Align Digital Tools Strategically To Deliver Impact -- CelcomDigi
By Muhammad Fawwaz Thaqif Nor Afandi
KUALA LUMPUR, March 7 (Bernama) -- Malaysian businesses must move beyond simply adopting digital tools and instead ensure technology investments are aligned with clear objectives, organisational readiness and measurable impact.
CelcomDigi Bhd chief enterprise business officer Afizulazha Abdullah said access to connectivity and digital solutions is no longer the main challenge, but effective implementation and integration into daily operations remain key hurdles for many organisations.
“It is not an issue of whether the tool is available. Organisations need to embed the tools in their operations. They need to become more data-driven in their operation, productivity and decision-making,” he told Bernama in an interview recently.
Afizulazha said many companies struggle because of weak alignment between business priorities and execution capabilities, adding that alignment is the biggest stumbling block in digital transformation.
He said engaging multiple vendors and systems without a clear architectural blueprint could result in unmanaged complexity, fragmented information, higher costs and slower execution.
“A multi-vendor, multi-system environment can lead to unmanaged complexity. So companies must have a clear plan and ownership structure before rolling out solutions,” he said.
Define outcomes
According to Afizulazha, companies should define their intended outcomes before deciding on technology adoption, particularly in areas such as customer experience, revenue growth and operational efficiency.
Companies should start small, learn quickly and scale up rather than remain in perpetual testing mode, he said.
He also underscored the importance of setting up clear key performance indicators from the outset to ensure digital initiatives deliver tangible operational improvements, including reduced downtime, better asset utilisation and improved customer service.
“Businesses need to know upfront what they want to measure and have clear key performance indicators (KPIs). They must ensure process re-engineering is done and change management is put in place, with a measurable impact. Only then will they succeed,” he said.
On cybersecurity, Afizulazha said protection must be embedded at the design stage and built into the system architecture from the outset, rather than being treated as an afterthought or bolted on later, especially in today’s hyper-connected environment where service disruptions can have significant consequences.
In today’s hyper-connected environment, businesses must ensure their platforms are not only secure but also trusted and continuously available, because downtime or breaches could severely disrupt operations and erode customer confidence, he said.
Looking ahead, Afizulazha said Malaysian businesses should prioritise two key areas to ensure long-term competitiveness, namely data and cyber resilience.
He said data will be a strategic asset for businesses. It must, therefore, be properly managed and safeguarded because data can be transformed into insights to support better decision-making and action.
Companies must also ensure their platforms remain resilient and consistently available amid rising customer expectations in an increasingly connected environment where downtime is no longer tolerated.
“Digitalisation is not a one-time project — it’s ongoing. Not only is technology evolving, but customer expectations are (constantly) changing,” he said.
Afizulazha said organisations that have yet to adapt to evolving consumer behaviour risk being left behind, as digital convenience becomes the norm across industries.
-- BERNAMA