Aligned with the Digital India Mission, The Centre for Digital Transformation under the aegis of Confederation of Indian Industry organised its flagship programme, the Digital Transformation (DX) Summit & Awards 2019 at New Delhi.

The Centre for Digital Transformation principally partnered by Tata Communications and associate partnered by DELL Technologies, plays a pioneering role in introducing concepts and establishing digital transformation systems. It is also a platform to bridge technology providers and technology users efficiently and create trust for better handholding in this process.

Ajay Prakash Sawhney, Secretary – Ministry of Electronics and IT, Government of India (“MEITY”), in his address mentioned that “India has a great future and potential to explore and increase the usage of technology in building a Digital India. He said that the maximum potential for the growth through digital technology is now from the user industry rather than the technology companies.” He appreciated CII’s initiative of creating the Centre for Digital Transformation at the right time to help Industries become globally competitive through Digital Transformation. He assured MEITY’s support to CII-CDT in handholding the MSMEs and corporates in their DX journey.

He was also pleased to see the participation of companies in the Best Practices in Digital Transformation. 17 companies received the DX Trophy for Best Practices in Digital Transformation (Most Innovative & Innovative category) from Mr. Sawhney. The companies recognised for the DX Awards were Amrit Cement Ltd, Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Ltd, Tata SIA Singapore Airlines, ASK Asset and Wealth Management Ltd, CEAT Ltd, Danfoss Industries Global Ltd, Data Ingenious Global Ltd, Dell International Services Pvt. Ltd, Karur Vysya Bank Ltd, Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd, Larsen & Toubro Ltd, Rolls Royce India Pvt. Ltd, Tata Communications Ltd, Tata Motors Ltd, The Federal Bank Ltd, UST Global and Willis Towers Watson India Insurance Brokers Pvt. Ltd

The Summit witnessed the launch of DXcel - the Digital Transformation Excellence Model of the CII-CDT. DXcel is a unique tool, which will allow a broader participation and evaluation of companies to reveal where they are in their digital transformation journey. DXcel was launched by Mr. Kris Gopalakrishnan, Past President, CII & Co- founder, Infosys & Chairman, Axilor Ventures.

Gopalakrishnan in his address said that the “World economy will triple from current $80 trillion to $240 trillion in 30 years. India will quadruple its wealth by 2035. Every industry will transform and digital transformation would play a major role in the same.” He said that, all organisations must become entrepreneurial, change their mindset and transform. He also noted that the Indian IT industry is world class because of its governance systems and urged Government support for the IT industry, via enabling regulations, investment in education, R&D, labs and testing.

Debjani Ghosh, President, NASSCOM in her address said that Digital Transformation is happening at a very fast pace and the numbers that define digital India are mind-boggling. India today consumes more data per user than any other country. Aadhar and UPI reached billion users in 5 and 3 years respectively. Ms. Ghosh citied several examples where technology had improved the lives of people.

Lt Gen. (retd) Rajesh Pant, National Cyber Security Co-ordinator, PMO in his address at the Thought Leadership session, said, “Cyber Security is becoming even more important as attack surface is growing exponentially and threat spectrum is becoming more diverse, diffused and complex. Attribution is becoming ever more difficult. Humans continue to be the weakest link.” He further said that, no nation can fight cyber criminals alone as they always exploit gaps in the existing systems and architecture.

Another highlight of the Summit was the Digital Transformation Signature Campaign where industry stalwarts led by Mr. Kris Gopalakrishnan, Past President CII, signed the 7 commandments for taking forward the DX movement.

Amit Sinha Roy, Vice President Marketing, Tata Communications Ltd said, “India has the potential to become a 5-trillion-dollar economy. To realise this potential, there is a need for a platform to bridge technology providers and technology users efficiently, so our firms and industries can embrace digital transformation across the value chain. The CII – Tata Communications Centre for Digital Transformation (“CII-CDT”) is bringing the industry together to spur adoption of mobile, cloud, Internet of Everything and champion the cultivation of new talent that will drive innovation forward.”

Rudramuni B, Co - Chair, CDT, VP & India R & D Head, Dell Technologies, said, “Digital transformation is no longer an option, rather a critical element for organizations to stay relevant and to accelerate their business outcomes. I believe it is the right time for Indian enterprises to ride on the digital wave and to realize this transformation, a platform called DXcel would act as a lever. If we do not start today, it will be too late and we would be left far behind in the ultra-competitive market. Through this platform, we aim to support MSMEs in overcoming their challenges and ensuring a sustainable digital growth.”

Vijay Thadani Co- Chair, CDT, Vice Chairman & MD, NIIT Limited, said, “Development of MSME sector is one of the major focus areas of CII. Digital transformation was identified as a key priority for the growth of MSMEs. CII thus set up a Centre of Excellence (CII-CDT) to jumpstart MSMEs on their digital transformation journey. Some of the key learnings from the DX Summit have been through the sessions with thought leaders as well as experience sharing by peers and large companies.”

The DX Summit discussed the need for creating a top to bottom digital culture, forthcoming business challenges, the importance of upskilling for building sustainable businesses of tomorrow and much more. As an outcome, CII-CDT will play a pivotal role in catalysing digital transformation.