What does Digital Transformation mean in 2026?

"Digital transformation" does not mean the same thing it did in the early 2000s.

And if you are someone reading this article, chances are you were around then for the first wave. You remember "digitization". Moving from hand-built websites to WordPress. Moving from spreadsheets to CRMs. Moving from servers to the cloud.

And now you are here riding the second wave.

The first wave was about adapting to new tools, new networks. It was all about scaling, efficiencies, networks and speed. The second wave?

We think it's substantially different: even more exciting and ... more human. 😲

In the article below, I'll lay out to you how your organization can seize the unique opportunity that is laying in front of us - and it might just surprise you.

Don't Misunderstand this Moment

The arrival of next-generation tech like neural networks, AI and cloud computing isn’t a “buggy whips” moment where an entire way of life is being erased.

We've been through this before, recently, and that experience should allow us to see this moment for what it is: an opportunity.

Here's my key thesis:

No matter how advanced technology gets, one thing hasn’t changed: humans still own (and need!) human connection.

Here's a few recent trends make that really clear:

• Vinyl record ownership continues to grow, because people want to own something real
• Live music attendance is surging, because shared, in-person experiences matter
• Podcasts are exploding, because people crave long-form, messy, human conversations

Sure, I dismissed the vinyl thing as a bit of Gen X nostalgia, but when my kids starting collecting vinyl and pleading for tickets to live show - I reassessed.

What I've come to understand is that when the world becomes more digital, people don’t retreat from humanity - they need it and seek it out.

The human touch has been newly revalued, and if your organization's people are tied up trying to build, manage or use systems - you won't be able to meet this moment.

With a shift in thinking and a commitment to this new reality, you can use AI and other technologies to leverage this moment.

Messy Growth of Technology Has Ensnared Us

You need to wrestle less with your technology, and we can help get you there.

Over the last 30 years, organizations have been implementing systems that have pushed them into a space where they focus more on the systems than the outcomes. We're trapped and focusing on the wrong things.

Look around and you'll see CRMs that require manual upkeep, spreadsheets that pretend to be systems, and data scattered across platforms that don’t talk to each other.

It's a mess of our own making, and it has pulled us away from the very thing we’re best at: working with people.

Let the systems do the grunt work so humans can focus on connection, judgment, creativity, and trust.

Let me put into context (trigger warning!):

• If you’re still running a CRM in a spreadsheet, you’re not being scrappy - you’re wasting time that could be spent improving the human experience of your business.
• If your team spends hours copying data between tools, that’s not transformation - it’s drag.
• If you are manually routing support requests, you are spending time shuffling papers, not solving problems.
• If you are letting content design not be informed by user-driven analytics and patterns - you are filling the CMS, not serving your audience.

Designing and building systems and data flows that reliably take that work off of your plate is the work in 2026 and going forward.

Digital transformation in 2026 is about intentionally handing off the mechanical work to systems that are finally capable of doing it well. Not so we can disappear or "save time" but so we can show up better.

Redesign Your Work

Digital transformation looks less like “implementing software” and more like designing how work happens.

This is where we comes in—not just as a highly capable technical and creative partner, but as a partner in shifting your thinking.

We can design how your best work happens, but it won't look like the "systems implementation" you know (and hate).

We help organizations like yours:

• Chart aspirational but achievable roadmaps that connect strategy to execution and your goals to your bottom line
• Get your data house in order, with governance and security
• Implement the systems that matter. CRMs, GPTs, automation, forms processing, websites, and applications that are focused on the users that use them (how novel!)
• Build brands and marketing that genuinely connect through deep listening and creative execution

We believe this because we've already been making this happen for years, for organizations of all sizes and shapes. You can take a look through our Case Studies and see where we've been and where we're going.

Ready to make that shift? We are!

If you believe in even a portion of what I'm laying out above, you are ready. It's a big task, but one we all know is necessary in this new future.

Connect with us today to and we'll chat about your opportunity.