How essential has technology been to you and your business?

As a Managed Services Provider, we have been able to see first-hand just how the pandemic has affected businesses and the way they operate. Many of our clients have taken this pandemic as a time to modernise their company and use technology to help ease the impacts that have come from Covid-19.

A survey was conducted within the Total IT company in order to find out the technological trends noticed during this pandemic and understanding just how important technology is for contemporary businesses.
 
What have been the most valuable technologies for businesses during the pandemic and has there been any trends? 

• Microsoft Teams – When looking at our clients we have seen a rise in the deployment of Microsoft Teams throughout this pandemic.

As the pandemic began, we have all been advised to work from home where we can, the majority of businesses have had to adapt to having employees working both in office and remotely, with this can create difficulty with keeping your team connected.
Microsoft Teams has most definitely helped ease communication, from having a morning meeting, a coffee break to sharing files with each other, Microsoft Teams has played a massive part in helping companies stay connected with each other.

• VPN’s – The growth in the use of VPN’s has also been evident from our clients during lockdown. Where remote working has become the norm, unfortunately, cybercrime has increased, thus forcing businesses to have an increased awareness on implementing important and correct IT security practices.

VPN’s have been an extremely significant part of keeping our clients’ data safe and making sure that they are secure whether at home or in the office.
 
Most common challenges clients have faced during lockdown? 

We embrace a challenge here at Total IT, our IT experts have noticed a few common challenges with technology during the pandemic. For example:

• Accessing files – With disappointing predictability we have seen an increase in issues with retrieving files, with employees running hybrid work lifestyles, implementing cloud services e.g. Microsoft 365 – including OneDrive and SharePoint have evidently become a saviour for file storage and access during the challenging times we have been facing.
• Phone Systems – We have witnessed a rise in businesses needing to change their phone systems, thus allowing for an easier process of forwarding calls to work mobiles whilst people work remotely. Whether it be contacting colleagues or consumers, having a reliable and straightforward operating phone system is crucial for the running’s of everyday functions within companies.

 
What are company’s primary IT considerations whilst emerging from lockdown and do you think technology will be vital as the lockdown eases? 

• When talking about businesses and their primary IT considerations whilst emerging from this pandemic, it has been evident to our team of IT professionals that the ease of accessing systems from the office and remotely is extremely valuable for a lot of companies right now. As we see can see that the modern workplace has completely transformed from what it used to be, companies need assurance that their security, accessibility, and data storage systems will not be compromised because of this.

 
So how will businesses thrive in a post-pandemic future?  
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• Our IT specialists believe technology will continue to be crucial as lockdown begins to ease. Flexibility to work from home and the office will remain important for businesses, as a study from the ‘Future Forum Research’ shows that 72% of workers want to keep a hybrid remote-office work model going forward. This being said, IT security practices will also remain essential for employers to acknowledge, as cyber criminals are more inclined to try their luck with those who are working from home and potentially vulnerable.

 
Total IT welcomes the easing of the lockdown and are here for you and all of your business’s IT needs. Keeping your company up to date with advanced technology and security practices during unknown times is our number 1 priority.
 
Please share with us your experiences and thoughts on how technology has had an effect on you and your business?

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