Digital transformation is not just replacing paper with a screen; above all, it is a cultural change in organizations and society. The lecture showed that the technologies have been available for years, but what matters is our willingness and ability to adopt them. Experiences from the pandemic and from the practice of large IT projects reveal what works and where we run into obstacles.
Technologies were already here; the pandemic only accelerated them
According to the speaker, the biggest accelerator of digitalization in Slovakia was COVID. What had been postponed for two decades could suddenly be done within months, because the solutions already existed — they just needed to be applied. Videoconferencing is an example: in some companies it was commonly used already around 2000 to save time spent traveling between cities. Digital has its downsides too, for example less social contact with food deliveries, but when buying tickets or ordering taxi services it has clearly brought speed and convenience.
What determines success: skills and education
Success depends not only on technology vendors but also on the skills of those who use and provide the services. If these two sides do not meet, even sophisticated solutions will fail due to a low adoption rate. That is why digital should have a place in schools and everyday education, so that new services become a natural part of life. Pairing generations also helps: younger colleagues as "buddies" teach more senior colleagues to work with IT and build confidence in using services.
Examples from practice showed that progress comes where technology is combined with a clearly defined value. From simulations in virtual reality through cybersecurity and artificial intelligence projects to the delivery of the Perun supercomputer for the Slovak Academy of Sciences in cooperation with Atos – the goal is a measurable benefit for the end user. Similar teams are also involved in supporting major events, for example the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The key remains: do not wait for a "new invention", but learn to make intelligent use of what we already have.
