Monthly Archives: December 2020

Technology Planning and Budgeting for 2021

There’s no doubt, 2020 has been a period of massive change. The pandemic has forced businesses to change the way they do business–for example, more staff are working remotely than ever before. Read on to learn more about what to consider when planning your technology budget for the new year.

 

Consider Business Objectives First

In 2021, according to a CompTIA report, business technology spending is expected to grow by 4.2% in 2021 reaching over 5 trillion for the first time. Cloud is expected to be significant, showing up again as a trend after being out of the spotlight in 2020. Companies are expected to use the cloud as well as emerging technologies in the coming year to drive digital transformation, support work-from-anywhere requirements and improve communications and collaboration between employees, customers and the supply chain. Technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) are expected to be embedded in business applications–for example, improving inventory control or for data processing operations.

 

When considering your tech spending, consider how technology can help reach business goals. Are you expecting remote work to continue, or even to hire more remote workers? Perhaps consider allocating more of your budget to cybersecurity and skills training. One thing to consider is the strength of your network, and whether you need more bandwidth or to focus on network security. 

 

Cybersecurity Still a Constant

With remote work now common, the security perimeter has changed. Instead of being in the office, it is now wherever anyone is accessing the network. A new paradigm has emerged wherein access to networks needs to be more specific, and where threats are possible within the perimeter. More resources may need to go to keeping data secure, including training employees to do so. What’s more, regulation of the tech industry will be in the spotlight, with enforcement of regulations for handling user data. Whatever your business prioritizes, flexibility and resilience–the ability to build an adaptable architecture and to withstand disruptions from many directions–will be necessary in digital transformation.

 

While 2020 has brought about many changes, it has also brought opportunities to move forward in using technology for business advantage. For help in charting your company’s technology course, contact us today.

Work Anywhere Securely with the Cloud

With remote work a fixture in our economy, technology has risen to meet the challenge. From virtual desktops to unified communications, it is easy to work anywhere.  Read on to learn how technology based in the Cloud can keep your business robust in 2021 and beyond.

 

Stay Connected with Unified Communications

Unified Communications as a Service (UcaaS) provides phone, chat, text, email, web conferencing and more as an integrated solution available in the Cloud. Voice over IP (VoIP) and other Cloud technologies remove the dependency of on-premise hardware and the need for expensive phone and conferencing equipment. This lets you route calls efficiently to communicate in real time all over the world. 

 

Work Securely with DeskTop as a Service

Adopting Desktop as a Service (DaaS) means you can work anywhere, get customer information instantly and securely from home or all over the world. With Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) or Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI), your access is more secure because all systems and applications are managed virtually with a defined level of security that can be centrally managed from a remote location. Since the data is in the Cloud, it doesn’t reside on individual devices, thereby increasing security. Individual users still need to practice effective password management as well as best practices in security policy. With Desktop as a Service (DaaS), the Cloud provider manages and operates the infrastructure, including security. 

 

Work Anywhere with Software as a Service

Software as a Service (SaaS), also based in the Cloud, supports a wide variety of applications, including business applications like CRM, accounting, human resources and more. With the ability to access your applications anywhere from any device (including desktop, laptop, tablet or mobile) you always have information and applications at your fingertips whether you are at home or abroad.

 

Benefits of the Cloud

What all these technologies have in common is the Cloud; expandable computing power available as service. Cloud computing makes it possible to access applications and data with just an Internet connection. The infrastructure resides with the Cloud service provider instead of on-premises, converting a capital expense to an operating expense and saving money. Cloud’s flexibility and scalability allows a company to provision more or less computing resources, according to demand. Private and public Cloud environments are available for differing business needs.   

 

Technologies used in on-site and remote work will continue to be in high demand. To learn how you can take advantage of the benefits of the Cloud and its applications, contact us today.