Whether we like it or not the digital world is here to stay. Rapid advances in technology are for the most part disruptive and are changing the business landscape. The time has come for local businesses to become more active in regards to learning about these new technologies and adapt and transform the business. For businesses in Curaçao, in particular, it is very important to learn and explore innovative business models that will help them excel in the digital world.

Recognizing the importance of being aware of these changes and the need for transformation, the ISACA Curaçao Chapter centered their yearly conference around “Mastering Digital Transformation”. During this two-day conference (held on September 4, 2018, and September 5, 2018) several topics were discussed including understanding the Deep Dark Web, Data Science and the Digital Economy, The Innovative Auditor, Business Analytics and much more.

By organizing this conference the ISACA Curaçao Chapter wants to reach its goal of taking the professional workforce in Curaçao to the next level to embrace new opportunities and be able to face challenges that come along by educating the attendees on the latest technologies, promote an agile approach to successfully implement changes, promote the use of globally accepted industry-leading knowledge and practices for managing information security. The ISACA platform offers certifications and educational material on information security, risk management, data science and much more.

The event was sponsored by Arcas Partners, BearingPoint, IBM, Inctual, NetPro/Inova, 2Share, SOAB, MCB, CBCS and ISACA International who made it possible to invite speakers from the U.S., Canada, Italy, The Netherlands, Aruba, and Curaçao.

What we learned attending the event on September 4 is that digital transformation can only be successful if the people within the organizing have the mindset to accept change. The willingness to change can come from the bottom-up where employees can show management the benefits of new technologies and educate them on the importance of change or it can be embedded from the top down.

Companies such as Netflix that went through a digital transformation didn’t have the need to change at the moment that they did. Financially they were doing well but despite this, the people within the organization from the lower and upper levels understood the benefits in performing research using available data and as a result, created innovative business models that many other companies including Hulu and Amazon are imitating today. We also learned that even financial companies such as Scotiabank who are dealing with large amounts of data are referring to themselves as technology companies and recognize banking services as one of their products.

Overall it was an enlighting event where we learned more about the concept of digital transformation and trigger us to think about the transition from the antiquated infrastructure into a more modern digital protected infrastructure. We believe it is very important for the local community to be open-minded to digital advancements and the transformation that comes with it in order for Curaçao to enter the dynamic digital world.

What can be done? Learn more about digital transformation and become digitally literate, educate fellow colleagues and management, engage in discussions, perform research and don’t rush: prepare well-designed plans.

For details about the presentations given and more information about digital transformation visit the ISACA Curaçao Chapter’s website: www.isacacuracao.com