Every move forward requires a compelling why. For many organizations, the coronavirus pandemic of 2020 has provided a whopper of a reason—responding securely and efficiently to the almost instantaneous need for business IT services that enables remote work or addresses new online and socially distanced demands.
Reacting to a pandemic
In a Harvard Business School podcast, cybersecurity expert and SonicWall CEO Bill Conner referred to the change as a “tsunami” that forced businesses to re-architect their networks, leaving behind data centers and legacy applications for moves to cloud-based infrastructure solutions, which, consequently, introduce new security concerns: “Now you’ve got to make those accesses and identities absolutely solid because you are remote,” he said. “You’re mobile. And you’re therefore less secure because you’re at home.”
Before they can reach the security-conscious stage of technology, many businesses have scrambled to function in an environment that necessitates no- or low-contact options. For Home Depot, that meant moving toward a planned architecture that connected associates, customers, logistics, delivery, and supply chain. The upshot? Customers could order in-stock items online, and associates could utilize a mobile app to get them into those hands safely through curbside delivery.
For business IT partners, these shifts have meant rapid problem-solving. And, though the transition has been quick, those solutions likely are part of an ongoing tech transformation that will last for years to come.
A move to IT managed services
For the overwhelming majority of COVID-inspired business IT transitions, cloud technology is foundational. It’s the impetus driving the digital transformation that many organizations only imagined happening in the future and the saving grace for small- to medium-sized businesses in just about every industry. On-premise servers are out. New processes and business applications are being integrated.
It’s a lot of change. It’s happening all at once. And it’s a lot to manage.
Which means many of these same businesses now find a need for an IT managed services provider to ensure the technology shifts are fully integrated, effectively utilized, and functioning securely—with an impressive ROI.
Proactive business IT strategy has become and will likely remain a big part of that service. Businesses are looking for more than password resets and system monitoring. As they’ve adapted to remote work and new methods of communicating with or serving customers, many have also found they need greater expertise in planning, budgeting, and integrating technology.
Business IT Services: For once-in-a-lifetime crises and day-to-day needs
Nobody’s signing up with an outsourced technology partner because they’re assuming another global pandemic is around the corner. Instead, the one we’re experiencing has shone a light on what it means to be technologically agile, resilient, and secure. If the pandemic-necessitated technology lift was a heavy one, businesses are much more enthusiastic about proactive management going forward.
No managed services provider can predict the future. The good ones are just insightful about integrating the technology that enables companies to meet it.
Find out more about what being an outsourced IT partner means to Resultant.
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