The path toward digital modernization is not an easy one, as many enterprises are discovering.

While events of 2020 forced numerous businesses to accelerate plans for transforming IT infrastructure, the process did not always yield the desired outcomes. In fact, research over the past two years has revealed that 70% of digital transformation initiatives fall short of meeting objectives.

This hasn’t deterred senior executives, however, as the research also shows that 80% of them plan to move full speed ahead on modernization goals.

“We’re coming out of a year like none other,” said Brandon Draeger, vice president of compute product marketing at Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co., in an exclusive interview with SiliconANGLE. “If nearly three-quarters of digital transformation projects fail to meet their objectives, it’s going to require a path of modernization for both hardware and software. We need to discuss what can reverse this trend and put people on a path to success.”

What that roadmap to success looks like will be the central area of focus for the HPE Accelerating Next: Workload Optimized Solutions With An As-A-Service Experience event — hosted by theCUBE on April 21. The event, which will kick off at 8 a.m. PDT, will include interviews with Antonio Neri, president and chief executive officer of HPE; John Chambers, founder and CEO of JC2 Ventures; Pat Gelsinger, CEO of Intel Corp.; and Dr. Lisa Su, president and CEO of AMD Inc. The discussion will highlight barriers to digital transformation and how to overcome them, HPE’s approach to modernization efforts on behalf of its clients, and the role that as-a-service delivery can play in accelerating IT initiatives. (* Disclosure below.)

Funding and skills

To understand the reasons for failure of digital transformation efforts, it is helpful to look more closely at two factors within organizations that cause other initiatives to derail: experience and money.

Staff trained in specific IT functions, such as website administration, may not necessarily be able to implement a full-scale analytics plan to guide deployment of new infrastructure. Re-skilling an organization and deploying major new projects to restructure an IT operation can also be expensive. The chief executive of one financial services company estimated the starting cost for her firm to be $10 million.

“One of the biggest headwinds is a lack of financial capacity,” Draeger said. “Everyone wants to modernize and have the cool, new shiny stuff, but it’s expensive. We set up large, complex finance capabilities, including turning existing capital expense into operating expense so customers can start their next-gen technology.”

Regardless of expertise or expense, digital transformation is currently a hot market, with spending predicted to near $8 trillion in less than three years. Market estimates also don’t factor in a near-term dynamic that involves a recovering post-pandemic economy and pent-up demand for computing services. A few optimistic economic forecasts have even projected a return this year to GDP levels last seen in 2019.

Pursuit of this opportunity is just part of the plan for HPE and its partners, according to Draeger.

“We’re at a major inflection point for the market and customers need to move into action now,” Draeger said. “Organizations that are successful in transforming and digitizing their manual processes will continue to exist and be successful. The rest are going the way of the dodo bird – extinction.”

Livestream of HPE’s Accelerating Next event

HPE’s Accelerating Next is a livestream event, with additional interviews to be broadcasted on theCUBE. You can register for free here to access the live event. Plus, you can watch theCUBE interviews here on demand after the live event.

How to watch theCUBE interviews

We offer you various ways to watch the live coverage of HPE’s Accelerating Next event, including theCUBE’s dedicated website and YouTube channel. You can also get all the coverage from this year’s events on SiliconANGLE.

TheCUBE Insights podcast

SiliconANGLE also has podcasts available of archived interview sessions, available on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify, which you can enjoy while on the go.

Guests

Guests who will be interviewed on theCUBE during HPE’s Accelerating Next event include Roel Sijstermans, head of IT at the Netherlands Cancer Institute; Neil MacDonald, senior vice president and general manager of Compute at Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co.; Alan Jensen, chief information officer and senior vice president at Salling Group; and Jim Brickmeier, chief product and marketing officer at Velocix Ltd.. Visit the Accelerating Next event page for a complete list of speakers.

(* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for HPE’s Accelerating Next event. Neither Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co., the sponsor for theCUBE’s event coverage, nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: HPE