However, it is a two-way street and IT service providers will also have to become increasingly adaptable and flexible. Whilst no one wants to compromise on service delivery, IT service providers must evolve to ensure they stay competitive whilst also shaping to the new norm.
Throughout the service delivery lifecycle of hardware and software solution delivery, implementation, training and support, IT service providers must find the right balance between traditional on-site services and remote offerings that underpin their efforts.
This, combined with the right industry partners throughout the ICT channel, will go a long way in enabling IT service providers to offer almost-zero interruption in services to their customers despite ongoing and unprecedented challenges.
A recent 2020 Remote Work-From-Home Cybersecurity Report by Pulse Secure highlights that almost 80% of IT decision makers will in the foreseeable future enforce the same level of data management for on-premise and remote users.
This means that data management companies will have to provide similar services to customers irrespective of whether they are working from home (WFH) or at the office. Comparably, data management companies must be able to provide these services from their offices, home or remote locations.
It certainly makes for an interesting change of pace and requires increased flexibility to adapt to these new and somewhat unique customer environments. The key here is to have the right set of tools in place to enable data management teams to deliver services seamlessly.
Another important issue is time management and ensuring that your various teams are working in alignment to the perimeters of what now constitutes normal working or business hours. Here, adaptability will again come into play as technical teams, in particular, will have to spread the load amongst members, delivering support at all hours.
Agility is a game changer, no doubt. Providing your customers with the best advice on how to adapt to an ever-changing environment while at the same time providing them with uninterrupted services are critical.
As a data management service provider, you must be willing to learn, adapt and manage these new timeframes and environments and also make the most of available time – when it does arise - for example to upskill staff.
Training is more than ever vital in ensuring that your customers can be productive, whether working on-site or at home. As a data management company your role is to ensure that your customers are truly up-to-speed and productive within these new norms and systems.
Open communication and close partnership will lead to successful operations while business is fortified with the necessary mechanisms in place to allow for WFH and remote operations for some time to come.
Ultimately, IT service providers must weather the storm to provide their customers with a safe voyage. It’s a tall task that requires companies to conduct business in an agile and flexible way – evolving while still providing near zero interruption.
