“Sadin on Digital” episodes explore the fast-changing and high-stakes world of digital business. Wayne Sadin and I focus in particular on what CEOs and boards must do to lead their companies successfully into the Digital Age. Today, we talk 2020. Wayne shares his predictions, ideas and recommendations for boards and the C-suite.
Episode 11
In this episode: Wayne and I discuss the perils and the possibilities of big legacy companies moving to the cloud. A lot of the manufacturing, logistics, and construction companies Wayne works with have technology stacks that are 30, 40, or 50 years old. And they’re starting to approach him to ask, “What do we do to get started?”
Wayne says people who define themselves as buggy whip manufacturers were passed by when the auto industry emerged. But people who define themselves as leather manufacturers switched to driving gloves and prospered. So as part of digital transformation, defining your market really matters.
Making the move to powerful modern technology is no walk in the park, but it’s simpler than many realize. Wayne says the power of AI and IoT is that you can flip a switch and pay a license, and all of a sudden be in the 21st Century.
Next, Wayne and I talk about Microsoft’s recent claim that it can do cloud migrations 5X cheaper than its competitors can. Wayne says that Microsoft has done a terrific job in two areas. One is Active Directory, which shows your security environment and your management of privacy, and that’s now connected to the cloud. And number two is Azure Stack, which can take the code into your data center, and act as though you’re in the cloud.
Wayne says 2020 is going to be a terrific year. The economy’s doing well, and his clients are pretty optimistic. Their businesses are growing—and now it’s the challenge of keeping up with growth and keeping ahead of competitors.
You can also stream the audio-only version of this episode:
Highlights
'Digital transformation is when they—the executives, the board, the C-suite—rethink the culture of the company.' #CloudWars Click To Tweet 'The people who defined themselves as buggy-whip manufacturers were passed by when the auto industry emerged. The people who defined themselves as leather manufacturers switched to driving gloves and prospered.' #CloudWars Click To Tweet 'The race goes to the nimble in 2020… The race does not go to those with scale anymore. The race goes to those with speed and ability to execute.' #CloudWars Click To Tweet
Thanks for watching! For more like this, we recommend:
Stream more recent episodes of Sadin on Digital
- 2020 Memo: Fake Cloud, Blockchain and Ransomware
- Think of Yourself as the Chief Process Person
- Technical Debt and Its Consequences
Follow Wayne on Twitter and LinkedIn for more valuable insights into digital strategy.
Cloud Wars Live Digital All-Stars
Wayne Sadin is one of our regular Digital All-Stars. The All-Stars are experts whose video podcasts will focus on the critical themes shaping (and re-shaping!) the business world here in the digital age of 2020. Our intention is to provide regular chunks of timely ideas and insights about high-priority subjects from industry veterans with diverse backgrounds.
