What has COVID-19 taught us so far?

As a business owner, 2020 has been a rollercoaster of a ride.

Many of us wish that we could simply punch in SHIFT+DELETE on the year itself. If only life was as simple as that.
As businesses, the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed whether businesses have a definitive competitive edge in their industries, it has also forced all of us to become innovative in these uncertain times to survive. We have learnt some valuable lessons for businesses during this pandemic. 

Technology has been the differentiating factor between those that will remain in business and those who will struggle to endeavour beyond 2020.
Technology is the driver to ensure that systems are automated, integrated and it reduces the amount of manual processing in every business.
Email communication is no longer enough and video conferencing applications has boomed in order to bring those closer to each other than ever before.

Most of all, enabling the workforce to work remotely has been the litmus test of whether you have an IT strategy or not. The right technology with the right strategy should allow any business to have the ability and agility to continue operating as if there was never a hard lockdown, still allowing the workforce to continue dialogue with the most important people in your business, your customers.

Cloud solutions such as Microsoft 365, Hosted Voice and Microsoft Azure has removed the limitations of a physical office, which means that you can now have your office wherever you have an internet connection. 

Businesses have had to adapt and innovate to ensure they remain in business beyond 2020.  Those that have the technology are already at an advantage to move forward, as these technologies combined with an effective IT strategy that will not only make ICT an enabler but a differentiator.

During the lockdown we have seen more business embrace the cloud, those that ran from applications such as MS Teams and Zoom for fear of the unknown have embraced it. Those that needed custom software to automate and streamline processes, and create efficiencies have invested in software development at this crucial juncture.

We have also seen those businesses that should be reducing costs, invest in their own human capital through change management and adoption training, these employees are hard at work aiming to not only make businesses survive but thrive.

In saying so, there will always be the opportunists who take these difficult times to make a profit. 
Ransomware and phishing attacks have continued to increase, in fact, it has quadrupled in the last few months. Those businesses who have not taken security seriously up to this point are sitting ducks compounding in an already burdened time. Extorting businesses while they are fighting to survive is the new norm in the world of cyberspace.

NETCONFIG has built a reputation over the last 22 years for providing the right solutions to businesses. It is in the framework of executing an IT strategy that covers all these areas, which has proved that technology without the right technology partner is a lesson businesses will either embrace or regret.

NETCONFIG will continue to deliver innovative IT solutions for businesses for 2020 and beyond. If you need a serious reboot of your technology, contact us today.