Summary
This chapter discussed the “why?” behind Cisco Digital Network Architecture, which has as its goal the driving of digital transformation. The benefits of digital transformation were examined (including 9 percent greater revenues versus industry peers and 26 percent greater profits, according to Harvard Business Review), as were the threats facing businesses that are slow to transform digitally (approximately 40 percent of the top ten incumbents in each industry being faced with digital disruption within five years).
Various businesses that have transformed entire industries digitally were reviewed, including Apple, PayPal, WhatsApp, Uber, and others. Also businesses that excelled in transforming customer experience were discussed, including Burberry, Starbucks, and UPS. So too were businesses that transformed their employee experiences, including Air France, RehabCare, and even Cisco itself. Additionally, companies that digitally overhauled their operations were presented, including Boeing, Codelco, and BC Hydro.
Finally, the massive revolutionary impact of the Internet of Things was also overviewed, to illustrate that digital transformation extends far beyond the workplace and indeed is affecting virtually every area of our lives.
Thus, having discussed the business reasons supporting digital transformation, let’s focus specifically on the business value of a Cisco digital network Architecture as the platform to enabling such transformation.