Digital Ecosystem

What is a Digital Ecosystem?

Digital Ecosystem – several software platforms or cloud services that work in tandem across a network.

Digital ecosystems are often created and controlled by market share leaders; the model has its origins in keiretsu and is quickly prompting the change in various industries, as well as consumer products, automotive, and healthcare. The integration of business-to-business (B2B) practices, enterprise applications, and data within an ecosystem allows an organization to control new and old technologies, build automated processes around them, and consistently grow their business.

Uncontrolled, the organic growth of an ecosystem can be fatal to a business. It’s important when building an ecosystem to ensure all dependencies have been identified and can be controlled. Creating a digital ecosystem map is key to establishing a strong ecosystem. The digital ecosystem map is a visual diagram of all digital tools and platforms used within the organization. It illustrates processes, how data is transferred between parts of the ecosystem, and whether or not the process is automated or manual. To be effective, the mapping should also document which systems are not currently connected or able to speak and transfer data between each other, as well as who the users of each system are and who is responsible for maintaining them.

How it works

The technical, legal, and business-related difficulties found in digital ecosystems are significant. Service orchestration, delivery, and monetization, as well as customer communication and data management (CCM and CDM, respectively) across the entire ecosystem, are some of the biggest challenges.

The tools for managing an ecosystem will fall into the following categories:

• project management tools, such as Agile software development tools, task management software and issue tracking systems;
• research applications, including data storage and visualization, resource libraries and archives;
• engagement tools, like email marketing, donor management tools and customer relationship management (CRM) software;
• collaboration tools, including email, file sharing, instant messaging and video conferencing;
• public platforms, such as websites, mobile apps, and social media channels; and
• knowledge management platforms, like intranets and wikis.

Mapping a digital ecosystem

The digital ecosystem map is essential to any digital transformation. The goal of the map is to clarify what an organization has to work with, guarantee they have the proper tools to support their goals, and ensure they are being as efficient and effective as possible in achieving those goals.

The following steps can be used to create a digital ecosystem map:

1. Create a list of tools. Take inventory of all applications and systems used within the organizations.
2. Document who uses the tools. Identify who uses each system and app and who is responsible for each one. This helps ensure all necessary stakeholders are included in the ecosystem.
3. Categorize the use of every tool. Define what every system and app does and for which department and purpose. Systems should be categorized by ownership and department.
4. Form connections between tools. Indicate where data is transferred between tools and whether or not it is done automatically or manually. Note what tasks are being duplicated and which systems possess similar functionalities.
5. Define the effectiveness of every tool. Investigate whether any tools are underperforming and need to be replaced, upgraded, or consolidated. Feedback should be provided by the people who use a specific tool every day.
6. Prioritize every tool. Rank each tool according to how critical it is to the organization. If tools are going to be replaced or added, consider their importance in terms of their immediate need to the organization and create an order in which they should be implemented.

Types of digital ecosystems

There are three main types of digital ecosystems: the digitizer ecosystem, the platform ecosystem, and the super-platform ecosystem.

Digitizer ecosystems focus on digitizing an existing product with the help of business partners, while also maintaining low managerial complexity. Digitizer ecosystems can add new functionality to systems and create digital service revenue. This ecosystem usually incorporates 20 to 100 existing partners across five industries.

The digitizer ecosystem is best suited for businesses with strong product capabilities, limited digital abilities, and a primarily internal focus. It works well for organizations looking to make their established product smart and connected. An example of a digitizer ecosystem is an automotive manufacturer that partners, in order to obtain the technology and intellectual property (IP), needed to connect their cars with related digital services.

Platform ecosystems are more advanced than digitizer ecosystems. They focus on flawlessly connecting users and smart devices on a platform, while simultaneously guaranteeing high service levels and limited obstacles. The platform ecosystem creates revenue streams from platform usage. The data generated by the ecosystem can be used for similar businesses and service models. Platform ecosystems typically have 50 to 10 million partners across a maximum of five industries.

The platform ecosystem works best with companies that have solid digital capabilities and a strong focus on external expertise. Established tech startups and companies are more likely to adopt this platform as their core business model than non-tech companies. An example of a platform ecosystem is Xiaomi, a Chinese electronics company that makes and invests in a variety of product types, including smartphones, laptops, fitness bands, and mobile apps. Xiaomi works closely with its contributors — the device makers — to provide a smart home platform, equipped with a variety of smart, connected devices.

Super platform ecosystems are the most complex type of digital ecosystem. They focus on integrating several platforms into one integrated service, while also capturing user data from the integrated platform. This type of ecosystem provides a wide range of user data and also turns the data into money using adjacent business models. The super platform ecosystem typically has at least 10 million partners across at least 10 different industries.

Super platform ecosystems are best suited to companies that possess advanced digital abilities and an established platform from the start, as well as a willingness to work with external partners. As a result, this ecosystem is preferred by well-established tech companies. A good example of a super-platform ecosystem is a virtual assistant that incorporates shopping, payment, transportation, and communication services into one user-friendly option.

Many companies find the best results by using more than one type of ecosystem at a time. For example, Amazon Alexa uses all three. The digitizer ecosystem improves the smart speaker’s hardware and voice recognition functionality; a platform ecosystem exists for adding skills and applications that are used to increase the services offered by Alexa, and a super-platform ecosystem is used to integrate all other platforms.

Conclusion

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