2020 forced businesses to be quick on their feet — and waste no time turning to technology — just to survive. Here are a few lessons 2020 taught us along the way.
Technology Can Enable Shifts in Business Models
Government-mandated lockdowns and travel restrictions spelled doom for many businesses that provide in-person services or destinations for in-person entertainment. Airlines, travel agencies, restaurants, hair salons, movie theatres, theme parks, and gyms were among the hardest hit by the pandemic.
However, those who believe that “shift happens” were able to transition to new ways of operating and generating revenue with the help of tech. For example, restaurants and brick-and-mortar retailers that made their offerings available online fared much better than the ones that did not make the shift.
Separate the Personal from the Professional
Because of the economic slowdowns caused by shelter-in-place policies, many companies’ cash flows dwindled. This forced them to furlough and lay off workers. For some companies that implemented “bring your own device” policies, that also meant losing company files that were stored in their staff’s laptops and other machines.
Therefore, what was once a money-saving strategy immediately became an expensive lesson in investing in tech that protects their data.
Offices Are not Really that Necessary for Many Lines of Work
For many companies, letting their staff work from home is a no-brainer. They just put their apps and files in the cloud so that their employees can easily and securely access these via the internet. This meant that workers didn’t have to burn hours commuting or spending on food — and they got to spend more time with their families at home, too.
However, as with all solutions, remote work introduced new problems that led to their own set of tech-centric lessons.
During this period of social distancing, businesses that can let their staff work from home have both a privilege and a responsibility. If your company is one of them, we can help with work policies to ensure success.
Companies Must Manage Their Tech Better
Budget-tightening measures inevitably uncovered overspending in tech solutions. It may be in the form of subscriptions to Software-as-a-Service apps that you barely use, unoptimized cloud spend, and cost inefficient data backups. Or it may be that your business is using too many solutions, which can lead to the following:
Inefficiencies caused by incompatibilities when work gets passed across teams or departments.
Too much time and effort spent on maintaining IT systems instead of making these systems produce value for the company.
Greater risk of data breaches because of having too many items to secure and monitor.
Companies Must Entrust Their Technology to the Experts
Just like how machines, from simple levers to electric motors, multiply effort and allow people to do more work, technology also allows organizations to do the same. However, if you don’t have a proper strategy and lack the resources to use tech optimally, then you risk committing expensive mistakes that may cost you your business. It is therefore wise to turn to a Managed IT Services Provider (MSP) for your IT requirements.
Considering how money is still tight in this COVID-afflicted economy, it may sound counterintuitive to spend on managed services. However, what you must keep in mind is that when it comes to leveraging technology, the expertise and reliability of a top-notch MSP are worth investing in. Much like how you need surgeons for surgeries, plumbers for your plumbing, and mechanics for your automobile repairs, your business needs the IT expertise of an MSP.
Let ABM help you apply all the lessons in digital tech that 2020 taught businesses. Visit us at abmis.ca.