Digitisation – How Outsourcing Is Helping SMEs To Keep Up
The Covid-19 pandemic has led to many shifts in modern society. One key area of change has been the exponential aacceleration of business digitisation. Before Covid-19, the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) was still on the fringes, with many businesses taking only tentative steps towards accommodating technological acceleration and AI advancement. Then, suddenly, large and small businesses alike were required to speed up their digitisation.
Those companies that were best able to take their operations online – from effective remote working solutions for employees, to well-defined communication strategies with clients and consumers – have not only managed to stay afloat in these trying times, but are even flourishing. This is particularly true in Auckland, New Zealand’s technological hub, which brings in more than 50% of the nation’s technological sector GDP revenue.
However, keeping up with such acceleration has proven difficult for many companies, and particularly for SMEs that may not have the funds to completely overhaul their operations. Many SMEs are also not necessarily headed by technologically savvy individuals, or may not have a dedicated IT department aimed at navigating things like IT procurement, cloud-based computing, or designing customer-friendly interfaces. In order to bridge the gap between what such companies currently offer and where they need to be in order to remain competitive in a digitised environment, many SMEs are opting to outsource their IT operations to relevant companies. Indeed, there is a burgeoning industry of companies offering IT support in Auckland specifically aimed at assisting businesses with the most menial to most complex tasks associated with digitisation.
From basic support and maintenance to offering cloud-based solutions and managing complex operations, SMEs are better able to take advantage of the 4IR through outsourcing their IT needs while still keeping their outlays low.