CXO INSIGHT
The phrase Digital Transformation is commonplace . What does it mean to modern businesses today ?
At its simplest Digital Transformation is about preparing for the future . Businesses know that they constantly need to evolve but that means different things to different people and at different times . The businesses that will benefit the most are those which realise the importance of having the right foundations in place which will allow them to move with the times . We saw the immediate excitement AI generated , but without the right infrastructure , organisations can ’ t even begin to think about how they want to make the most of it . The same applies for all new tech .
What ’ s the biggest challenge BT faces with Digital Transformation ?
One challenge we have faced is the proliferation of services . We ’ ve turned our focus to making it easier to work with us by reducing the number of products in our portfolio by more than half and focusing on what our customers really need . Our own organisational and network modernisation has given us the lessons we need to take to customers and support them through this evolution .
Central to that is making sure our customers know what their options are and why they should be modernising their services . That means helping them prepare for a future they can ’ t yet see . We work with over a million businesses across the UK from the smallest companies to large corporates . Their reasons may be very different , but Digital Transformation is essential to the futures of them all . Our challenge is enabling them to achieve that .
Technology is advancing at lightning speed . How does BT keep ahead of the curve ?
Keeping pace with change is business critical , no matter if you are a start-up or a multinational organisation . It is a fascinating time to work in tech with more data , more technology and more devices helping our businesses run effectively by incorporating new insights . I have always found the trick to staying ahead of the curve is seeing change as a catalyst and use it to reassess where we are going and find better ways forward .
That ’ s where digital connectivity comes in . Legacy infrastructure is no longer fit for the future so investing in new networks is essential for us to make sure our customers are also able to keep up with this rate of change .
Which area of your business is currently growing the most ?
A major area of growth for us is in upgrading our customers onto the networks of the future . Newer infrastructure like fibre and 5G are the future of business services . It ’ s integral that we enable our customers to make this switch . by 90GWh by the end of 2025 . Closing our 3G network has already saved enough energy to charge nearly one billion smartphones . And each of these networks has security inbuilt from the outset , so the move is not just about providing better connectivity .
What are businesses looking for from their connectivity services ?
Businesses have a lot of unknowns to deal with and they might not even know what connectivity they need . Do they have sufficient network capacity and compute power to thrive ? Are their networks secure to meet rising cyberthreats ? Do their teams have the skills to move with the tech landscape ? Will a greater digital footprint mean a greater carbon footprint ?
Ultimately these questions can be pegged to three business pillars : being connected , being secure , being sustainable . Connectivity ensures your business keeps running – enabling sales , customer experience , operations . Security keeps the hackers at bay . And sustainability is an increasingly important area for customers , especially with changing regulations .
Connectivity underpins this all even if businesses don ’ t think about it . Whether they need to run smart sensors , monitor incoming and outgoing deliveries , deliver tech for teachers or run payment machines at an outdoor market , everything relies on the right connectivity . Our job is to listen to what outcomes customers want and help them get the products and services that will enable that .
What tech trends do you see emerging in 2025 ?
It may seem an obvious answer but AI . Not so much the implementation of the technology , but the knock-on impact it will have for businesses . Many won ’ t be aware of the network foundations they need so it will spawn a race for the right connectivity to seize its opportunities . Others will need to work out how to balance adoption of AI in an increasingly regulated sustainability environment and a world where cyberthreats are becoming more sophisticated .
It will also create new opportunities . Cyberattackers will make use of AI , but businesses will also be able to use the technology to support their own cybersecurity training through things like no-code / lowcode security tools . Modernisation is the key to unlocking it all .
How are you future-proofing technology ?
At BT , we ’ re future-proofing by doubling down on our core platforms . This means moving away from legacy infrastructure to the future-fit networks of tomorrow . We ’ re building a new international network called Global Fabric which will help our customers innovate at pace . The closure of legacy infrastructure like our 3G network and the copper landline network is another step on the journey from old to new .
We also know that businesses are increasingly focused on the sustainability and security of their services . Moving customers to digital landlines is expected to reduce the UK ’ s energy consumption
Connectivity is the beating heart of technology . Our job is to make sure our customers are able to access the infrastructure , from fibre to 5G , which will allow them to future-proof their own operations .
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