Before the pandemic hit, many businesses were still grappling with the realities of digital transformation, whether they were already on the journey or had not yet begun.

By Andrew Hoseck, chief operating officer of In2IT Technologies

Now, however, technology that was once considered ‘nice to have’ has become ‘must have’ practically overnight, and even businesses that had strategies in place have had to adapt faster. The secret to success lies in using technology and transformation to solve business problems, which is essential in adding value.

IT consultants have a key role to play here, bringing diverse experience, relationships and skills to bear in assisting businesses during this challenging time.

 

The Covid effect

When the pandemic forced businesses to rapidly adopt work from home and digital engagement strategies, this significantly shifted priorities for many organisations. It accelerated digital transformation plans, and for others it completely invalidated previous transformation attempts.

Businesses that once were strictly ‘bricks and mortar’ have become distributed, a large proportion of interactions have moved online, and the way organisations engage with customers has shifted. Workflows have been affected by remote working strategies, introducing the need to automate certain processes. Even as people move back into physical offices, capacity limitations remain and elements such as biometric security and hot-desking need to be relooked. Whether all of these changes are permanent or not, the result has been an urgent need to adapt, optimise and transform.

 

The ‘new normal’

As we continue adapting to this ‘new normal’, technology and business need to work together to address the challenges that arise. Basic processes must be adapted, possibly made more flexible, and expectations set and made clear to ensure the effectiveness of a remote or hybrid workforce. Technology can be used to mitigate a lot of risk, but the reality is that the entire world is under huge amounts of financial pressure, so a rip and replace approach is often not feasible. Businesses need to look at ways of leveraging existing systems yet still catering to changing needs, with a fast time to market.

IT consultants are ideally positioned to help businesses of all sizes in this regard. For the small to medium enterprise (SME) market, consultants can help to provide skills that may be lacking in-house as well as expertise, assistance and guidance on using technology to address business challenges. For large enterprises with in-house IT capability, consultants can assist with additional capacity as well as alternate perspectives and experience. The consultants’ role is to augment the business to aid them in handling the accelerated pace of change.

 

Solving business problems with technology

The primary purpose of technology is to solve business problems through the right combination of hardware, software, networks and applications. While many businesses have certain skills in-house, they may be lacking a broad range and depth of experience. Specialist consultants help to bridge this gap, with a wider pool of resources and exposure to numerous technologies and industries. Consultants are also up to date on the latest technology evolution and offer a vendor-agnostic view on how technology, either outsourced or in house, can be used to solve specific business problems.

The trick is to begin with the business problem in mind – an already complex environment that has only been exacerbated thanks to the Covid-19 crisis, and the right solution can springboard a business to manage in these challenging times. There is no such thing as ‘one size fits all’ – the reality is that there is no off the shelf solution to the current challenges. Many technologies can add value, but it depends entirely on what a business needs. A combination of business insight and technological know-how is key to coming through the crisis on top, and IT consultants are ideally suited to support this approach.