The world of business is at a crossroads. Advanced digital infrastructure is crucial for digitalization of corporate and governmental sectors alike, for the effective adoption of new technologies in the wake of the internet of things and artificial intelligence, blockchain, big data, and other disruptive information and communications technology (ICT) initiatives that we see today.

In the current environment, digital transformation has shifted from something of interest to an imperative. Business leaders in the UAE are doubling down on their digital transformation investment from digital infrastructure to advanced technologies, according to new research by YouGov. Most decision-makers ranked 5G top of their trends chart (62%), followed by multi-cloud networking (42%). The integration of information technology (IT) systems with operational technology (OT) claimed third place (38%).

Digital infrastructures and advanced technologies are currently reliant on future-oriented digital solutions as a vital asset. In the digital era, digitization and the transition to a data economy have heightened the demand for innovative solutions that address business challenges and promote productivity and competitiveness.

Despite the prevalence of extensive technology solutions, businesses struggle to adopt them in a way that will serve needs that have emerged over such a short period. This is a typical dilemma for sales professionals who must position holistic digital solutions that drive digital transformation in an era of unprecedented change.

Further, digital technologies permeate all sectors. Subsequently, solutions associated with a digital transformation will affect practically every employee in the organization. When presenting solutions, sales professionals must account for this extensive impact. Therefore, my company, du, has moved its sales focus from goods to solutions for numerous important industries, including digital health, edtech, industry 4.0, defense and security, energy and utilities, and the public sector.

Our mission is to develop and offer digital solutions to business challenges. We provide customers with comprehensive digital portfolios to solve all their business problems by delivering bespoke solutions on a worldwide scale, and bundling them with our current foundational offerings, such as cloud and cybersecurity. We are also transitioning from territory-focused sales to industry-focused sales. This shift has been very successful in terms of best practices in large organizations in Canada and the United States, and we anticipate that it will yield excellent results for us as we seek to assist our customers in overcoming their business challenges.

Related: UAE Telco Du Partners With GoDaddy To Digitally Empower Small Business Owners In The UAE

Excellence in Emerging Technologies

Three years ago, blockchain was an emerging technology, and sectors that were not market-focused at the time are now falling behind. Historically, sales organizations have focused on revenue, because they had monthly quotas to meet. We are shifting from this mindset to one that is more market-driven.

du aims to play a key role in the digital agenda of the UAE markets by ensuring that futuristic technology is able to take the country to the next level. For this reason, advancements like the metaverse is deeply embedded in our strategy and product roadmap, but we must also investigate the business cases for the metaverse- creating a metaverse for its own sake is counterproductive, and it must be used to solve a business challenge.

For instance, we are examining digital health technologies in which medical universities can leverage the metaverse to conduct surgical training in other countries, allowing the medical faculty to be located in Dubai, while students can connect with surgeons abroad, and view real-time examples of surgical procedures.

In the coming years, digital transformation will likely be the leading paradigm for change on all levels, and it is to be anticipated that it will advance swiftly and spur more innovation. As new technologies emerge, we are extremely focused on the new idea of the metaverse, and we are collaborating closely with our partners across all important industry verticals to determine how we can bring all of the benefits of the metaverse to life in order to address actual business problems. While speed is key, a suitable balance is essential for establishing and maturing emerging technologies and digital solutions in a dynamic market.

But we will not stop there; digital transformation is a journey, and not a destination. As new technologies will emerge, we will work proactively in building business cases to solve social and economic challenges.

Related: Martin Tarr, Chief ICT Officer, du, On How The UAE-Based Telco Enables Businesses On Their Digital Transformation Journeys