Before you approach a transformation partner, decide what you want to outsource and what you want to do in-house.
Hint: Most companies will end up outsourcing both the consulting and the implementation. They simply don’t have the available resources in-house.
Ready to start your digital transformation? Corsica Technologies specializes in helping companies streamline their processes, modernize their systems, and integrate cybersecurity every step of the way. Get in touch today, and let’s talk about your transformation.
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