[Year in Review 2021] Trends, technology, talent – Top quotes on digital transformation
The pandemic continues to accelerate digital transformation, as shown in this annual compilation of quotes on mindset, skillset and toolset.
Launched in 2014, StoryBites is a regular feature from YourStory, featuring notable quotable quotes in our past articles. Share these gems and insights with your colleagues and networks, and check back to the original articles for more insights.
Drawn from our comprehensive coverage of entrepreneurship, innovation, and technology, we present 50 quotes on the continuing rise of digital media and tech transformation (see last year’s quotes compilation here).
We have divided these 50 quotes into 10 categories: The big picture, Enterprise strategy, The data advantage, Sectoral transformation, Digital media, Marketing, Mindset, Workforce, Governance, and The road ahead.
See also YourStory’s Startup Hatch section on tech incubator and accelerator profiles, and annual picks of Top 10 Books, Top 10 Author Interviews, and Top 5 Crypto Milestones.
YourStory wishes all founders, innovators, and changemakers a Happy Holiday Season, and all the best for success and impact in 2021!
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The big picture
Digitisation is akin to globalisation; it's everywhere! - Rajesh Gupta, Busy Infotech
If you look at the way things are changing, every five years has been a generation. - Dr A Velumani, Thyrocare
The way we live, work, learn, and play has been transformed, and technology is now at the core of this new normal. - Vivasvan Shastri, Cisco
Technology has immensely lowered the barriers for humans to connect. - Yashveer Singh, Ashoka Young Changemakers
The advancements in technology today have opened the doors for tremendous innovation. - Suvesh Malhotra, Hike
The digital revolution has aided entrepreneurship in three ways -- instant gratification, consumer connect, and the digital medium has shrunk the whole world into multiple small knit digital communities. - Maya Varma, Joker & Witch
Coding is an integral part of literacy now. Earlier ‘literacy’ was defined as the ability to read and write. Now, it is the ability to programme and automate machines. - Anoop Gautam, Tinker Coders
Finding the truth behind the technology is critical to improve its implementation. - Sarvpriye Soni, Cove Identity
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Enterprise strategy
In the digital age, every enterprise has to be a knowledge company. - Nitin Seth, ‘Winning in the Digital Age’
In the past, [AI and KM] have been mainly working independently. Now the time has come to co-design and co-develop intelligent solutions for better and faster decisions. - Vincent Ribière, IKI-SEA
Smart decisions are made when humans and machines work together. - Prashant Agrawal, Impact Analytics
Agility means the ability to innovate, harness various technologies and integrate them across multiple solutions. - N Manish, Wipro
Without the right culture, even the best tool may not help you achieve your goals. - Vala Afshar, Salesforce
The data advantage
Being data-forward will reward you forever. - Anand Jain, CleverTap
For a business, traditional or not, what matters the most is how data is presented to them. It needs to be correct but also presented in a manner that is easy to grasp and enables faster decision-making. - Nitin Sharma, CredAble
Data science for business exists to solve real problems, where data is integral to discovery and solutions. - Basil Ali, Edumpus
A data science team is a link between data and wisdom. - Vamsee Tirukkala, Draup
Data combined with insights is the best concoction for long-term, sustainable growth. - Manish Tahiliani, Voxturr
Data is now recognised as a powerful source of innovation. - Tuija Rentala, Katariina Palomaki and Katri Valkokari, 'Managing Digital Open Innovation'
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Sectoral transformation
Technology can play a big role in making schools disruption-free. - Sumeet Mehta, LEAD
The future of learning is hybrid and it will bring together the best of offline and online learning. - Byju Raveendran, BYJU'S
The use of tech is for making a level playing field for credit, which will see the light of day finally. - Rajat Verma, HSBC
Ecommerce has been an enabling force, bringing value and access for sellers and consumers alike. - Kalyan Krishnamurthy, Flipkart Group
Whether it is storage, processing power, or containerised applications spun up on demand, the cloud has revolutionised the software industry. - Prasun Kumar, CommercelQ
Digital today is the most advertised category with ecommerce, edtech, fintech and gaming gaining immense importance in consumers’ lives. - Prabeer Patankar, Update Advertising and Marketing
When ecosystems become digital, there will be massive adoption. - Siddharth Shah, PharmaEasy
The time for AI in healthcare is here. Radiology in particular, with an already existing digital image workflow, will see faster adoption of AI. - Ramesh Byrapaneni, Endiya Partners
A massive digital explosion is poised to occur in the global healthcare ecosystem. This resembles the Cambrian radiation explosion that happened 540 million years ago, but all for the greater good. - Murali Aravamudan, nference
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Digital media
Creator-led live content and commerce is the future of entertainment and ecommerce. - Piyush Shah, Glance
Using digital storytelling on multiple online platforms, brands are now able to create a bond with their consumers who now seek more than just products. - Divya Gupta, Aavishkaar Capital
Experimental content is the king of new-age media today, and the algorithm loves you the most when content speaks to the audience and breaks stereotypes. - CarryMinati
Conversations represent the new digital storefront for businesses — virtually every business will need to build them. - Beerud Sheth, Gupshup
Today, video call is to businesses what websites were 20 years ago. A few years down the lane, video-based communication will become as common as websites – every business will leverage it, thereby making it ubiquitous. - Gaurav Tripathi, Superpro.ai
We all live in a heavily Tinderised economy. You only get a few seconds to make your mark. - Ramya Ramachandran, Whoppl
Marketing
Copywriting is the salesmanship of digital marketing. Compelling and valuable content is nothing without a strong understanding and application of copywriting skills. - Sayantan Dasgupta, Gramener
Content marketing is fundamentally changed because of AI. - Mark Kilens, Drift
If marketing is a boat then content is the steering. Wherever you choose to steer your content, marketing will follow. - Siddharth Sharma, Verloop.io
The future of business communications is not just digital-first but also about empathy. - Harsha Solanki, Infobip
Meme marketing is not always about following the trends. It allows your brand to be a trend-setter as well. - Taaran Chanana, MemeChat App
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Mindset
Most of us miss problem-solving as a skill and are focusing on technology usage as a skill. Have a problem-solving mindset and use tech as a tool. - Devang Mundhra, KredX
There is a fine line between building a product and a solution. While you can optimise the product, finding a solution requires building an ecosystem. - Gaurav Srivastava, FarEye
Technology is only as successful as the person harnessing it. - Kanika Agarrwal, Upside AI
The path to digital transformation is a feedback loop. - Sashi Sreedharan, Microsoft India
Technology is ultimately for improving customer experience. - Nitin Pai, Tata Elxsi
Workforce
The future of workspaces is flexible, secure and collaborative. - Amitabh Patney, Ving Hybrid
The future of work is flexible, distributed, and agile, yet many companies have retained traditional methods of managing employee performance and engagement. - Gaurav Chaubey, Mesh
Technology has become core to how we think about business productivity — right from hiring to scaling. - Satya Nadella, Microsoft
Increased digitalisation requires investments in building an AI-ready workforce to remain competitive in the global economy. - Shweta Khurana, Intel
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Governance and ethics
With digitisation comes the need for greater accountability. - Sridhar Gadhi, Quantela
Technology is fast becoming intertwined with ethics, leaving people really concerned about security issues. - James Gosling
With more businesses moving online and the exploding digitisation, the need for governance and control over applications and endpoints is higher. - Nitish Kumar, Sectona
Remember, at some point, it’s not how much others care to do to protect your privacy, but simply your choice that matters. Enjoy full privacy. You deserve it, so demand it. - Anish Mulani, Wave
At present, social media platforms are open to negativity, which leads to the spread of hatred, harassment, and bullying. - Suresh Kumar, Pepul
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The road ahead
Democratisation of technology is essential in any digital economy. - Puneet Chandok, AISPL
Employment and upskilling are the most pressing issues of any country. - Nirmit Parikh, Apna
Coding jobs are the future. They already constitute more than 60 percent of all roles in science, technology, engineering, and math. - Vivek Prakash, Codingal
The crypto industry feels very much like the early internet days of the mid ’90s. So much to build and so early, and so much opportunity to disrupt technological, traditional industries and make people's lives better. - Surojit Chatterjee, Coinbase
The metaverse has become the newest macro-goal for many of the world’s tech giants. - Matthew Ball, EpyllionCo
Integration is the key differentiation. - Sumeet Mehta, LEAD
YourStory has also published the pocketbook ‘Proverbs and Quotes for Entrepreneurs: A World of Inspiration for Startups’ as a creative and motivational guide for innovators (downloadable as apps here: Apple, Android).
Edited by Megha Reddy