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6 Indicators of a Successful Digital Transformation

Most (93%) enterprises are undergoing some kind of digital transformation driven primarily by a desire to cut costs (77%) and improve customer experience (71%), according to the State of Enterprise Digital Transformation survey conducted by Hanover Research and commissioned by AHEAD.

Yet of those surveyed, almost half (42%) are struggling to achieve success as they fall behind schedule or their efforts stall altogether.

The survey revealed the most common and difficult challenges of enterprise digital transformations are legacy systems (36%) and technical debt (24%). As such, 67% of respondents cited infrastructure as a big part of their digital transformation strategy.

An analysis of the survey results revealed six factors that correlate with digital transformation success.

1. Dedicated Leadership

The survey found that 83% of digital transformations that are on track or ahead of schedule are led by a CIO, CEO, CDO, or CTO. As digital transformation touches every part of an enterprise, company-wide buy-in is critical.

2. All-In Approach

Transformations that are on track are 30% more likely to be structured as full-scale change initiatives.

Because digital operations are often so interconnected, piecemeal and partial transformations can often be siloed and result in limited impact on the factors driving the transformation.

3. Defined Digital Roadmap

92% of transformations that are on target or ahead of schedule have a defined strategy and roadmap that includes IT infrastructure and operations.

4. Alignment Between Infrastructure and Apps

Enterprises powered by an integrated DevOps approach are 43% more likely to see success in digital transformation efforts. To avoid bottlenecks, enterprises should audit DevOps functions before undergoing digital transformation.

5. Platform Mindset

Businesses that include IT infrastructure as a big part of their digital transformation are 36% more likely to have a successful transformation. As the backbone of a digital change initiative, an enterprise's infrastructure determines how far the transformation will go and its limits.

6. Commitment to Intelligent Operations

Companies that monitor IT performance in real time and remediate issues quickly are 24% more likely to undergo a successful digital transformation

Companies that monitor IT performance in real time and remediate issues quickly are 24% more likely to undergo a successful digital transformation. Further, the survey found that enterprises are more likely to see success in digital transformation if they have confidence in their abilities to perform highly in areas of automation, monitoring, hybrid cloud models and integrated security.

Tom Pohlmann, Head of Customer Success and Marketing at AHEAD, concluded: "Transformations are complex and often involve conflicting objectives like cost cutting alongside customer experience improvements. Without a strong foundation on which to build, run and innovate, transformation efforts will fail."

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6 Indicators of a Successful Digital Transformation

Most (93%) enterprises are undergoing some kind of digital transformation driven primarily by a desire to cut costs (77%) and improve customer experience (71%), according to the State of Enterprise Digital Transformation survey conducted by Hanover Research and commissioned by AHEAD.

Yet of those surveyed, almost half (42%) are struggling to achieve success as they fall behind schedule or their efforts stall altogether.

The survey revealed the most common and difficult challenges of enterprise digital transformations are legacy systems (36%) and technical debt (24%). As such, 67% of respondents cited infrastructure as a big part of their digital transformation strategy.

An analysis of the survey results revealed six factors that correlate with digital transformation success.

1. Dedicated Leadership

The survey found that 83% of digital transformations that are on track or ahead of schedule are led by a CIO, CEO, CDO, or CTO. As digital transformation touches every part of an enterprise, company-wide buy-in is critical.

2. All-In Approach

Transformations that are on track are 30% more likely to be structured as full-scale change initiatives.

Because digital operations are often so interconnected, piecemeal and partial transformations can often be siloed and result in limited impact on the factors driving the transformation.

3. Defined Digital Roadmap

92% of transformations that are on target or ahead of schedule have a defined strategy and roadmap that includes IT infrastructure and operations.

4. Alignment Between Infrastructure and Apps

Enterprises powered by an integrated DevOps approach are 43% more likely to see success in digital transformation efforts. To avoid bottlenecks, enterprises should audit DevOps functions before undergoing digital transformation.

5. Platform Mindset

Businesses that include IT infrastructure as a big part of their digital transformation are 36% more likely to have a successful transformation. As the backbone of a digital change initiative, an enterprise's infrastructure determines how far the transformation will go and its limits.

6. Commitment to Intelligent Operations

Companies that monitor IT performance in real time and remediate issues quickly are 24% more likely to undergo a successful digital transformation

Companies that monitor IT performance in real time and remediate issues quickly are 24% more likely to undergo a successful digital transformation. Further, the survey found that enterprises are more likely to see success in digital transformation if they have confidence in their abilities to perform highly in areas of automation, monitoring, hybrid cloud models and integrated security.

Tom Pohlmann, Head of Customer Success and Marketing at AHEAD, concluded: "Transformations are complex and often involve conflicting objectives like cost cutting alongside customer experience improvements. Without a strong foundation on which to build, run and innovate, transformation efforts will fail."

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According to Auvik's 2025 IT Trends Report, 60% of IT professionals feel at least moderately burned out on the job, with 43% stating that their workload is contributing to work stress. At the same time, many IT professionals are naming AI and machine learning as key areas they'd most like to upskill ...

Businesses that face downtime or outages risk financial and reputational damage, as well as reducing partner, shareholder, and customer trust. One of the major challenges that enterprises face is implementing a robust business continuity plan. What's the solution? The answer may lie in disaster recovery tactics such as truly immutable storage and regular disaster recovery testing ...

IT spending is expected to jump nearly 10% in 2025, and organizations are now facing pressure to manage costs without slowing down critical functions like observability. To meet the challenge, leaders are turning to smarter, more cost effective business strategies. Enter stage right: OpenTelemetry, the missing piece of the puzzle that is no longer just an option but rather a strategic advantage ...

Amidst the threat of cyberhacks and data breaches, companies install several security measures to keep their business safely afloat. These measures aim to protect businesses, employees, and crucial data. Yet, employees perceive them as burdensome. Frustrated with complex logins, slow access, and constant security checks, workers decide to completely bypass all security set-ups ...

Image
Cloudbrink's Personal SASE services provide last-mile acceleration and reduction in latency

In MEAN TIME TO INSIGHT Episode 13, Shamus McGillicuddy, VP of Research, Network Infrastructure and Operations, at EMA discusses hybrid multi-cloud networking strategy ... 

In high-traffic environments, the sheer volume and unpredictable nature of network incidents can quickly overwhelm even the most skilled teams, hindering their ability to react swiftly and effectively, potentially impacting service availability and overall business performance. This is where closed-loop remediation comes into the picture: an IT management concept designed to address the escalating complexity of modern networks ...

In 2025, enterprise workflows are undergoing a seismic shift. Propelled by breakthroughs in generative AI (GenAI), large language models (LLMs), and natural language processing (NLP), a new paradigm is emerging — agentic AI. This technology is not just automating tasks; it's reimagining how organizations make decisions, engage customers, and operate at scale ...

In the early days of the cloud revolution, business leaders perceived cloud services as a means of sidelining IT organizations. IT was too slow, too expensive, or incapable of supporting new technologies. With a team of developers, line of business managers could deploy new applications and services in the cloud. IT has been fighting to retake control ever since. Today, IT is back in the driver's seat, according to new research by Enterprise Management Associates (EMA) ...

In today's fast-paced and increasingly complex network environments, Network Operations Centers (NOCs) are the backbone of ensuring continuous uptime, smooth service delivery, and rapid issue resolution. However, the challenges faced by NOC teams are only growing. In a recent study, 78% state network complexity has grown significantly over the last few years while 84% regularly learn about network issues from users. It is imperative we adopt a new approach to managing today's network experiences ...

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From growing reliance on FinOps teams to the increasing attention on artificial intelligence (AI), and software licensing, the Flexera 2025 State of the Cloud Report digs into how organizations are improving cloud spend efficiency, while tackling the complexities of emerging technologies ...