It’s difficult to summarise 2020 in words!! It was a challenging time for all of us all, and our businesses and workplaces were no exception. Much has changed, and we expect more will continue to change in 2021 and the years ahead.
At the beginning of a New calendar year we often make a New Year’s resolution in our personal life. In this month’s article, we share our thoughts for the core technological resolution’s that all SME businesses should be setting themselves for 2021. These range from a continued emphasis on digital transformation to managed security services to keep your operations up and running.
Digital Transformation (We all need to modernise)
The pandemic ushered in a swift shift to remote work from virtual and home offices. This led many businesses to embrace new collaboration and communication platforms. In terms of security, it also led to investments in firewalls, networking monitoring tools, and other measures to safeguard your data and remote workforce. Digital transformation is no longer a lofty or long-term goal. In 2021, it will become an immediate necessity that is required to remain competitive. Through 2021 and beyond SMEs should embrace the modern workplace and adopt business process automation technologies and services.
Work-From-Anywhere Initiatives (Are here to stay)
A survey from Gartner suggests that more than 80% of company leaders working in HR, legal and compliance, finance, and real estate intend to permit remote working for at least some of the time once people begin to return to the office. Microsoft, for example, is one of the latest big companies to announce a hybrid policy that will allow a permanent work-from-home policy for more employees. We expect to see companies, of all sizes and industries, adopt similar hybrid working practices in 2021 that will enable employees to work from anywhere. The investments you make in this area will be critical. So too will be a continued focus on platforms for secure collaboration and communication for remote work and customer support.
The Rise of the Cyber Threat (We all need to become Cyber Secure)
Which brings us to the most unfortunate 2021 trend on our list: the rise of cyber threats. The pandemic has spurred digital transformation and work-from-anywhere initiatives that could revolutionize your business and lead to growth and greater profitability. But one challenge is less forward-looking and more foreboding: the increasing threat of cyberattacks against your business. One site reports that a whopping 80% of businesses have seen an increase in cyberattacks amidst the pandemic. Forbes reports a 238% rise in attacks on banks, and a 600% increase in attacks on cloud servers, from January to April 2020 alone.
Moving into 2021, SMBs will need to put cybersecurity front and centre to avoid falling victim to these potentially devastating attacks. Cyberattacks can halt your operations, damage your reputation, and they’re immensely costly.
In knowing what to expect (or not expect), we can best prepare, together, for a secure year ahead. Many of these recommendations will require a commitment from your leadership team, Tycom vCIO and your staff, which makes now the optimal time to begin charting a post-pandemic future. We wish you all continued health, growth, security, and success in the year ahead.