The time is ripe for almost any type of business to step up efforts to implement a digital transformation strategy, according to Christian Maitre, Global Operations Transformation Director at Orange Group.

Addressing WeDo Technologies’ WeMeetAsia event in Kuala Lumpur, Maitre said that while consumers until recently had concerns around security, most users were now comfortable using connected devices for banking as well as entertainment and communication.

“In fact, now people are [no longer] reluctant using smartphones – using these on-line things. A couple of years ago people were thinking: ‘Oh, security is a big problem’,” he added.

“And today, really, everything is possible. Every business today must rethink the way they are doing their business, because of that.”

“That’s really part of the digital transformation,” Maitre said, emphasising however that this shift to digital must focus on business orientation as well as purely technological drivers.

“One example is Smart Buildings,” he said. “Changing, completely, the way you are using buildings now; think about flexible desks, or also having some shared services, shared places, in different cities where you can rent places for your employees wherever they are, so they don’t need to go to the main office.”

“It will save money in terms of transportation; it will save planet in terms of CO 2,” he said. “So a new way of doing things.”

Richard van der Draay was in Kuala Lumpur as a guest of WeDo Technologies