What happens when your IT company is stuck in the past? You get stuck there too

We have witnessed the fastest year on year growth and innovation for technology in businesses. Covid began an acceleration in technology adoption as a means to adapt to a rapid shift in product and service consumption in order to survive.

Businesses large and small faced significant challenges and those that embraced digital transformation have not only survived the pandemic but thrived. Amazon sales grew by 40% and 98% of small businesses said technology played a key role in navigating the pandemic (Dell Technology survey) by digitising their offerings to reach clients and customers where the service or product was to be consumed.

There were however some businesses that either didn’t have to or couldn’t adjust their business plan, due to lack of knowledge or funding and as a result, they have at best stood still if not more realistically, lost momentum and now find themselves with technical debt.

Businesses need more than just an IT Support company, they need an IT Partner to help drive digital transformation.

Why every company will be a tech company

Now with normal life returning, some might expect that the pre-pandemic way of running or conducting business would return. However, life has changed, the business has changed, Technology has become the Business and the Business the Technology.

For those that stood still there is a realisation that this new normal is here to stay and the old ways (seems strange to say that after only a couple of years) are gone forever.

If you’re a business with legacy systems nested on physical servers, whirring away in a comms room, that was all ok when the majority of staff were in the office. In today's world, the applications and systems are consumed from everywhere and anywhere the employee is, whether that’s in a hotel while travelling, from a box room at home, or while sitting on a plane (where I write this now!) read more about how cloud is changing the face of business

Maybe you’re using applications that are all essential but disconnected from each other, data has to be either manually transferred, imported or batch processed to another essential system. There is no centralised view of the business, no dashboards or KPI’s with realtime information, rather, you’re having to wait for 1 or possibly 2 months for reports that only tell you what was happening 2 months ago and provide little insight as to what is happening in the business now.

We have seen remote or hybrid work become a requirement when hiring, it’s a must-have for many people, having the policies to work remotely are just one piece of the jigsaw, the end user experience is vitally important. Staff are moving to more innovative businesses so they can deliver their best work, leaving behind the employer that has unproductive and inefficient remote working technology. Read more about how to secure your remote workers.

Whether it’s legacy systems, little or no integration, poor reporting or a lack of ability to hire and retain talent, businesses must adapt at a pace to ensure they don’t fall behind. The problem is where do you start?

The importance of a true technology partner

We have witnessed many businesses becoming frustrated with their IT provider, the business wants to innovate and meet the demands being placed on it. They hear about the cloud and frictionless remote working from their peers in other businesses however their IT Support Company is unable to offer solutions or they simply want to deploy new on-premise servers again!. Why? because they are one of the businesses that have failed to adapt. Just because they’re in IT doesn’t mean they are innovative.

Your IT Provider should be just more than an IT Support company, they should be your partner, asking questions to understand how your business works, what are your pain points, understanding where risk lies and helping your business grow. 10 reasons you may need to switch IT provider.

I mentioned earlier I was writing this on a plane, unfortunately, I’m not in shorts on the way to or from some sunny destination, rather I’m with a client, travelling to a conference and then on to meetings, why? because we want to know more about how they work, their vendors, what matters to them. This inventment is to align technology adoption with the business operations to help improve their clients experience, the business efficiency, increase productivity and ensure that foundational technology investment supports their growth and adoption of innovative new systems and applications.

When you go to the doctor or have to use a laywer, they don’t leave college or formal education and say “right that’s it, I know everything” no, they have to continually upskill, complete professional development courses, ensure they are up to speed and experts in their field as it evolves over time.

Why is this not the same for all businesses and sectors? If an IT company shy's away or neglects to offer a cloud technology option or if that cloud option is more expensive than the on-prem solution you need to ask why?

Dig a little deeper, is it, as is most often the case, they simply are not certified, experienced or have any training in cloud platforms?

What is the impact of IT in Business

I spoke with one business that had moved over 50 workloads (applications, servers etc) from each of their businesses to just 4 in a centralised cloud platform. Just think of the reduction in failure points let alone the simplification of systems and management. The cost savings are not just from the like for like hardware being removed but gains in efficiency, productivity, reduction, even elimination of downtime and less operational expense.

We recently migrated a manufacturing business that exports 95% of its product to the US, running SAP from on-premise infrastructure to the cloud, bolted on hosted desktops (Azure Virtual Desktop) and transitioned all the remaining parts of the IT eco-system to Microsoft Azure. The result? No more interruptions from power or connectivity issues, improved staff experience accessing SAP Business One and reports only taking 10 seconds to generate that used to take minutes beforehand. Embracing remote working the client now has staff on 3 continents all-consuming ICT with the same experience.

What can the business do?

The world has changed, the business has changed, technology has changed, and not everyone has kept up, it might be time to ask questions about what you’re being told and listen to that inner voice that’s driving you.

Technology is an enabler, it should never be a distractor, if it is, widen your search, ask questions, speak to your peers in other businesses, find out what’s working for them engage with an experienced managed services provider and of course, we’re always happy to have a conversation. How to choose an IT Provider and get it right first time.

As we start our final decent into Brussels, (the next leg on this European trip) I’m reminded of the importance of taking a step back, looking at the business from a 10,000ft view and widening our perspectives, what a pleasure it is to travel again.

We’d love to understand your business and help with any questions, when you’re ready, just book a meeting below!