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Open standards are the backbone of the contemporary world. Whether you are operating a small business or a large enterprise, Digital Transformation initiatives utilize open standards to ensure seamless interoperability among different components.
A significant advantage of open standards is that clear definitions and comprehension of frameworks across various disciplines and practices can lead to well-modeled interactions between them. By utilizing multiple open standards in tandem, their combined value surpasses the sum of their individual components.
The Open Group has recently established the Portfolio of Digital Open Standards with the intention of amalgamating previously existing standards managed by The Open Group alongside the structured direction. This collection of Digital Open Standards provides a framework of principles that organizations can utilize to achieve synergies among diverse practices, thereby enabling them to implement successful digital innovation.
The Open Group conducted a survey among practitioners who are undertaking Digital Transformation journeys to gain a better understanding of how and why these organizations are utilizing the standards included in the Portfolio. The objective of this survey was to pinpoint areas where additional work and support may be required.
The survey garnered participants from diverse industries across all continents, making the findings a distinctive insight into how businesses are approaching digitalization, the areas where they have achieved advantages, and the prospects for the future. The key results of the survey are expected to be informative and intriguing.
Progress and motivation in Digital Open Standards
It is not unexpected that businesses have already made significant strides in Digital Transformation. On average, almost one-third of the survey respondents reported that they have always prioritized digital-first initiatives. Additionally, 40% of the respondents stated that their initial phase of Digital Transformation will be finished within the next year, while only 10% have yet to commence their journey toward digitalization.
Regarding the reasons driving their Digital Transformation efforts, a little over two-thirds of the survey respondents cited the need to adapt quickly to keep up with the constantly evolving business environment as their top priority. Other significant drivers included innovation, efficiency, and resiliency. Notably, goals such as quicker development cycles and enhanced customer value were considered less important, implying that the respondents view Digital Transformation as a comprehensive and far-reaching initiative.
Key practices in Digital Open Standards
One might expect that IT-related aspects such as digital technology integration and data management integration would be critical factors for a fruitful Digital Transformation initiative. However, in reality, their survey respondents ranked these factors fourth and fifth in importance. The top priority, with 75% of respondents rating it as “very high” importance, was strategic planning. This underscores the prevalence of an architecture-led approach in the community, as they will delve into later.
It is noteworthy that each of the twenty different practices presented in Digital Transformation was regarded as “Very High” in importance by at least one-fifth of the respondents, highlighting the diverse and comprehensive nature of initiatives in various organizations.
Challenges in Digital Open Standards
Despite the overarching purpose of Digital Transformation initiatives being comprehensive, a range of obstacles may arise during the process. According to the survey results, the most significant challenge, identified by 41% of respondents, was the lack of central coordination and high-level sponsorship, followed by the insufficient spread of transformation across the entire organization. Nonetheless, the challenges were diverse, with cultural reluctance to change, organizational barriers, difficulties in developing required capabilities, and legacy technology all receiving high scores.
Requirements
Lastly, they inquired about which components of the Portfolio of Digital Open Standards are most commonly utilized. The TOGAF® Standard, a standard of The Open Group, performed well in this aspect: only 12% of respondents claimed not to employ it, whereas 83% deemed it significant or highly significant in facilitating Digital Transformation.
The data on other standards indicates that there is potential for the kind of development that the Portfolio of Digital Open Standards aims to facilitate. For instance, IT4IT™ was considered important or very important by 40% of respondents but was only utilized by 21%. DPBoK™ exhibited a similar trend, with 32% recognizing its significance but only 13% using it. Only ArchiMate® mirrored the TOGAF Standard’s pattern, with 38% of respondents identifying its importance and utilizing it.
Conclusion
It is worth noting that a high percentage of respondents, specifically 97%, agreed that The Open Group Standards are coherent and can be used together. This provides encouragement that the guidance and principles offered in the TOGAF Standard, IT4IT™ Reference Architecture, DPBoK™, ArchiMate® Modeling Language, O-AA™, Open FAIR™, and O-TTPS™ can be used collectively to achieve valuable and enduring transformations. The Portfolio of Digital Open Standards is, therefore, set to be a valuable resource for digital-first startups as well as global enterprises.
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