Dr. Arry Akhmad Arman Explains the Ins and Outs of Digital Transformation
By Adi Permana
Editor Adi Permana
BANDUNG, itb.ac.id – The drastic advancement of technology- especially in the informational technology sector- has led us through a digital transformation. This revolution may bring significant changes towards various aspects of humanity. For this, Dr. Ir. Arry Akhmad Arman, who is the current Director of ITB’s Information System and Technology (DSTI), chose this topic for his recent webinar “Accessible Ways of Digital Transformation” on Thursday (6/4/2021).
“Digital transformation is a process involving significant changes aimed to optimize an entity via information, computation, communication, and connectivity technology,” he elaborated. He considered a change can only be deemed as a transformation if it is massive and encompassing.
According to him, the current digital transformation occurs faster than the previous ones; it is caused by the technological development rate that doubles compared to the preceding transformation eras. The presence of the internet and other connectivity technologies facilitates the two main factors of technological expansion: information retrieval and knowledge transmission.
Frontier Technology
Frontier technology (known as leading digital technology) is a collection of modern information technology that currently goes through its mass implementation phase. Based on the graph shown by Dr. Arry, its market will rise from $350 million to $3.2 billion in 2018-2025. “This will be Indonesia’s huge challenge- what will we do with this huge potential?” he inquired.
He then explained that frontier technology development would impact the shift in societal nature. “Technology plays a role in changing the behavior and character of the people. Those who used to go around without their phone now are clueless if they do not own one,” he described the phenomenon with the emergence of smartphone usage.
Platform Model
The progressing digital transformation has not only affected physical technology. Nowadays, there is a growing number of platform model-based startups. According to Dr. Arry, the platform model can increase the efficiency of economic activities by minimizing the existing value chain and connecting producers with their consumers.
Dr. Arry concluded that platform models can be further developed into a wider scope. He gave several examples regarding the potential of multi-bank platforms; for instance, these platforms can become users’ main medium to access several bank services. Another illustration he mentioned was its application in higher-education systems, allowing us to obtain learning experiences flexibly at various universities.
Reporter: Favian Aldilla (Teknik Sipil, 2019)
Translator: Ruth Nathania (Teknik Lingkungan, 2019)
