Business Technology Insights

This year has seen huge changes in where, when and how employees work. Working remotely is now widespread across Canada, and many companies aim to keep it that way.

In fact, a study from Regus Canada back in 2017 found that nearly half (47 percent) of all Canadian employees work from outside one of their employer’s main offices for half the week or more. With remote work only growing in popularity in 2020, it’s likely that figure is significantly higher today. 

Most businesses in Ontario have been disrupted in some fashion by the current lockdown, whether forced to quickly adapt to remote working or putting a pause on operations altogether, or even having to rapidly scale because of escalating demand.

Small and medium-sized businesses in today’s market operate in a highly competitive world. To ensure they delight their customers and offer a superior experience over their competitors, efficiency is key.

Security for small to medium-sized businesses has always been an incredibly important way to protect brand reputation and profits. In the past this security was physical and included locking doors, installing CCTV cameras and hiring security guards - now, however, it’s virtual and an important part of any company’s IT strategy.

According to a report, titled ‘Global Cybersecurity Market - Forecasts from 2019 to 2024’, The global cybersecurity market is expected to achieve a market size of US$244.4 billion in 2024 - up from US$132.8 billion in 2018.

This booming cybersecurity market is a fantastic sign that small and medium-sized businesses are taking the issue seriously.

As a small to medium-sized business, the investment you make into your IT infrastructure could be the difference between the successful operation of your business and struggling to compete with the competition.

According to IDG’s 2018 State of Digital Business Transformation, 55 percent of small businesses have already adopted a digital business strategy compared to 38 percent of traditional enterprises.

The good news? If you are part of that group of small firms which are revisiting their technology strategies and investing in new IT solutions to transition to a digital business solution, then you are perfectly set up for future growth.

Every small to medium-sized business (SMB) is started by a fantastic idea. Whether it’s targeting a gap in the market, the creation of a brand new product or the launch of a new service, to succeed in this highly competitive world your organization must have a unique selling point that makes you stand out over others within your industry.

However, that alone isn’t enough. Every great idea must be backed up by an experienced outsourced chief technical officer (CTO) that can implement the technology that aligns with your internal objectives, meets the expectations of customers and allows you to plan for the future.