India has emerged as the fastest growing major economy in the world and is expected to be one of the top three economic powers in the world over the next 10-15 years, backed by its robust democracy and strong partnerships. India’s real gross domestic product (GDP) at current prices stood at Rs. 135.13 lakh crore (US$ 1.82 trillion) in FY21, as per the provisional estimates of annual national income for 2020-21. India is the fourth-largest unicorn base in the world with over 21 unicorns collectively valued at US$ 73.2 billion, as per the Hurun Global Unicorn List. The second wave of covid-19 did create some shockwaves, but the substantial spending by the government provided the biggest boost to growth, private investments and goods exports. However the pandemic does pose some important questions:- • How damaging would the impact of successive waves be on the economy?  

• Can consumers eventually shirk off their anxieties and resume spending with confidence?  
• While we pin our hopes on pent-up demand to lift recovery, are there any risks that may materialize?

The next normal is going to be different. It will not mean going back to the conditions that prevailed in 2019. Early and seamless adaption to the digital ecosystems has been the key to survival in the recent times. These ecosystems consist of interconnected sets of services through which users fulfill a variety of cross-sectoral needs in one integrated experience. Incumbents are shaking up the value chains to attract customers of the new ecosystem —and tap potentially huge pools of value. Companies are set to lead by redefining "who they are", "how they operate" and "how they grow". Half measures and incrementalism won’t work to achieve this. Are you ready to deliver this change?

Pre COVID-19, there was a common consensus amongst most leaders that going "PHYGITAL" was the primary strategy, wherein the existing physical infrastructure should complement some aspects of digital. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted business dynamics across all sectors, and the only way ahead as a strategy is to go "DIGITAL," wherein the strategy will be entirely digital. Organisations are now looking to completely redesign the customer engagement journey, drive omniconsumption, riding on new insights, digital experiences, and devising an operating model that is always on with active content. In this changing world the role of channel partners is also changing dynamically. You are now required to help the organisations achieve their vision and structure clear metrices defining what success looks like for your customers.

Platforms and not technology is shaping the business landscape. It is now about transforming the core and not just change as augmentation to the business. Today, platforms are not just accelerating or assisting but disrupting the value chains. It is a key business competency that enables organisations to reinvent their value metrics and operating models. Digital platforms are now burning up faster than ever and becoming the golden child of the digital revolution. Disrupting and dominating markets to create communities of enormous scale, delivering new forms of innovations & fall into proper subscription-based economy. The ask from the vendor ecosystem is to provide holistic solutions and services and not just products. Further the solutions are expected to be scalable, modular, consumption based, templated to new operating model and future invested. Vendor ecosystem needs to be the facilitator of the change.

Only the outperformers can survive in the new normal. And to join the league of such outperformers one needs to aim to grow the core, grow geographically, and cut across value chains all at the same time. None of which is possible without carving a completely new playbook. Setting up the operating model hitherto meant setting up operations, infrastructure, workforce etc. However while crafting the new operating model its all about taking into account the environment in which we operate today.
The environment is highly digitized and hence calls for higher elements of automation across supply chain, engagement with stakeholders to build trust, and a complete reimagining of the future capabilities. You and your organization are as vulnerable to the changing operating models as much as your customers. You either pivot or you perish.

Every crisis present an opportunity to be harnessed in disguise. By increasing the speed of decision making, while improving productivity, using technology and data in new ways, and accelerating the scope and scale of innovation companies can come up with the most disrupting business models. And its not always about hard innovations. Being digital and reduced the entry barriers in most fields and hence its about having a continous journey of innovation to build a sustainable competitive advantage. There is increasing realization that value is created through networks where partners share data, code, and skills; where communities of businesses create value and antifragility together.

While the need for agility and scalability continues to push companies toward cloud adoption; most of the time organisations are unable to define what success means to them. Exploiting cloud services and tooling, requires change across all of IT and more importantly business functions. It requires software engineering, operating-process improvement, and business innovation. This involves a complete rebirth instead of just refabrication of the cloud native infrastructure. The ask is to deliver a configurable and not just a customisable solution.