We are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel as many non-essential services start to reopen in the UK, indicating a sense of normalcy will soon resume
However, with that said, the long-term implications from the last few months are only just beginning to show. Businesses have experienced substantial financial losses and will be looking to reduce their overheads wherever possible while having no negative impact on employee efficiency. As a result, outgoing expenses will be under particular scrutiny; for example, marketing and travel budget cuts over the coming months. IT expenses are no different, and businesses will be searching for new processes that are cost-effective to aid the much-needed recovery.
Looking to the Cloud for a solution
As a method to optimise IT expenses, businesses should be favouring the Cloud over physical infrastructures to stay connected and remain innovative in these times of uncertainty. Not only is Cloud technology well-suited for such a crisis that disrupted so many routine business processes, for example, allowing Cloud-based workplaces to carry on relatively undisturbed, but offers a cost-effective alternative. After all, why purchase IT infrastructure, platform features, applications, security and access solutions, as well as end-user devices, when you can have this as a service at a lower cost and with complete flexibility about actual usage?
Furthermore, now that working-from-home is a more plausible long-term future alternative, workforces will need quick and easy access to the same solutions and applications they had when working in the office, individually. With a solution that offers a personal desktop in the Cloud and can be accessed from anywhere, immediately and using a HTML5-capable browser, workforces can continue as normal.
Favouring Cloud Everything as a Service (XaaS)
CIOs will be looking to implement strategies that can cut costs while having no negative impact on employee efficiency to ensure business continuity as standard. Specific Cloud solutions offer the ability for businesses to transform digitally and become more agile. However, selecting the “right” Cloud solution to suit your organisation can be overwhelming.
Businesses can now look to Everything-as-a-Service (XaaS) Cloud solutions that offer all necessary components as an instantly available service to provide applications and data easily, quickly and securely. XaaS will help businesses to steer their way towards competitive advantage while citing reduction and avoidance of costs as the key benefits of adopting XaaS. According to Deloitte, companies that use three-quarters of corporate IT as a service save an average of 67% of their operating costs, along with the added benefits of efficiency increasing by making systems and applications available faster.
Avoid security compromises to cut costs
While the future remains uncertain, businesses must look to adapt. As part of the UK workforce returns to the office and some are still working from home, businesses need a secure and cost-effective solution that caters to both scenarios.
It is no secret that the global pandemic has created a gateway for new forms of data theft due to poor technological infrastructure and inadequate cyber and data security software. As a result, working from home remains a problem for many businesses attempting to tackle malicious hackers. And as the home slash office working spilt becomes the new norm, keeping the entire business protected from external cyber threats raises further concern for companies looking to stay safe while cutting IT expenses.
With the recent hysteria and targeted home working breaches, readily available Cloud solutions can offer instant protection. This is through providing a solution that does not require client-to-site VPN connections and the platform thus closes known gateway gates ad hoc, so that there is simply no point of attack for hackers. Streaming via a browser means that no end device can infect an application server because direct communication between the user and the target system is non-existent. This means, no matter if your workforce is entirely home-based, office-based or split between the two, reliable protection can be achieved through the Cloud.
No-one expected to see a crisis of this scale in our lifetime. Yet, businesses are resilient and have proven themselves to be so. As a way to decrease collateral and prepare for any future disruptions, CTO’s are re-evaluating current IT expenses. The Cloud offers a cost-effective alternative to hardware infrastructure, and by opting for a XaaS solution, all applications can be readily available to the entire workforce. The recent events have forced businesses to transform digitally and become more agile so that they can remain innovative and productive. The next step is to maximise IT budgets without compromising on security, and the Cloud is the place to start.
About the Author
Dominik Birgelen, CEO and Co-Founder of oneclick AG. oneclick AG with headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, and an innovation motor in Prien am Chiemsee, Germany, is specialized in the development and operation of a cloud platform for the automated deployment of digital workspaces.
Featured image: ©Dmtry
