Data science and big data, in general, are changing the world around us. Some of the more prominent industries where data is making an impact include retail, customer service, and construction, as well as manufacturing and development.

It’s no secret that these days, just about everything relies on a digital component — and digital platforms collect, generate and transmit data.

Every so often, however, data applications come as a surprise not regarding their adoption, but how they impact the greater world. That’s precisely the case in food and beverage, as data is fundamentally reshaping the way we eat, drink and sometimes even cook.

Once reserved for corporations with substantial war chests full of cash earmarked for “innovation” and “disruption,” digital transformations are now comfortably a part of the business mainstream. In 2019, we can expect these and other digital transformation trends to take off in a huge way.

There’s an upper limit to the amount of foresight and intuition human beings can bring to any complex process. Beyond that, we need to rely on technology and the gathering of data.

The modern supply chain is a wonder of engineering and human cooperation, but it’s come to rely on an increasingly connected web of digital and physical tools. These days, it’s hard to imagine a supply chain operation that doesn’t pull and react to data in real-time. Let’s take a look at this modern supply chain in practice, and how all of this data results in leaner operations and timelier decision-making.

A lot of conversations about digital transformation today are about B2C businesses. But it’s a mistake to assume things aren’t changing in the B2B world too. It’s thanks to the constant churn of new technologies and methodologies that make what we do — whatever we do — easier, smarter and more efficient.

Whether you call it “going digital” or something else, what we’re talking about is an investment. And investments come with opportunities as well as potential risks. Here’s a brief look at both.