What does the German Broadcaster ARD or the drugstore chain dm do differently? They are digital pioneers and can get through the pandemic better. The last two years have shown that. Overnight, the introduction of home office was accelerated by years, digital customer communication was vital for survival, and e-commerce and streaming services boomed. Success-critical IT infrastructure had to be therefore one thing in particular: reliable and resilient. Digital platforms thereby are the base for growth, business resilience and adaptability.
A good example of this is the ARD Mediathek as a digital platform for the broadcaster's individual offers. Until recently, ARD as a network, currently consisting of nine regional broadcasters as well as the international broadcaster Deutsche Welle, had its own media libraries and video services. This was extremely confusing for users and broadcasters. Now there is a unified architecture and a consolidated offer.
The drugstore chain dm with its digital twin is also a good practical example of staying ahead as a company. The company opted for fully automated picking of mixed pallets at its new distribution center in Wustermark near Berlin. The foundation is an end-to-end data-based planning process based on a digital twin of each individual store.
Further best practices from German SMEs and useful practical tips on how companies can ensure the digitization of their IT and how to be more reliable are described in the Trendbook Digital Platforms - making critical infrastructure reliable and resilient (only German).
What makes a company resilient? You can find weekly Updates and new Posts in our Special about Business Resilience by Digitization.