Digital rewrites business rules

No matter what business you are in, no matter what industries you focus on, your world is changing ? and it is changing because digital is rewriting the rules.

So says Neil Jacobsohn, CEO of FutureWorld and keynote speaker at ITWeb's inaugural Digital Economy Summit, which takes place on 21 April at The Forum, in Bryanston.

The event is SA's first to focus on the digital economy and is aimed at strategic management and companies serious about business in the digital age. It will feature an array of carefully-selected subject matter experts, who will expand on the challenges and opportunities being presented by a rapidly-digitising world, providing an inspirational and informative platform for companies to develop their own digital economy strategies.

Jacobsohn's opening keynote: "Be your own disrupter - rise to the challenges in a digital world", will draw attention to the importance of the digital world and how it is already affecting the future stability and success of businesses here and abroad.

According to Jacobsohn, it is essential that organisations explore the digital world as it is rapidly becoming 'the world'. There is increasingly very little separation between what is digital and what is not, he notes, adding there is hardly a business left that has not been changed by digital, from entertainment to banking to retail to travel, and every other sector you can think of.

Industry is also being changed as we enter the world of big data and automated machines ? all driven by digital, says Jacobsohn. He believes our societies, and the people, are being reinvented by the digital revolution.

"Just think of the Arab Spring, and how the ability to communicate through cellphones, computers and apps enabled entire populations to stand together against dictators. Then think about how you do business today, and how you communicate with friends and family. The reality of today is we are a digital species."

Businesses manufacture and procure differently because of digital - they shop, transport, store, buy and sell things differently, says Jacobsohn.

The digital market space is about smarter technologies that deliver better production, better services and better prices, says Jacobsohn. Customers are already digital - if businesses don't follow this world, they will fail, sooner rather than later, he adds.

According to Jacobsohn, digital has created new competitors with new rules, serving old and new customers. The opportunities are immense; the threats are massive, too. Companies that choose not to understand the digital economy rules will be left behind, he warns.

"We are a networked, connected society ? and we're just at the start of the race. Big data, automation, artificial intelligence, 3D printing, robotics ? all are driven by digital technologies, and are reinventing the way we work and the way we live."

The theme at ITWeb Digital Economy Summit 2015 is: "Break the mould - be your own disrupter", and the event aims to both challenge and support technology and business leaders to evolve into their own disrupters and take charge of the changes posed by the development of the digital economy.

Click here to find out more and register to attend.