A webinar hosted by the Joburg Centre for Software Engineering focused on the digital future of business, and the challenges and rewards faced in getting there
THE Joburg Centre for Software Engineering (JCSE) at Wits University hosted a webinar on Tuesday April 14, 2021 on “The Future of Running Your Business in A Digitally Transformed World”.
Director of the JCSE, Professor Barry Dwolatzky, facilitated the webinar, inviting a few professionals within the digital industry to participate as panellists.
The webinar immediately began with the panellists presenting various subjects associated with digital transformation. Business growth in technology, product and the customer experience on a digital platform, artificial intelligence (AI) and data were a few of the topics discussed, giving the audience an understanding of digital transformation.
In reference to the covid-19 lockdown, one question is how the South African economy will survive and benefit from businesses operating digitally. Statistics show that for the year 2020, economic activity declined by 7.0% compared with the previous year. Because of measures taken to combat the pandemic, many businesses closed down and employees retrenched from those businesses trying to stay afloat.
“Digital transformation is going to happen, and it is something that cannot be avoided,’’ said one of the panellists, Dr Angus Hay, general manager for Africa Data Centres’ facilities in the Johannesburg and Cape Town regions. “As an economy, we need to keep up. We do not have a choice; if we do not, South Africa will lose out.”
It seems evident that the advancement and evolution of technology are the new way of success in the modern-day business world. There is no way entrepreneurs can look back at the past and research techniques for achieving business goals without thinking digitally.
An advantage of this alteration in the business sector is the ability to create more jobs. Another panellist, Dario Fanucchi, the co-founder of Isazi Consulting, explained that during the hard lockdown in 2020 his company was able to create jobs for 130 individuals. Most were from the lower–income bracket. This was achieved by allowing the public to sign up for the job of capturing covid-19 health forms.
“This was a job that did not exist, could not exist, without the digital economy,’’ said Fanucchi. ‘’The more access created for people, the more jobs will exist.”
This webinar was part of an ongoing series called ‘’Digital Transformation’’. The centre’s next webinar will take place in the next six to eight weeks. More information will be shared closer to the time on the JCSE’s social media pages.
FEATURED IMAGE: Screengrab of an image taken from the JCSE Twitter page.Photo: Twitter
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