What does it take to build a digital foundation that supports innovation, profitability, and long-term resilience?

In this episode of Consulting the Future, I speak with Andy Tay from Accenture to explore findings from their latest research, Reinventing with a Digital Core. As organizations face increasing pressure to modernize and compete in a tech-driven marketplace, this conversation brings clarity to what it means to evolve with purpose. Tay breaks down Accenture’s approach to building a strong digital core and why it remains one of the most important levers for business reinvention today.

We examine three guiding principles that organizations can use to strengthen their digital foundation. These include re-engineering systems to support AI operations, customizing digital advancements to align with specific business goals, and striking the right balance between addressing technical debt and investing in scalable infrastructure. Tay shares how leading firms that raise their innovation investments by at least six percent each year are better positioned to introduce new products, redesign operations, and enter emerging markets with confidence.

This episode also covers how a digital core connects critical functions across cloud, data, and cybersecurity, creating a more adaptive and responsive enterprise. With a recommendation to allocate around fifteen percent of IT budgets to manage technical debt, Tay outlines the importance of sustaining evergreen capabilities while embracing new technologies.

We also discuss how top-performing companies are seeing up to twenty percent higher revenue growth and thirty percent more profitability by embracing these strategies. Tay emphasizes that responsible AI integration, iterative scaling, and an innovation-first culture are now essential components of any transformation effort.

Whether you're in the early stages of rethinking your digital infrastructure or already leading large-scale change, this episode offers timely guidance from someone helping shape enterprise strategy on a global scale.