Many small and medium companies (SMBs) have accelerated investment in new technology since the pandemic, we have seen a significant increase in the number of devices distributed to end users. We have been able to measure the SMBs’ activation rates, based on their purchase and usage of new devices. Even pre-COVID, technology was already a major focus for SMBs. The Flexera State of the Cloud Report states that the SMBs are ramping up investment in the cloud which goes beyond procuring devices such as laptops, desktops, and mobile phones for their workforce to include deploying cloud storage, servers, networking equipment, security, software, and services.
With the hybrid work model here to stay, the focus is now shifting towards transforming businesses using technology – digital transformation – and away from simply buying hardware for employees working at home. With this level of granularity, what might the next technology option be for SMBs?
Creating the ecosystem we want to see in the world
Without team collaboration, organizations won’t be successful. Deloitte described the collaboration as effective communication, the ability to identify and then run with new ideas, and effectiveness as a team. Even before COVID, these qualities were essential. With distributed workforces now more common, they hold more importance than ever. We’ve all learned to use our own devices in new ways during the pandemic, and we don’t expect to change those habits now. What will change are “device ecosystems” – the monitors and accessories that cluster around our tablets or PCs. This includes input and power devices, smart cameras, audio systems, as well as specialist applications, new cloud-based software to enhance collaboration and the sharing of information, with the added benefit of security.
Beyond a refresh: taking a level in sophistication
Many technology upgrades inspired by COVID-19 involved device replacement. A very small SMBs upgraded to a new device for the first time in many years. Larger SMBs had to provide their employees with work computers for their homes and had to improve their networks and security. This mass refresh signalled the start of a more sophisticated and measured approach to technology for many SMBs. When forced into upgrading, many discovered that technology and access to it had moved on from where they thought it was. They found themselves re-evaluating the importance of services to their businesses.
Before COVID, many companies only used break-fix type services. Now, services that add value can make significant differences in business efficiencies and opportunities, because new technology is more accessible. With the right investment in services, companies can help ensure they have the resources and support they need to expand while conserving resources to hire new talent and work efficiently with existing talent. Businesses can call upon the services they need to scale alongside them, freeing up time and people to focus on other tasks that move the company forward. We’ve continued to develop our portfolio of IT services for SMBs, to cover everything from the remote set-up of standard operating environments network-managed services, to software development support, and security solutions. One example of an SMB using a tailored package is a private DNA sequencing company. They are a high-technology company with specific demands around security, the timely sharing of sensitive data, and large processing power needs. Because of the sensitive and confidential nature of the data that they manage, we have built for them private cloud services that sit within the public cloud, so that they can control and manage the data they host there. And we have also built ID management and authority control for them, so that they can assign different access levels to different employees.
Investing in new technology for the future
Each SMB is different, operating in a different industry and market. There are certainly risks in falling behind in technology, but the risk increases when businesses don’t invest in new systems and services. Companies are three times more likely now than before the pandemic to report that at least 80% of their customer interactions are digital in nature, with Asia Pacific showing the greatest acceleration in digital interactions. The world is changing, and the way people do business is changing even faster. The business technology landscape is also transforming. SMBs may well be able to continue in business with secure, basic IT devices but will risk being left behind by their competitors that embrace the digital hybrid world. To keep up with the changes, it is important for SMBs to utilize the right technology to gain a competitive advantage and meet their customers’ evolving needs.
(The author is Mr. Ashish Sikka, Director of Commercial 4P Strategy, Lenovo India and the views expressed in this article are his own)
