The future of business is data analytics and artificially intelligent software, regardless of whether you make breakfast cereal, design semiconductors or fly a fleet of jetliners, notes Jon Markman, growth stock expert, tech specialist and editor of Strategic Advantage.

Digital transformation could add $13 trillion to global GDP by 2030, according to analysts at McKinsey and Co., a global management consulting firm. They expect that a better understanding of data will enrich customer experiences and create vibrant new business models. It’s a big opportunity for investors. Here is a list of potential winners.

Understanding digital transformation is the first step. Certain pieces are foundational. Cloud computing, for example, allowed businesses to virtualize their computer processing needs by running workflows on remote, specialized data centers.

Tech giants with data centers all over the world, such as Amazon (AMZN), Microsoft (MSFT) and Google (GOOGL) — with its Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure,  and Google Cloud — are logical winners and they should continue to benefit from their scale. At last count, cloud infrastructure services were a $208 billion business, growing at 30% annually, according to data from Statista.

The other foundational element is payments. Long before the cloud companies virtualized computer processing, Mastercard (MA) and Visa (V) were building epic capacity and security into their digital payment platforms. Today VisaNet safely processes 150 million transactions per day, with plenty of excess capacity for future growth.

Ajaypal Banga, chief executive at Mastercard, expects much of that capacity will be sucked up by machine-to-machine payments. Within a decade he expects our cars will be making payments with gas pumps and our refrigerators will be ordering and paying for food from the local supermarket. Cryptographic authentication and a lot of AI software running in the cloud will take care of the details.

Supplying those data centers, and the enterprises looking to better manage workflows in the cloud, is already a lucrative business. Nvidia (NVDA) makes best-in-class graphics processing unit chips. GPUs are critical hardware for deep learning, a form of AI capable of quickly processing vast amounts of unstructured data. As the deluge of data swells, this business is certain to grow.

Alteryx (AYX) is in the business of making sense of all types of data. The company is part of an important trend the research firm Gartner calls the democratization of expertise. Jargon aside, the Irvine, California, company makes low/no code software tools to help companies quickly turn the gusher of their data into actionable insights.

Ease of use is also the cornerstone of ServiceNow (NOW). Its cloud-based Now platform brings employees, customers and every networked device into a single, real-time system. It connects customer service, human resources, IT, security, and gives company developers the tools to integrate custom applications.

For many enterprise clients, those applications will include Salesforce (CRM). The iconic San Francisco company is the leading customer relationship management company in the world.

Its products command 30% of the fast-growing market to drive sales growth, retain and improve relations with existing and potential customers. In the era of AI and data analytics, CRM is often the first big step many enterprises will take toward digital transformation.

Further down the stack, other companies are focused on reimagining experiences. Sanjay Srivastava, chief technology officer at Genpact (G) explains the need for new business models by pointing to Amazon.

The online giant transformed the shopping experience. We now expect fast delivery, personalized recommendations and a super-simple ordering process. If businesses can’t remove friction and enhance customer experience, sooner or later they will fail in the new digital reality.

Providing a pathway is the mission statement for Globant (GLOB). From its home base tucked away in La Plata, Argentina, the software and IT developer works inside large companies like Disney and Coca Cola. Designers tweak social media channels. Product managers build interactive consumer-facing campaigns. And software engineers help with payment gateways and big data projects.

In America’s heartland, Jack Henry &Associates (JKHY) is helping regional banks and credit unions reimagine banking. Its software allows customers to deposit checks by snapping a photo, pay bills and move money between accounts, either on their computer or with a smartphone. Soon, patrons will be able to perform ditch both and simply bark commands to Alexa, Amazon’s voice enabled digital assistant.

Digital transformation is the biggest and most important trend in a generation. As McKinsey notes, a massive amount of money is going to be spent during the next 10 years, across a wide swath of sectors.

Getting it right is not going to be easy. Businesses are going to need trusted advisors to help build new digital strategies, test them, scale up and then decide how best to integrate the new models into the existing business.

For government work, the best play for investors is Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH). Managers at the Virginia management and IT understand the crosscurrents of the public world. The U.S. government is undergoing the same digital transformation corporate managers face. The amount of public dollars up for grabs is in the tens of billions.

Accenture (ACN) is the management consultant best positioned to win all of the rest. With offices in 200 cities in 51 countries, Accenture had consulting relationships with 91 of the Fortune 100 companies through November 2019. Sales were $43.2 billion. The bottom line is digital transformation is everything it is ballyhooed to be. It’s coming fast and the time to invest is now.

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