The COVID era will be a wakeup call for many organisations to start thinking about their digital transformation, if they have not already started doing so. But what is digital transformation? Put simply, it is the harnessing of modern technology and digital services, to further enhance business processes, culture, and flexibility. Digital transformation is designed to ensure a business can keep up with changing market conditions and channels of demand.

Digital transformation gives a great level of flexibility within any business, as it allows staff to utilise cloud-based services and online portals, as opposed to doing everything over the phone or via pen and paper. The most valuable thing to consider for any business when considering digital transformation is the extent to which you will invest in cloud infrastructure. 

In a survey carried out by Cloud Industry Forum, more than 80% of respondents believed that it was either critical or very important to be using cloud services to support their digital transformation. It goes without saying that the more you utilise cloud infrastructure, the more flexible you will be in times like these. Up to 93% of businesses already use cloud services to some degree, so it would only make sense to dive further into what is possible with other, more enterprise-level cloud solutions, such as:

• Microsoft 365 – A great cloud-based service for additional security on data, documents, and users, where businesses can benefit from being able to collaborate real-time on projects. Senior team members are also able to implement administrative controls, and chat with fellow staff members using the built-in Microsoft Teams service.

• Microsoft Azure – Businesses can turn to this cloud service for multiple purposes. Azure is a fully equipped digital deployment platform, where virtual desktops can be implemented and managed securely, and applications can be tailored and developed around a business’ requirements. Azure is great for any digital transformation, as there are endless ways for you to bring your physical infrastructure into the cloud network it offers.

• Acronis – When planning your digital transformation, having a backup solution always helps as you are moving paperless essentially. Acronis allows businesses to sync files in the cloud, and teams can track live changes to any files. With Acronis, data can be logged, tracked, and restored at any time using file syncing.

Being able to use these kinds of applications to your advantage will put you steps ahead of your competition – the problem is that a lot of businesses struggle to get the support they require in order to tailor these cloud services, so that they are built around their business. 

This issue arises due to pre-existing road blocks such as skills shortages, not having the budget to scale up cloud solutions if it were necessary, or simply not having the support from their current vendor, that is if they already have one. Some businesses decide that digital transformation is necessary, and they can often dismiss the flexibility and reliability available from using cloud solutions. As a result of this, they don’t end up reaching out to a vendor or an expert. 

This often leads to the issue where a business is willing to undergo digital transformation, but they are unable to leverage the best aspects, as they do not know how to best use the resources available to them.

Around 56% of respondents in the survey mentioned above stated that they were actively looking for strong and trusting relationships with vendors/suppliers. What’s more is that 51% of these businesses stated they were seeking the deep technical know-how, i.e. the skills and expertise required to get the most out of their digital transformation.

That is where we come in – If you are looking to invest in digital transformation, it is vital that you seek support from a trusted vendor. We can offer cloud solutions such as Microsoft 365 and Azure, to support your business’ productivity and profitability. 

Our goal has always been to help businesses small or large make the most out of cloud solutions when undergoing digital transformation, to ensure that security, back-up, collaboration, and scalability are all factored into the process.