technology strategies: Can you accelerate modernization without losing control or security?

In 2024, the pressure on the market pushes the companies to make faster, more measurable decisions. Recent data shows that digital leaders are more confident in achieving ROI, and that the average modernization takes 16 months.

In this text you will see how the digital transformation It stops being a slogan and becomes a discipline: clear processes, metrics, and people in charge. We'll give you tools and analysis data-driven to prioritize investments and capture opportunities real.

We don't promise magic formulas. Rather, we encourage you to think critically, validate with specialists, and use official sources. In the end, you'll understand what new technologies provide value and how to apply them today in your teams.

Why now: Pressure to innovate, ROI, and speed to market

The rhythm of the market leaves less room for long-term projects and demands clear priorities. Increasingly, need to show immediate value grows, and investment must be linked to the business with simple metrics.

The numbers confirm this: 531% of digital leaders expect to achieve ROI, compared to 271% of laggards. The average modernization takes 16 months, a timeframe that can leave many companies behind.

• Capture opportunities: The market window is short; act with priorities.
• Measurable results: direct resources toward initiatives that prove value quickly.
• Informed decisions: combines impact, cost and risk analysis.
• Operation continues: Protect resilience and customer support while you change.
• Agile budget: reserves margin to respond to market signals.

We don't promise magic solutions. What we do suggest is making data-driven decisions, communicating clear criteria, and prioritizing what drives the business today.

IT modernization vs. digital transformation: key differences and practical approach

Modernizing infrastructure solves immediate problems; transformation changes how a company competes. Here you'll see what each path does and how to evaluate them based on your needs.

What does it mean to modernize?

To modernize is to bring up to date systems, platforms, processes and data to improve efficiency and reduce maintenance.

Includes environment management, updates, cloud adoption, and automation to quickly return to productivity.

What transformation entails

The digital transformation is broader: reimagines the operating model and customer experience across the company.

It requires coordinating areas, measuring impact, and aligning changes with business objectives.

"Modernization lays the foundation; transformation changes the house."

• Evaluate needs: performance, security, integration or experience.
• Avoid the “big bang”: move in phases with validation and feedback.
• Balance buying standard solutions and building differentiation.

Coordinate with business areas and document decisions. This way, you reduce risks and accelerate concrete results for your teams and clients.

Technology strategies that really work in 2025

Align IT with the business mission It's key to prioritizing well. If you involve stakeholders from the start, you reduce friction and focus resources where they generate the most value.

Prioritize by value and mission

Define a clear backlog prioritized by impact and mission. Involves business and operations leaders in decisions.

Set process goals: time, quality, and experience. Measure each iteration and reprioritize with evidence.

Leverage cloud and platform first

Take an approach platform to standardize processes and accelerate deployments. Kyndryl demonstrates that delivering global solutions across platforms reduces time.

Integrates artificial intelligence with controls

Use generative AI to document code and map dependencies, but create unit tests and change management before production.

• Design secure and traceable integration; avoid rigid couplings.
• Ensure data governance and security controls at every step.
• Select platforms with robust ecosystems for support and adoption.
• Communicate progress in a simple and visual way to sustain business support.

For more context on trends, check out key ideas in technological trends.

Cloud and Platforms First: Foundations for Scaling with Less Friction

Opt for the cloud and platforms change how you scale company when demand increases. This reduces operational friction and accelerates deployments.

Practical benefits: The cloud offers on-demand scaling, lower maintenance costs, built-in security, and continuous updates.

Real example: Kyndryl applied a "platform-first" approach to deploy Workday and SAP across 67 countries and ~90,000 employees. The result: faster global deployments than traditional approaches.

Real cases and mitigations

• The platforms Mature solutions standardize workflows and reduce operational errors.
• Design integrations with APIs and events to avoid rigid dependencies between systems.
• Government ensures data from design to quality and compliance.
• Evaluate total costs: licensing, operation, integration, and exit before migrating.

Schedule batch migrations with low-impact windows and search solutions with connector catalogs. This way you will identify opportunities of standardization and you will scale without friction.

Applied generative AI: Accelerating modernization with responsibility

Applying assisted intelligence helps map flows and detect critical points quickly. artificial intelligence can extract documentation, discover logic, and track dependencies in systems with no prior information.

Document and prioritize

Use models to document legacy code and map data and processes. This way you will identify gaps functional and technical and you will be able to prioritize projects that provide more value.

Validation and projected savings

Gartner estimates a cost reduction of up to 70% by 2027 if implemented with control. Create dedicated test units that validate accuracy and security before moving changes to production.

Good operating practices

• Define a process mandatory human review.
• Measures productivity: lines evaluated, modules documented and defects detected.
• Reinforces the management of risks: privacy, biases and compliance.
• Form teams with ability in prompts, evaluation and traceability.
• Progress step by step: pilots, expansion, and controlled scaling.

We do not promise guaranteed results. Prioritize validation, decision logs, and operating model adjustments based on what you measure in each passed.

Agility in Action: Incremental Deliveries, CI/CD, and Visible ROI

Real agility is born when each sprint delivers visible value to the business. Start by breaking up the projects monolithic in small stories with functional deliverables.

Divide into sprints with clear deliverables

Plan short sprints and prioritize stories that address needs urgent requests from internal customers. This way, you'll achieve early wins that improve adoption.

Workflows, CI/CD, and Metrics

Orchestra the workflows between development, QA, security, and operations. Implement CI/CD with automated testing and controlled deployments.

• Connect technical metrics with business metrics to demonstrate impact.
• Choose tools simple ones that the team can master quickly.
• Manage resources focusing efforts on real bottlenecks.
• Use retrospectives to improve manner from working sprint to sprint.

Practical advice: Communicate progress with visible dashboards that show impact and open risks. Don't promise guaranteed ROI; measure, adjust, and prioritize based on results.

Buy vs. build: Focus your code on what differentiates you

Not everything you can create internally is worthwhile; focus development on what distinguishes you as a company.

"Buy most services and software; build only what truly differentiates you."

Orchestrate platforms and manage data before reinventing solutions

First, evaluate whether a provider offers a solutions mature. Buying accelerates adoption and frees up resources.

Design a platform that orchestrates services and reduces technical debt. Prioritizes integration and support.

• Define which processes are truly differentiating for your business.
• Buy standard and dedicate code to what separates you from the competition.
• Orchestra platforms and services to speed up deliveries.
• Plan integration via APIs and events to avoid couplings.
• Evaluates TCO of systems: licenses, operation and exit of the provider.

Avoid excessive customizations and review decisions to build from time from time to time. This way you optimize resources and you maintain agility in the face of new technologies.

Talent, culture, and training: accelerate with internal skills

Your team can be the fastest lever To advance by aligning learning with the mission. Invest in short, practical training to generate visible improvements in a short period of time.

Continuous upskilling, hackathons and champions

Prioritize short modules and guided pilots. Skillsoft highlights the talent gap; that's why upskilling is often faster than hiring from scratch.

Organize hackathons to identify fast learners and appoint champions to drive adoption. Link training to clear objectives to demonstrate impact.

Breaking down silos to increase productivity and integration

Create mixed business and technology teams to solve real-world problems. Involve key customers in pilots to reduce resistance and validate changes.

• Invest in employees with practical certificates and follow-up.
• Measures skills improvement and its effect on productivity.
• Provides tools simple collaboration and documentation.
• Plan initiatives step by step: short modules and feedback.
• Recognize those who elevate the team's capabilities and share knowledge.

"The CIO recommends upskilling and hackathons to identify internal talent and accelerate adoption."

To structure this, consider a right-skilling plan that prioritizes initiatives by impact and step by step.

Cybersecurity and Zero Trust: Security Built in from the Start

Safety must accompany each phase of your projects. Incorporate controls from the design stage to reduce risks and facilitate compliance.

A good one management Connects identity, devices, and policies. This way, you avoid patched solutions that increase the complexity of your operation. company.

Modern controls: encryption, MFA, and selective access

• Protect data with encryption in transit and at rest and with managed keys.
• Orchestra identities and privileges in the systems for continuous auditing.
• Implement MFA and selective role-based access to minimize exposure of services.
• Apply Zero Trust: validate identity, device, and context every time as required according to needs.
• Take advantage of native capabilities of the cloud for patching, monitoring and automated reporting.

Automate compliance evidence and train your team on hygiene and incident response. Don't promise total security; prioritize practical controls that support compliance. transformation and protect your data while climbing.

«Continuously validating the user, device, and context is the foundation for reducing real risks.»

Conclusion

Your next decision should be based on evidence: prioritizes by value and mission, and aligns stakeholders with clear objectives.

Platform and cloud simplify processes and accelerate deliveries. It combines tools, CI/CD best practices, and data governance. data to show early ROI.

The digital transformation demands responsible management: Zero Trust security, employee upskilling and control in the adoption of emerging technologies.

The digital transformation and the emerging technologies They are both an opportunity and a risk. Evaluate with simple analysis, test with pilots, and consult specialists or official sources before scaling up.