EDITOR’S QUESTION
BRIAN TIMPERLEY, MANAGING
DIRECTOR AND CO-FOUNDER
OF TURRITO NETWORKS
F
or businesses of all sizes and
across sectors, it is imperative
to begin to implement the
technology changes that will enable
remote working sooner rather than
later. While it may be viewed in some
corners as a millennial-driven trend, the
global shift to enabling remote working
processes is a necessary response to a
business environment that demands
speed, agility and efficiency. Those
businesses that cannot keep up in
this environment – due to outdated
technology, archaic company culture or
staid leadership – will undoubtedly be
left behind.
Now is certainly the time to embrace
a technology-enabled, remote working
approach – with seamless customer
service always top of mind!
When looking to promote and support
certain remote working processes,
the key technology platform is cloud
computing. By moving business
systems, software and processes to
the cloud – and away from locally
hosted environments (on-site servers
and exchanges) SMEs in particular will
automatically be enabling themselves
to succeed in the remote and digitally
driven modern workplace. With cloud-
based platforms in place, SMEs can
achieve a new level of responsiveness
and agility, as employees will be able
to safely access key data anytime, and
from anywhere.
Let’s take email, for example, which is
the lifeblood of today’s SMEs. Without
properly functioning email access, any
small business will be brought to its knees.
For SMEs looking to support a host
of remote working capabilities, they
www.intelligentcio.com
“Those businesses
that cannot keep up
in this environment
– due to outdated
technology, archaic
company culture or
staid leadership –
will undoubtedly be
left behind.”
must immediately consider their email
solution. So, do they choose a cloud-
based product, or rather to ‘insource’
email and go with an on-site mail
exchange service?
From an agility and remote working
point of view, the cloud-based option
is a no-brainer. The leading cloud
solutions are Microsoft Office 365,
which has a dedicated SME bundle
offering, and Google Enterprise. By
adopting the cloud option, SMEs can
rest assured that their email will always
be up and running, and employees will
have simple, secure and easy access
from anywhere – as long as they have
Internet connectivity.
Efficient cost structures
Without doubt, there are also
significant cost savings for SMEs
that wholeheartedly embrace cloud
services. With most of today’s cloud
computing platforms and services, there
are neither expensive licensing costs
to deal with nor long term contracts,
which allows each business to scale
up or down according to their current
needs. This can free up operating capital
to spend on new mobile devices and
mobile connectivity that promotes and
supports the shift to remote working.
Always-on, customer
first approach
In today’s hyper-connected, disruptive
and incredibly fast-paced work
environment, reliability and customer
service is key. Customers expect to be
able to get in touch with businesses
quickly and easily, and get a response
within minutes. To enable this efficiency,
SMEs must ensure that their systems are
constantly up and running – and their
employees are plugged in around the
clock. This type of responsiveness can
arguably be best achieved with cloud-
based systems in place, simply because
cloud platforms allow for instantaneous
action on the go. Employees can, for
example, sign and send important
documents from their parked vehicle or
coffee shop, instead of waiting to get
back to the office. Using cloud-based
email and software, there is almost no
downtime or lag in communications –
which positions SMEs as quick, agile and
highly responsive.
As SMEs consider the various technology
tools at their disposal, it is important
to note that tools are only one aspect
of a successful shift to remote working.
Leaders must ensure that there are
strong KPIs and clear policies in place,
and that employees are still part of a
collaborative and supportive company
culture. Today’s high performing
technology can only be fully harnessed
by businesses that embrace the
principles of collaborative, disciplined
and self-driven work – that always puts
the customer first.
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