Hello and welcome to our blog. This is where we post our news and views, and where we share the articles we think you should be reading. Our goal is to make your life a bit easier by giving you a one-stop shop for all the news you need to read. We explore topics such as the latest Microsoft updates, industry and economic drivers, cyber security trends, and the potential impact of innovations in areas like artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things.
Digital transformation – it’s no longer optional
Is it just me or have we all been talking about ‘embracing the cloud’ and becoming ‘digital businesses’ for years now? The good news is that we’ve reached the point where all the theory is becoming reality. The technology available to businesses now is better than we could have imagined just ten years ago. And it’s allowing everyone to become more agile, flexible and competitive than ever before.
We’re seeing the effects of this transformation in South Africa too. In spite of poor economic conditions, the market for enterprise software continues to grow:
According to Gartner, IT spending in South Africa is expected to reach $26.6 Billion in 2016 – that’s an increase of 5.1% from 2015.
And, according to the IDC, in 2016 South African organisations will invest more in digital transformation initiatives to streamline costs and improve flexibility.
There are five trends in particular that we believe make exploring the world of digital business a vital exercise. We regularly discuss and share content on these areas on this blog:
Finding new ways to increase efficiencies
Increased efficiency is arguably the biggest benefit of digital transformation. Automation simplifies and accelerates repetitive tasks such as document generation, manufacturing, product testing, customer care, marketing campaigns, sales reporting and more.
These savings have a direct effect on the bottom line, and can be “make or break” for a business with ambitious growth plans.
Taking collaboration to the next level
The plethora of document collaboration and instant messaging solutions on the market are testament to the allure of live collaboration. It makes a lot of sense in word where many of us suffer email overload.
Microsoft’s in-document collaboration features and its acquisition of Skype show that the ability for a team to quickly collaborate on project in real-time is vital – no matter where or how far apart these team members are.
Connecting with customers
The rise of the search engine, and the resulting avalanche of marketing and business development content available on the web, means that customers are better informed than ever. They may even know more about your (and your competitors’) solutions than your own sales team does. This, combined with the power of a social media complaint, puts customers firmly in control.
To thrive in this world, businesses must put their customers first. They must listen to them, give them the information they’re looking for, when they want it. And they must be agile enough to respond to and meet customer needs quickly and appropriately.
Harnessing big data
Big data is slowly shifting from a complicated theory into a practical reality. Gartner predicts that 90% of large companies will have a Chief Data Officer by 2019.
Unfortunately, while the benefits of being able to interpret and use big data are huge, getting projects up and running is still easier said than done.
A safer way to do business
Innovative and secure cloud solutions are helping organisations ensure that their data is always available and protected.
Ever-increasing industry and compliance demands mean that businesses are looking for flexible, affordable data and device management, backup and disaster recovery solutions.
This blog is where we share the latest thought leadership on these and other topics. I sincerely hope that you find practical value in the content we share here, as well as in our quarterly eZine and Thought Leadership Breakfast events.
If you are a client and have relevant content that you would like us to share on your behalf, please let our Marketing team know by contacting Jolene de Lange at jolened@firsttechnology.co.za.
Kind Regards
Johan de Villiers Managing Director