Realizing Strategic Value Through Center-Edge Digital Transformation in Consumer-Centric Industries

Many consumer-centric industries provide products and services to millions of consumers. These industries include healthcare and wellness, retail, hospitality and travel, sports and entertainment, legal services, financial services, residential real estate and many more. IT professionals and business executives are used to thinking about enterprise-centric ERP systems as the IT center of gravity, but increasingly the focus of IT activity is shifting from the enterprise Center to the Edge of the enterprise as consumers are digitally connected and activated. Enabling this shift requires managing both IT deployment and organizational transformation at the Center of the enterprise, as well as accommodating consumers’ digital interactions at the Edge and understanding how to realize new strategic value through the shift. This article examines the phenomenon of Center-Edge digital transformation in consumercentric industries through a case study in the healthcare industry. It provides guidelines for IT and business executives in any consumer-centric industry who would like to understand how to