cisr-blog

When it comes to optimizing digital business models, there are three sources of competitive advantage: content, customer experience, and platform. However, very few businesses excel in all three areas. Just think about Trip Advisor. Is it known for amazing customer experience or a stellar platform? Neither—it’s largely known for its content. What about USAA? It’s […]

As more business becomes digital, customers are expecting the ability to interact with companies anywhere and anytime. A recent survey showed that 72% of customers would replace some traditional channels with mobile apps if given the opportunity. This means that companies need to get serious about their digital business models if they are going to […]

Whether it’s new technology, new regulations, or new customer demands, companies often view complexity as something that is done to them. Accordingly, many executives think of complexity as an intrusion that requires a reaction. However, companies mastering complexity to their advantage are much more proactive. They make complexity a strategic decision with the goal of […]

Prior to MIT CISR’s CIO Roundtable this summer on digital business strategy, we surveyed CIOs about where they are in the process of creating such a strategy. We defined it as reimagining the business to take into account the capabilities of new technologies, particularly SMACIT—social, mobile, analytics, cloud, and Internet of Things. Many replied that […]

Total digitization is a big challenge for all companies. It’s also a sizeable investment. Some companies are spending 25% of their operating budget on total digitization, so the stakes are already pretty high. It’s important for firms to implement the right approach to meet their growing digital needs. In the first blog post of this […]

Since the 2008 economic recession, companies have looked to innovation to fuel growth. You see this in the wide range of digital investments for everything from mobile apps to business processes to financial products. This has led to a significant increase in spending on digitization, but it’s often not managed as a whole. In an […]

If selling data isn’t your primary business, you should think twice before you enter the market. The main reason for caution is that it’s not an easy endeavor. It requires a long-term commitment and tremendous effort to sustain competitive advantage. However, it’s not impossible. Owens & Minor (OM) is a good example of a company […]

Customers expect a lot from companies in the digital age. Ideally, all of a firm’s offerings solve relevant problems in a seamlessly connected way, while being geared to customers’ individual and differing needs and providing great experiences. Fulfilling these expectations puts huge requirements on companies’ IT systems in terms of integration and flexibility. However, most […]

Increased automation is key to competitiveness in the digital economy. But automation requires articulating clear business rules and embedding them into systems. Once there, those business rules more or less run our businesses. They take or guide actions ranging from pricing products and services to ordering parts and supplies to defining partner relationships. Before companies […]

As the hype around big data begins to quiet down, more companies are focusing on how they can transform that data into insights and actions that lead to real business benefits. After all, what’s the point of a data initiative if it doesn’t add value? We’re now seeing a race to achieve data-based business objectives, […]

For years, we’ve been talking about achieving business value from IT. Now it’s time for a change in language and attitude. Instead of referring to “IT and the business,” let’s talk about “IT and other parts of the business.” Why? It boils down to three reasons: The digital economy is already here We are in […]

A lot of companies start out offering a single product or service. This keeps things pretty straightforward. After all, you can’t get any simpler than being a one-product company. However, complexity increases as businesses grow. ING Direct Spain is a good example. In 1999, it began with one savings product. But by 2012 it offered […]