The effects of the coronavirus pandemic have been many, and there is not a person, a business or an industry which has not felt the repercussions. From lockdowns to distancing – not to mention the inevitable scams which have arisen – we have all navigating an entirely new world for the last 6 months.
For businesses dealing with closed doors, slower revenues and personnel safety concerns, the challenges often hit the pocketbook. Business owners are forced to find new sources of revenue and find themselves scrambling to find new ways to collaborate. But as is often the case, hard times force us to consider a change in the way we do things, and these adjustments and changes can turn out to be beneficial in the long term.
For many of those working in small business, the budget is always tight. A shutdown and subsequent slowing of business is tough to overcome. Still, innovators are finding new ways to operate that are helping their bottom line – and adopting new procedures that are likely to outlast the pandemic.
Remote Workforce: The idea of letting people work from home is certainly more mainstream than it used to be, but for those who preferred to keep “eyes on” their employees, the sudden shift was unsettling. Still, as business owners have seen productivity maintained at high levels and employee morale high, they find themselves considering making flex-time a standard way of doing business. After all, they can pay for less brick-and-mortar real estate. An added benefit to adopting a remote/flex workforce? It is a strong advantage when you need to hire top talent – not only as a benefit for them, but because you can hire from any market, not just locally.
Outsourcing IT Infrastructure: Because so many businesses were forced into a new structure nearly overnight, many reached out for help to managed services providers. MSPs were able to provide consulting, advice and help with implementation as local networks needed to become remote. What many businesses learned was that these MSPs had the latest technologies, a deep knowledge base, and the necessary skills to guide them through the crisis. Going forward, being able to share equipment, technology and infrastructure is likely to save companies thousands of dollars per year, and free up their IT departments to handle the everyday aspects of their job. In fact, many organizations learned that in some cases, the MSP could save them enough on overhead and inventory to justify a long-term relationship.
Enhanced Security: When Sarasota businesses suddenly had to work from home, they were forced to examine their security protocols – managing access to their network and data from devices outside the four walls of their business. From securing passwords to installing VPNs and multi-level security, organizations shored up their security measures, making the company more secure in the long run. Those who turned to MSPs also learned of the economies of scale of software updates and licenses, as well as the benefit of having a trained team of experts looking our for cyber criminals looking to exploit the situation. As a cyber or ransomware attack can often cripple a small business financially, these measures are sure to protect the economic well-being of the company over the long term.
Are you looking for ways to tighten your belt and maximize your profits in the wake of COVID-19? Call Alliance IT today. We can help you to streamline your business, increase your productivity, optimize your new business model, and protect your bottom line.
