The future digital core I imagine is a string of pearls on a digital thread..
As part of my work life I come across so many companies renewing their aging ERP systems and launching projects to create a new "Digital Core".
Almost all of them have a declared goal to implement a solution which is as close to the standard as possible with minimum customization's. This seems to be a desirable goal from the perspective of time to market, lower and easier maintenance, ease of upgrades etc.
When asked about gaps and capabilities to support unique business capabilities, we get a familiar answer. ERP is the system of record, we will do all that in systems of differentiation or in a system of innovation.
Have we ever thought that we may be again adding back layers of complexity and integration back into our enterprise with such a layered approach ? Why can't the new digital core be flexible and modular enough to be an enabling system of agility ? The modular part can be standard and the flexible part can play the differentiation and innovation role.
What I imagine is a string or pearls on a digital thread, the pearls as SaaS solutions which provide defined standard functionalities e.g. pricing, credit check etc, the more modular with industry focus the better. The flexible digital thread has custom capabilities like business rules, AI and automation. You can almost create a necklace specific to your needs.
You build your digital core by selecting modules from a market place and use some system integration to string the pearls together. This will of course require some standards on business metadata and protocols and some market making but I do see this as clear possibility.
Finally people may ask what about the user interface ? well don't start imagining a person behind a screen when you hear that. In the future every interaction will be captured as it happens with sensors, swipes,scans, voice commands or simple taps on a mobile app.
The digital core of the future is not a monolith but a flexible , omnipresent and intelligent system of agility which is silently around you capturing your actions , data and serving information and asking for inputs when needed. That is how I imagine it.