The world is becoming more digital at an unprecedented pace. We are blessed to be living in one of the biggest inflection points not only in the business world but also in human history. Companies with digital-ready networks today are growing revenue, profits and customer retention 2 to 3 times more quickly¹than those with legacy networks, and the number of digital-ready networks globally will triple over the next two years¹.

There is no doubt that we live in a world where you have to disrupt or be disrupted. In this new reality
the network is emerging as a potential bottleneck to achieve digital transformation, because most networks have not kept up with this pace of change. Over the past 30 years, networks have been built for connectivity, and operation and management can be manual, complex and rigid. So far they've done the trick. But with the perfect storm made up by mobile, cloud, social, analytics and IoT trends, these legacy networks just can't scale. We've undoubtedly reached a tipping point.

Today, about 90% of network investments are for maintaining operation and completing mundane tasks, and only 10% is about creating value. No innovation. So the name of the game is ripping up the old playbook and creating smarter networks where automation, analytics, virtualization, security and simplified management are the hallmarks of new, smarter networks. These new technologies will help customers unleash innovation in a more effective way.

As companies go though their planning process to become digital-ready, several critical areas they have to address come to mind:

• Where should they focus people, budget and time?
• How can they get the most out of their new technology investments and optimize what they have today?
• What gaps do they address first and why?

Companies never purchase technology to store it in a warehouse somewhere. They want to be digital-ready to increase their revenue, reduce cost, decrease their risk and get to market faster than their competitors.  But they need to design, implement, and manage their new technology while keeping their current network operational and stable. More often than not they will need expert help to achieve these goals.

With this in mind, we at Cisco have designed an Advisory Service to help our customers create a strategic plan to achieve their objectives while maintaining a stable and secure network during their transition. We called it Cisco? DNA Advisory Service. We work with our customers to understand where they want to take their business, and then build a roadmap to get them there, encompassing technology, processes and people. We've identified eight primary areas to address during the transformation and mapped out how each area contributes to the overall success of the project. We called this framework DNA 8.

Cisco DNA 8 Framework

Built over 30 years of expertise, this approach enables our customers to make better business decisions so they can prioritize investments and use their limited resources more wisely.

What benefits can our customers expect by investing in building a robust strategy first?

• Accelerate network transition while maintaining a stable, secure network through the process
• Reduce risk and save valuable time with expertise and proven methodology with a holistic approach to address gaps, identify dependencies, and prepare their resources
• Increase operational and network visibility to make easier to uncover and prevent issues
• Reduce OpEx by promoting consistency and standardization across their environment
• Improved capabilities and operational practices to support innovation projects enabled by their digital-ready network

The move to digital has companies scrambling to master new business models, new processes, and new threats in ever-shorter time frames. Deep knowledge and expertise is critical for a successful transformation project and very few companies possess all that expertise in house, so expert help is critical to make extraordinary things happen.

I invite you all to learn more of about our Cisco? DNA Advisory Service at cs.co/dnaadvisor.

What are the main challenges you are facing today to design your digital transformation strategy?

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¹IDC White Paper and Infographic , sponsored by Cisco, "Is Your Network Ready for Digital Transformation," January 2017