How the pandemic has accelerated SME digitalisation

Covid-19 challenged businesses like never before, with resilience, adaptability and quick-thinking all attributes that have been vital the past twelve months.

It also placed the issue of digitalisation firmly back in the spotlight, with companies needing to leverage technology far more than they may have previously done.

 

The competitive advantage of digitalisation

Lockdown called for businesses to switch to remote working at speed, with the capabilities of their existing IT infrastructure being tested to the limit.

Those businesses who were ahead of the curve and had already invested in digitalisation – such as moving to the cloud and facilitating remote working – had an instant advantage. And we know from conversations with the SMEs we work with that many of these businesses went on to pick up work from their competitors as a result.

In contrast, those businesses who had yet to take action in this space faced a steep learning curve and a rush to find a temporary solution that would see them through the pandemic and allow them to continue delivering their services.

“Thanks to our long-standing adoption of cutting-edge technology, we were able to react quickly during lockdown – unlike many others within our sector.” (Rowan Caffull, COO, 36 Group).

 

Recognising the potential of technology

With signs that life may finally be getting back to ‘normal’ many businesses are once again thinking about their IT systems and what they’re going to do for the long term. For example, in relation to remote working and flexible working practices, which a majority of employees are very keen to retain. Also, how to ‘future-proof’ themselves against the possibility of an issue of this nature happening again.

We recently spoke to four SME businesses from very different sectors, to find out more about what the impact of the pandemic has been for them and how it may have changed their thinking. One notable theme coming out of those conversations was growing recognition for the potential of digitalisation and how technology might best be leveraged.

“One of the biggest lessons we’ve learnt is that we could be utilising technology and the capabilities of our systems, a lot more.  We had never used online collaboration tools before. Connecting in this way has the potential to help us save time and money.” (Tim Andrews, Chairman, Hollywood Monster)

You can read their comments and experiences in full here: ‘SMEs: The Post Covid-19 World of Work’

 

Going digital

While digitalisation presents many new opportunities and efficiencies for businesses, it also opens the door to different risks and threats. Understanding how best to implement such systems and managing the potential security risks is key to making a successful transition. And it’s our pleasure at Dragon IS to be supporting our customers to do just that.

So, whether your business is an early adopter of technology, or currently rooted in old-school systems, processes and behaviours, the future of business is digital and it’s time to embrace it.

 

Need IT support for your business?

At Dragon IS, we have been supporting SME businesses for more than a decade, providing cost effective, outsourced IT services. Technology is our passion and we’re proud to work with businesses across the region, to enhance their performance through specialist IT consultancy and support.

For more information email lionel@dragon-is.com