Did your IT Strategy cope with Covid-19?

In January we reinforced the necessity to have an IT Strategy in place and recent events have demonstrated just how vital this is.  

No one could have predicted the global crisis that we find ourselves in. There is an argument for suggesting that not every IT Strategy would have had sufficient detail within it to deal with our current business dilemmas. However, it is fair to say that those businesses with an up-to-date strategy will have fared much better over recent weeks. 

Not every business will have had to include homeworking within their IT Strategy if that has never been part of their business model. So, they’d be forgiven for not having the necessary kit, processes and procedures in place to quickly change locations. But, if computers and servers have been regularly replaced before their warranties expire, updates performed as they’re provided and backup systems maintained, change will have proved easier.  

Delays in getting hold of new IT equipment were unprecedented when China went into Lockdown. Those businesses that had planned for kit changes well in advance would have been less likely to feel the impact of these delays. Conversely, companies suddenly trying to acquire the best kit for the job at short notice will have struggled. At Net Primates we had many requests for emergency IT kit and were only able to supply around 10% of the requests. 

Ease and efficiency during good times and bad is one advantage of having a current IT Strategy. Another is better security. And when moving IT equipment from the workplace to a home environment, thorough security practices are paramount. Businesses with up-to-date equipment and procedures will face far less risk of attack from the hackers who are all too aware of the gaps in security that homeworking can leave. 

Cashflow is on the minds of most businesspeople at the moment and IT Strategy also impacts here. Those who have an IT Strategy in place will be finding cash management easier than those that haven’t. By including IT purchases in annual budgets, unexpected IT expenditure will have been far less when the Covid-19 pandemic hit. As an example, the ideal IT strategy will lay out exactly when kit needs to be replaced. Staggering purchases every three months can be scheduled if several new pieces of kit are needed around the same time. Budgets can then be set annually, and cashflow managed more effectively. 

Do you have your IT Strategy in place? If not, it’s never too late to put one in place, and it’s not nearly as difficult or time-consuming as you may think. Just one hour is sufficient. Liaise with Net Primates and we’ll run through everything that’s needed and assist you in developing an IT strategy that will help to future-proof your business, no matter what is thrown at it… 

CALL 02381 800 800 or visit www.netprimates.com/contact