Creating an agile, resilient organization through digital transformation (DX) remains a top priority, but most organizations struggle to reach the more advanced, mature stages. Based on our research into the strategies and outcomes of organizations along this journey, IDC believes that the most successful organizations are those that understand the value of platforms, partners, and ecosystems. The following are three key requirements to accelerate the DX journey:

• Access to digital infrastructure and interconnected resources to securely gather, store, analyze, and transmit data and applications
• Ability to manage resources across distributed, heterogeneous, and hybrid environments
• Have the resources and expertise to react quickly and speed innovation and time to market to deliver exceptional customer experiences

Shifting to digital first requires physical and virtual resources to support the interconnection of applications and data; this is an incredibly expensive and often impossible task to accomplish alone. For this reason, IDC recommends an ecosystem and platform approach to change.