Digital transformation—now!

Continuous growing of computing power within the last decade and its expected continuation opens a bright access to information for industry, society, policy and each individual. However, the dark side of the medal has to be considered, too, concerning digital cybercrime and aggressive criminal activities by individuals as well as associations threatening society, industry and each individual. Karl Polyani introduced the term “Transformation” in the context of his studies on societal changes in Great Britain during the 16th and 17th centuries. The term “digital transformation” consequently appears in relation to the more or less unlimited computing power today to process data in multiple dimensions which can be used not only in a positive way by associations but also by criminal groups or individuals. Not only individuals but also politics and society are challenged to avoid negative effects on the development in order to support continuous progress of our society. © 2017, Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria.