The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant economic impact on companies all across the world. While the process of recovery is still on, CIOs & IT Leaders are looking to ramp up their digital business strategy and accelerate digital transformation. So, what are the best ways for leaders to manage this impact and make the most of the near future? Let’s learn the 4 important trends for CIOs in 2021 and beyond:
1. Managed Services Providers will boom, can accelerate the process, and help make lives easier
Businesses can tackle the complicated obstacles of a new digital environment with the support of the right Managed Services Provider. They can provide the skills to assist organizations to meet future expectations with confidence, from managing complicated infrastructure to providing round-the-clock monitoring, and even meeting stringent SLAs.
So let us talk about some of the advantages of working with an MSP:
- Skills and knowledge
While the existing IT team is capable of handling everyday tasks, MSPs bring in a team that is constantly updated and evolving to keep up with the changing IT landscape, as well as adopting cutting-edge technologies to speed up digital transformation.
- CAPEX to OPEX
The CAPEX model demands you to maintain and invest in your IT infrastructure regularly, which might create TCO fluctuations. The right MSP can successfully transition you to an OPEX model in which you not only use the cloud for your IT infrastructure but also receive 24×7 monitoring and management while lowering your costs.
- Business Continuity
In business continuity planning, an MSP can be a valuable ally. Because IT systems are so important to most corporate tasks, you’ll need a plan in place to respond quickly if one goes down. The right MSP can assist you in designing a robust IT infrastructure and have the experience and practices necessary to keep your systems operational. The MSP can also supply the technical tools needed to keep communications open and allow for flexible work schedules.
2. 90% of large organizations will be adopting RPA by 2022
By 2022, Gartner predicts that 90% of large organizations around the world will have implemented RPA in some form, as they seek to digitally empower critical business processes through resilience and scalability while recalibrating human labour and manual effort.
RPA is critical for process automation because of the following reasons:
- RPA bots can be trained to perform non-intelligent and repetitive activities faster and more precisely than humans.
- Become more change-resistant– Organizations must become more agile and adaptable in coping with change in order to recover from the disruption created by COVID-19. The ability to overcome current and future obstacles require resilience and adaptation. RPA enables businesses to accelerate operations while lowering costs, ensuring that they are prepared to deal with upheaval and change.
- Increase the value of big data – Many companies create so much information that necessitates them to have a system to segregate and extract useful data. With this data, there are several opportunities to gain insights and boost efficiencies. RPA excels at parsing large datasets, both structured and unstructured, and helps businesses in making sense of the data they collect.
- Allow employees to focus on more strategic duties– Repetitive and tiresome jobs can stifle employees’ productivity, diverting their attention away from more important activities. Employees will have more time on their hands with RPA benefits, allowing them to fulfil those other jobs. As a result of having more free time and being free of those monotonous activities, your staff will be able to devote more time to strategic work.
3. Cloud – The pillar for digital transformation in 2021
The trend for cloud-based solutions has been progressively expanding over the last two to three years. While more established firms have identified the need to embark on a series of minor projects or a broader overarching journey to digitally change their operations, some smaller organizations and start-ups began with a digital-first strategy and have only ever operated on a cloud-first basis.
Now let us look into some of the advantages of incorporating cloud into your business: –
- Cost-effectiveness
A major benefit of Cloud Computing is the reduction in IT operations costs. Remote servers eliminate the need for in-house storage and application needs, as well as costs associated with software updates, management, and data storage. Cloud-based services are also far less expensive to use because they are often provided on a pay-per-use basis, allowing businesses to rent only what they require while still ensuring a return on investment. The advantages of cloud computing are being recognized by many small and medium-sized organizations with restricted finances.
- Flexibility
Companies that invest in cloud-based services benefit from a high level of flexibility. Remote cloud servers provide nearly limitless bandwidth and storage capacity, allowing organizations to scale up and down their capabilities in real-time to support growth and cope with increased website traffic. This eliminates the requirement for on-site equipment & upgrades to be purchased and installed.
- Collaborative Workforce
Collaboration is a breeze thanks to cloud computing. Using a cloud-based platform, team members may see and exchange data quickly and securely. Some cloud-based systems even offer collaborative social areas to link employees from throughout your organization, boosting interest and engagement.
4. DR and Security Services will be more in demand
In most businesses, disaster recovery does not receive the attention it needs until it is too late. Many companies realized their existing disaster recovery procedures were inadequate as a result of the global pandemic, prompting them to adjust. In 2021, disaster recovery will change as more organizations recognize the value of disaster recovery as a service. DRaaS allows organizations to maintain business continuity in the event of a disaster caused by human mistakes, natural disasters, or forces beyond our control. In such cases, the backup site, which is located in different geolocation, is rapidly activated to guarantee that losses are minimal and functions return to normal.
Security services provided by MSPs are also gaining importance because of the total shift to a more digital era. So, businesses need to make sure that their operations are not threatened by potential security risks. For eg: – Small enterprises were the target of 71% of ransomware attacks in 2018, with an average ransom demand of $116,000 per incident. Smaller firms are more likely to pay a ransom since their data is frequently not backed up and they need to be back up and operating as quickly as possible.
Therefore, it is quickly becoming the preferred security model for small and medium-sized enterprises due to its numerous advantages such as:
- Perimeter Control
Firewalls and intrusion detection systems make up perimeter management, which is another remote service. This module also safeguards the procedures of installation, upgrade, and maintenance. This service comprises managing configuration settings for hardware and software to ensure maximum security and functionality.
- Risk Evaluation
Risk evaluation provides a comprehensive picture of a company’s risk posture in terms of important assets and systems, procedures, rules, and controls. It also aids in the assessment and mitigation of risks when sharing information, particularly with third-party vendors; and the identification and mitigation of developing threats so that new technology may be integrated to safeguard the risks.
- Remote Monitoring
Continual practice of tracking important systems and behaviors of a company’s IT infrastructure is known as remote monitoring. This constant attention aids in determining whether the systems are performing at their best and that all business-critical operations are running smoothly. More importantly, it aids in the detection of threats and anomalies by focusing on troublesome patterns, allowing the impact of downtime to be reduced.
- Endpoint Security
Endpoint protection maintains the security of all access points on a company’s network. Given that today’s organizations are increasingly adopting Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies that allow workers to work from any location at any time. This Managed Service ensures that the organization’s network remains consistent regardless of how its employees work.
- Remote Compliance Monitoring
Remote compliance monitoring ensures that corporate processes function efficiently and without regulatory snags. This form of Managed Service can help management make the vital connection between strong compliance processes and concrete company benefits by measuring and monitoring governance, risk, and compliance, resulting in increased revenue, brand protection, client acquisition and retention, increased profitability/lower expenses, greater labour performance, and asset protection.
- Testing for Vulnerabilities and Penetration
Vulnerability testing refers to a proactive strategy to finding flaws in systems. It includes both simulated hacking attacks and software scanning, allowing for fast remediation of vulnerabilities. A network-wide security evaluation is not usually included in the testing procedure, however, most attention is paid to the perimeter and the gaps that hackers may exploit to gain access to systems without sufficient authorization.
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Progression is a globally awarded Managed Cloud, IT Infrastructure Provider, and Digital Transformation Partner to large and mid-market companies. Progression has been at the forefront of technology, delivering outstanding IT infrastructure services to its clients.
Progression delivers end-to-end Managed Cloud for mission critical applications such as SAP S/4 HANA & SAP ECC, Microsoft Dynamics (AX and NAV), Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) and Remote Infrastructure Monitoring & Management (RIMM). This is delivered through TIER 3+ Public Data Centers spread across India, including Progression’s own Data Centre and NOC at Gurgaon, India
In addition, Progression works with mid-market, large enterprise clients for their on-premise critical IT Infrastructure and services such as Managed File Transfer and Robotic Process Automation. Progression designs, delivers, implements and manages clients’ Enterprise IT Infrastructure.
