Digital Twin: Key Considerations for Business Adoption

Authors

Elnu van Rensburg, University of Pretoria, South Africa

Marie Hattingh, University of Pretoria, South Africa

Published in

IST-Africa 2026 Conference Proceedings

ISSN: 2576-8581

ISBN: 978-1-905824-76-2

DOI: https://doi.org/10.67725/IST-Africa.2026.PPEH7107

Publisher

IST-Africa Institute and IIMC International Information Management Corporation Ltd

Published in Ireland

Abstract

The use of modern digital twin technologies impacts various aspects of a business's organizational ecosystem. This study seeks to understand the key considerations for implementing digital twin technology. Through an interpretive case study approach key stakeholders were interviewed within a financial services organization evaluating their mobile application as the digital twin of a client's financial state. Findings from the interviews shows a correlation between the considerations for digital twins and digital transformation journeys when evaluated against the technological, organizational, and environmental (TOE) framework. It is recommended that organizations that are implementing digital twin-like technologies or applications not using sensor networks and devices, utilize the TOE framework when considering an implementation. Further evaluation on the impact of implementing a digital twin, where a sensor network is present, would need to be further evaluated to validate the correlation identified.

Keywords

Digital twin, industry 4.0, smart manufacturing, cyber-physical systems, digital twin challenges, digital twin considerations, digital transformation

Cite this paper

E. van Rensburg and M. Hattingh (2026) "Digital Twin: Key Considerations for Business Adoption", IST-Africa 2026 Conference Proceedings, Miriam Cunningham and Paul Cunningham (Eds), IST-Africa Institute and IIMC, 2026, ISSN: 2576-8581, ISBN: 978-1-905824-76-2, https://doi.org/10.67725/IST-Africa.2026.PPEH7107

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