15 Oct A Digital Transformation – The Benefits of Success
We explored in our previous article that technology is the driving force of businesses all around the world. Recent technological advancements have increased our reliance on technology considerably more than was ever anticipated, and nowadays you can’t do anything in daily life in the civilised world without technology having had some sort of influence over it.
Business owners have been forced through a journey of enlightenment due to the climate of the last few years which has helped them to realise the potential that the right well managed and implemented tech has for an organisation. The right technology has the power to solve the challenges that your team are facing on a daily basis. As we’ve already covered, we refer to this process as a Digital Transformation – for more information check out the previous article in the series.
We explained in the previous article that there are steps to a transformation that must be completed in order for the transformation to be a successful one. Before starting your Digital Transformation you must accurately identify what the challenges are that your business faces on a daily basis, as doing this allows – with no uncertainty – that your new digital solution is the right one for you. Let’s now explore what can come from a successful Digital Transformation.
The Benefits of Success:
Improved team well-being
Poor IT leads to more than just decreased productivity. It can also have a serious effect on the morale of the team – forcing your staff to use IT that isn’t capable of the job or can do the job but is tedious and long winded in its approach can cause serious discontent amongst your team. However, a straightforward, catered, digital experience can have a positive impact on the mood, productivity, and quality of work that your team are able to achieve.
Commercially beneficial
As we just stated, your team using tools that work efficiently is going to make them happier and therefore produce more – better quality – work, which subsequently results in a higher income and a more successful business. This is all obvious stuff but it is surprising how many business owners don’t think about it in this way. You don’t always have to throw money at something to make it work – it is far better to take your time and come up with a cost-effective solution that is the best option for you. Your business will thrive using tools that are catered to it, with a team that are not only proficient but also enjoy using tools that are so much easier and quicker than before.
Flexibility
Modern technology is designed with flexibility in mind and can also scale to your organisation accordingly. There are many reasons why you may want to scale quickly – take Covid-19, for example; businesses one day had a full office of 40 people and the following only had the bare bones of 20. Now, as things are beginning to go back to normal, they may have the 40 in office plus 25 working from home. All these changes could take place within a few months or even weeks.
With a modern Cloud based IT solution, your monthly contract will be for what you actually use and not what you just thought you were going to need.
Regulatory compliance
No matter what industry your business resides in you have regulatory compliance you must abide by. If best security practice is used when operating the new system at all times, you can be confident that you are compliant with your regulatory requirements.
You are now familiar with the benefits of a Digital Transformation in your organisation, you know why it is necessary in the modern world, and realise the challenges your business faces daily. In order to be sure you choose the right solution for you, let’s take a look at those solutions.
The Options on the Market:
A Cloud-based file server
Cloud computing is – by some way – the future of IT on Earth. This is why the majority of businesses worldwide are choosing this as their solution. A Cloud-based file server is a virtual server (rather than a physical server) running in a Cloud Computing environment and is perfect if you have specific applications or databases that need hosting.
Cloud-based file sharing system
Cloud-based file sharing is a system in which a user has their own storage space on a server, and everything is carried out over the Internet. For all its benefits, most business owners find that it can be a particularly difficult one to use as it is practically impossible to implement an ‘information when needed’ ethos or security protocol surrounding your (and your clients’) sensitive data as user permissions are not ring-fenced. This can mean that the wrong people have access to sensitive information, in the process jeopardising the safety of that data, your compliance requirements, and the reputation of your organisation as a whole.
On-site file server with a VPN / Remote Desktop Connection
A VPN (Virtual Private Network) / Remote Desktop connection is a viable option for some because of its ability to perform anonymous information transactions, but – with the majority of teams being less technically familiar – most find it clunky and difficult to understand.
It is completely reliant on a constant internet connection and consistent device by device support which can become a time bomb waiting to go off when you have a power cut or a natural disaster that causes your internet connection to drop. A VPN can also be very difficult to connect to mobile devices, and this fact alone deters business owners from using this method in the modern world where we do a lot of business work on our devices.
SharePoint implementation
SharePoint by Microsoft is continually growing in popularity as an accumulation of SharePoint within Microsoft 365’s range of tools and is a more than capable set up for many. Thousands of businesses around the world are already familiar with the Microsoft suite of tools, either using them at work or at home – this makes it the logical decision for most. SharePoint allows your team to access documents from anywhere whilst being structured to their needs. It also interconnects with other tools in the Microsoft Suite so, if your team are already familiar with Microsoft, SharePoint can be implemented and understood with very little drama.
These are just some of the many different digital solutions available on the market today. Explore them and make a decision based on what is best for your business and your team.
Your IT Specialists
At Netcom, we are well-versed in helping companies in various sectors navigate the often mystifying, jargon-filled, world of IT. With over 15 years’ experience and covering virtually all aspects of business IT, we can help guide your business to a prosperous future with the right IT at your side every step of the way. We can help you deploy cutting edge solutions that will not only help you weather the storm that is modern IT but also keep your business at the top of its game post-pandemic and beyond.
Why not book a free, no-obligation discovery call today by ringing 0114 361 0062, or send us a message.