Data and Digital Platform

Companies can build a data and digital platform that delivers three to five times the value in half the time and at half the cost. Our digital platform consultants help clients enable new digital services and upgrade their core IT.

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Generating meaningful value from your digital transformation doesn’t require a revamp to your entire IT architecture. There’s a smarter way.

At BCG, we believe that a successful digital transformation requires decoupling the data layer from legacy IT so that companies aren’t forced to modernize their enterprise resource planning systems all at once—an expensive, time-consuming, and risky proposition. Companies that implement data and digital platforms—separating the data layer from legacy IT—can scale up new digital services faster, while upgrading their core IT.

What Is a Digital Platform?

To develop a digital platform, first you must understand what a digital platform is. The characteristics of digital platforms include:

  • Data can be liberated from old, inflexible legacy core systems.
  • Data can be owned by the business, not IT, which is critical to prioritizing and driving business use cases.
  • The business side can roll out new use cases independent of IT’s decisions about how and at what pace to upgrade the core.
  • New digital services can be delivered every few weeks, powered by artificial intelligence and leveraging open-source software and cloud services.
  • Differentiating engineering capabilities can be re-shored and built in-house, improving time to value.

Our Approach to Data and Digital Platform

It has only recently become feasible to build the digital platform and smart business layers separately from the existing core, thanks to multiple advances in SaaS, PaaS, cloud computing, low code platforms, and the open-source community.

We bring unique capabilities and deep expertise to data and digital platform strategy and development. Our data and digital platform consultants—including IT architects, data integration and migration experts, and technology and cloud specialists—work with clients on:

  • Data Strategy. Developing a structured and substantiated view of the value that data can generate for the company—and a roadmap to achieve it. 
  • Data Governance. Creating a target operating model for data management and analytics, tailored to the needs and culture of the organization. 
  • Legacy ERP. Migrating away from legacy ERP platforms—and building next-generation data and digital platforms. 
Learn more on how BCG’s data and digital platform (DDP) approach accelerates digital transformation using a method fundamentally different from legacy technology systems. DDP leads with business outcomes and decouples digital transformation from core system replacement, building value much faster.

Our Work with Clients on Data and Digital Platforms

We have helped many of our clients build and realize the benefits of digital platforms as part of their digital transformations. Examples include:

Our Solutions for Digital Platforms

BCG’s proprietary digital maturity assessments enable companies to benchmark against peers and develop a rock-solid data and digital platform strategy.

Our Insights on Digital Platforms

Meet Our Data and Digital Platform Consulting Team

Our data and digital platform consultants and industry experts help clients create the foundation for a successful digital transformation. Here are some of our experts on the topic.

Managing Director & Senior Partner

Antoine Gourévitch

Managing Director & Senior Partner
Paris

Managing Director & Senior Partner

Marc Schuuring

Managing Director & Senior Partner
Amsterdam

Managing Director & Partner

Lucas Quarta

Managing Director & Partner
Paris

Managing Director, BCG Platinion

Marc Sterman

Managing Director, BCG Platinion
New York

Partner & Director

Elias Baltassis

Partner & Director
Dubai

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