Technologies to consider for adapting to digital transformation

By Sanjay Zalavadia VP of Client Services, Zephyr

Organization leaders strive to position themselves for success over their competitors and ensure that there's a clear path for the future. However, many businesses continue to rely on old systems and processes to serve their clients, and this can lead to big problems as technology advances. Teams may be left in the dust if they hesitate to make necessary transitions, impacting their products and their overall reputation. Here are some of the main technologies to consider as you head toward your own digital transformation journey:

Cloud: Cloud computing is practically synonymous with innovation, and it's made a name for itself as a platform poised for virtually any business. The cloud enables organizations to minimize the number of physical machines required to run processes, without sacrificing the flexibility and accessibility needed to interact with necessary solutions. In fact, the cloud has introduced the capability to interact with resources from virtually any device, as long as there's an internet connection. This means that workers can be more mobile and get their jobs done more effectively. The cloud also has the unique ability to easily scale according to whatever capacity the business may expect. Organizations don't have to worry about the future because they can quickly get the resources they need as required.

Many businesses have strayed from the cloud due to security concerns. However, security is no longer the biggest issue in the cloud. In fact, many providers have created solutions to tailor cloud environments to company regulations. Now, all organizations must contend with is getting the right people with the right experience to facilitate and utilize this platform.

Sanjay Zalavadia VP of Client Services, Zephyr

Analytics: Getting the best information is crucial, but organizations need a system that actively monitors important metrics and reports them directly to decision-makers. Forbes contributor Steve Andriole noted that descriptive, predictive and explanatory analytics are the lifeblood of an organization. Analytics can provide actionable insight concerning what areas need improvement as well as how to get there using resources that are currently available. This can help guide businesses down the right path to better customer experience, increased revenue and overall better products and services.

For apps in particular, teams must keep an eye on software testing metrics. Groups can monitor things like how many defects appeared, what types of errors there were and how they were fixed. This can detail the progress being made on a project as well as how well a team is performing. If there's an influx of errors, however, testers may have to go back to their test cases to ensure that they have the appropriate coverage and that the cases currently being used still provide value. Analytics provide the quick feedback required to head off problems and continually improve.

Agile software development: Apps exist for virtually every task these days, but not all of them have the quality or features that specific users require. As technology has evolved, user expectations have drastically changed, leading to things like wearable devices and augmented reality. However, it would be impossible to support these items effectively if legacy development processes were being used. Waterfall setups could take months or years to produce a program, and any changes would significantly add to the length and expense of the project. Clearly, this is not going to fit in the digital transformation space.

Agile transformation has changed the way that development and testing teams operate, and it will continue to guide them for years to come. Computerworld noted that teams should utilize different waves of disruptive trends to enhance differentiation. This means utilizing agile methodology, DevOps, continuous processes and other solutions strategically to bolster capabilities and drive digital transformation efforts.

Automation: Business tasks can often be repetitive, but what if there was a way to get these jobs done and explore other needed opportunities. Automation has emerged as a significant asset to organizations speed up processes and execute functions consistently and reliably each time. For agile setups, automation integration means that teams can write, assign and schedule test cases to be performed on a specified basis. This enables testers to run tests every time a change is made to a build, but also gives them time to address other priority items.

Automation is certainly a technology that you'll need for your digital transformation, but that doesn't mean that it'll completely replaced manual processes. Exploratory and GUI tests as well as defect mitigation must still be performed by a tester, but automation provides them the time to fully dive into these tasks. This will lead to better quality and more opportunity for experimentation.

As technology continues to advance, it's important that organizations pursue a digital transformation of their own to keep up with the changing times. With these four resources, businesses can put themselves on the right footing to succeed in the digital age and provide their teams with the tools necessary to do their jobs effectively.

Analytics can be essential for digital transformation.