Digital Tools

What Are Digital Tools?

Digital tools (DT) can be defined as programs, websites, applications, and other internet and computerized resources that facilitate, enhance and execute digital processes and overall digitization efforts. Digital tools can be further characterized as a set of online resources that enable organizational efficiency in navigating the evolving digital landscape via the adoption of contemporary technology and its supporting digital means.

 

The advancement of information and communication technologies (ICT) is commonplace. New and innovative products and services continuously reshape the digital landscape, changing the way society interacts with technology. Expectedly, digital tools are having to rapidly evolve and adapt to the fast pace at which new technology is emerging.

This means digital tools are constantly being invented, upgraded, and improved alongside that of its ICT housing capabilities. Digital tools can be software, programs, or applications utilized through a computer, laptop, cellular phone, IoT’s or other information and communication technology (ICT). Digital tools are the building blocks upholding and permeating IT transformation and architecture.

Benefits of Digital Tools

There are numerous benefits of utilizing digital tools and resources. The most obvious is the enhancement and improvement of processes to become more consistent, efficient, and secure. This is particularly beneficial to organizations and institutions whose core objectives are based on delivering timely and actionable results. It’s especially important for enterprises to utilize digital tools, as growing globalized operations endure enhanced digital transformation, and a means to navigate the digital arena in which these organizational operations occur proves pertinent.

 

Cost reduction can be a benefit of adopting and utilizing digital tools and resources. With the COVID-19 pandemic ushering in a new era of remote and asynchronous work, an enterprise’s expenses and capabilities have been drastically reimagined to accommodate a more flexible and contemporary way to operate. Innumerable digital tools are enabling an enterprise and its workforce to become more efficient and purposeful with how, when, and where they work.

 

For example, digital tools such as the Cloud now allow an enterprise’s entire operation to be run remotely, which saves money by mitigating the need for renting and leasing office space. Moreover, Cloud technologies have enabled employees to sustain productivity and fulfill objectives just as they would if they were physically present. Digital tools such as the Cloud not only enable and underpin the rise of remote work but also business efficiency, reliability, mobility, and strategic advantage.

 

Communicative digitized tools are particularly beneficial in their ability to enhance process efficiency. Before the innovative services and products emerging from digital transformation, organizational tools and capabilities have always been limited and inefficient. The introduction of automated platforms and computation has radicalized and reinvented time-consuming processes within every major sector. Communication tools of yesteryear didn’t always accommodate the organizational need for immediate and real-time contact.

 

Modern connectivity tools have not only allowed for the diffusion of information and discussion faster than ever, but it has enabled organizational agility. With no communicative barrier limiting the pace at which progress can be made, contemporary digital tools allow businesses to operate, engage and collaborate instantaneously. Further benefits of digital tools and resources include accounting, financial and monetary software – which has made the secure allocation, distribution, and transferring of money easier and more secure.

Digital Tools Examples

Digital tools and services serve as a repository structure that comprehensively collects and secures data for increased organizational efficiency and agility. There are innumerable digital tools that have helped shape and reinforce organizational processes, some of which include:

 

Google Workspace – Google’s set of workspace tools underpin and support global organizational operations – holding the biggest share within the US market at 59.41%. Google Workspace services include Docs, Drive, Gmail, Sheets, Forms, Calendars, etc. These tools facilitate collaborative, communicative, logistical, and statistical organization and are a primary example of how digital tools reinforce modern globalized industry operations.

 

Microsoft Office 365 – MS Office 365 is the second-largest digital tool harnessed by organizations, owning a 40.39% share of the US market. Office 365/provides its users with tools that enable social proficiency and knowledge retention through easy-to-use communication and collaborative mediums. Office 365 also allows organizations to operate via the Cloud, improving and optimizing administrative processes in a secure and user-intuitive environment.

 

Yammer – This social networking tool is oriented toward large enterprises and serves as a semi-informal communicative space where colleagues can exchange, share and access data about organizational objectives.

Digital Tools & Digital Transformation

The workplace landscape is ever-evolving and customer-centric expectations are continuing to rise year on year. The need to employ and utilize digitally innovative tools has never been bigger. The big five technology companies, Google, Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Microsoft have already shown the significance of modern intranet platforms and communications management tools.

 

These tools are vital to the ongoing success of these businesses and crucial to the successful digital transformation of any modern business. Using high-powered, inventive, and resourceful digital tools comes with an array of advantages which include:

 

  • Time Optimization
  • Faster Time To Market
  • Higher return on investment (ROI)
  • Improved Internal & External Communication
  • Centralized Information
  • Better Customer Experience, Retention & New Sales

 

Digital tools are an essential component of modern business practices. They help to streamline often complex processes and help to make them more uniform, safe, productive, and beneficial. Digital tools have altered almost every aspect of modern life and have become faster and more efficient with technological innovation.

 

Businesses that utilize digital tools have a much higher chance of achieving total digital transformation and are better suited to the unpredictability of dynamic business systems. Keith Kitani, the CEO of Guidespark recognizes the importance of digital tools and their ability to open up a clear culture of communication. “Become a change-ready organization…This goes beyond being able to deploy a new tool or process — it means building a culture and communication structure that is ready, willing, and able to adapt to any change. After all, the rate of change and evolution in business and technology is only going to continue and even pick up speed.”

 

This means that businesses are taking the implementation of digital tools very seriously and are using them to enact clear, definable, and measurable policies. Steady implementation of digital tools frees up hardware and software costs which enable employees to focus their attention elsewhere on the business. Enhanced data collection, stronger resource management, and data-driven customer insights make digital tools an invaluable and essential part of modern business practices.

Updated: November 10, 2023

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