EVERYTHING CHANGES BUT YOU. WHAT'S NEW. THE DIGITAL UPDATE. 2022
Kevin Milne
“Life moves pretty fast. You don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
Everything changes but you...
A familiar song by the great TAKE THAT.
But in terms of Digital Transformation, Everything Changes and YOU.
In the ever-changing world of Digital Transformation and Technology, change is constant and below I give you some of the changes we are seeing and hearing about for 2022.
I hope you enjoy reading the below. It's important if you are in IT and involved in keeping your business and your people up to date, secure and flourishing in this fast-paced environment of change and transformation.
CYBER SECURITY.
The 2022 cybersecurity landscape can be traced back to the pandemic. Organisations, almost overnight, had to start working remotely. This meant delivering a massive digital transition in a matter of weeks.
This led to many cybercriminal gangs pivoting away from targeting individuals to go after larger organisations.
Partnering with the right people and organisations can give you the edge against any cyber attacks and threats that criminals are trying to leverage.
Cybercrime to cost the world USD 10.5 trillion annually by 2025.*
We work with the leaders in this space.
WE HAVE ATTAINED OUR CYBER ESSENTIALS ACCREDITATION. 16 MONTHS OF HARD YARDS BY THE IT TEAM AND PARTNERS.
We are guiding and supporting organisations through this challenge weekly.
FORTINET - Physical firewalls, antivirus software, intrusion prevention and endpoint security. A 3 billion dollar revenue company from the US.
BARRACUDA - Email protection, Office 365 integration, Ransomware protection. A 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant entrant for Network Firewalls.
MIMECAST - Email protection & compromise, Supply Chain Protection. Cloud-based email management, security, archiving, and continuity services.
Link to some GOVT stats - 2022 cyber security incentives & regulation
MICROSOFT 365 LICENSING.
At XERETEC we are leveraging the cost of 365 licensing increase to get our customers the best deal on the market against price hikes and unused licenses that have been unused through the pandemic across furloughed staff and incumbent and operational business changes.
The price hike comes into full force in MARCH this year and it looks like it will hike the price of many of its enterprise Office 365 and Microsoft 365 subscriptions. (Consumer and education subscription prices aren’t changing — for now.)
In short: a 25% increase in the per-seat price of Office 365 at the E1 support level and a 20% increase in Microsoft 365 Business Basic, with smaller increases in other subscription levels.
It's a spend more to save more conundrum.
We don't agree. Do more with less.
Enterprise CIOs need to pay attention to these increases right now.
You have the time to get this right for your organisation, but now is the time.
They talk about extra applications for the increase, but like anything, it has to be fit for purpose and for your business. Not just give you more apps you dont use. If you want advice and more guidance on this. JUST ASK.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE (AUG'21) - MICROSOFT PRICE HIKE
More to follow on this later this week.
UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS (UCaaS).
In November 2017, BT Openreach announced their timescales to switch off analogue and ISDN lines in 2025, affecting PSTN-based services and some broadband services.
What services will be affected?
If your organisation is using analogue phone lines, ISDN, or broadband services running over analogue lines, at the end of December 2025 these will be switched off and become end of life.
These include:
How to prepare for the ISDN/PSTN switch-off
If you're still in contract with a line that is coming to end of life, like ISDN and PSTN, you need to start looking at your current technology ecosystem and get prepared following the tips below:
The answer:
Look for a cloud telephony partner that can show you the way towards cloud enablement and unified communications across your core channels of interface and connectivity. This will become even more vital in 2022 and beyond as we see more use of hybrid and remote workforces being deployed across locations and offices, with home working a NEW option.
We listened to this market closely last year and found the leaders in this space that are delivering world-class solutions to this hybrid-connected world. Simplicity, Objectives, and Outcomes matched our internal choices.
8x8 - The Gartner Magic Quadrant Leader for 10 years running in UCaaS.
Check the report - Gartner Magic Quadrant - UCaaS
ROBOTIC PROCESS AUTOMATION (RPA).
领英推荐
This has been a hot topic for a few years now.
Before the pandemic, it was small talk in a wider sense, but again with the new world of hybrid, flexible, remote, and restructuring of staff and priorities, the increase in discussion and proof of concept has moved front and centre.
At a high level.
ROBOTS are not here to replace HUMANS, they are hear to increase your staff productivity in areas that will in turn increase customers satisfaction, retention and service. They will become upskilled on new opportunities within the organisation.
Look around your business and your people and ask them questions about automation and these tasks that you see, hear and breathe every day.
This is a supporting mechanism that integrates with your people, culture, process, and business. Financially the ROI is undeniable.
We are partnering with some of the best in RPA across the UK and world.
UiPath - A deeper look into the software robots and insights.
CLOUD PRINTING SERVICES (CPS)
For years, we have been a Premier Partner for Xerox Multi-functional devices and software solutions that accommodate your MFD fleet and control what you print, who prints, secure it, scan it, share it.
The rise of cloud printing is nothing new, but in this arena of sustainability, we, like others have taken advantage of the CLOUD technology available to us and our customers to give them options and outcomes as to how they see, retrieve, share and capture documents, outside of traditional print and collect.
In short, print anytime, anywhere, without the actual need for hard copy or physical devices.
Printing software is stored virtually in the cloud. This means you don’t have to install the printer software on your device in order to print. It’s also updated automatically, which allows you to avoid another pesky update notification and delays in your workday.?
QUESTIONS TO ASK IF IT FOR YOUR BUSINESS.
By having a SaaS (software as a service) company manage your printing, you can save money and avoid the hassle. Inventory space dedicated to ink, toner, and cartridges can also be freed. Financial firms, law offices, accountancy firms, hospitals, schools, and any office that has heavy printing needs can benefit.?
Luckily as this is our market, we have this capability from our external partners who can leverage your printing costs, mitigate your infrastructure threat, migrate, modernize and manage your fleet in the cloud.
EVERYONE PRINT - Simple, Scalable, Secure Cloud Print.
Any device, to any network, is managed from the cloud. Flexible platform, scalable for enterprise, secure for government.
DaaS - DEVICE as a SERVICE
More and more the costs of having assets on desks or in any supply chain purchasing decision are being quashed by the rise of 'As a Service'.
As purchasing habits shift over time, new trends emerge in how people prefer to pay for products. In line with this change, we've introduced?DaaS by Xeretec - a revolutionary way to purchase?your IT. Based on the 'as-a-service' model of buying services,?instead of buying a device for the office (such as a desktop computer or tablet) and managing it yourself, Xeretec?will source, support, and manage all of your devices for you.
DaaS?empowers your workforce with the latest technology and security without upfront capital outlay or the burden of IT management. Powerful analytics also help you gain insight into usage patterns and make efficiency and productivity gains.
WHY DO YOU NEED DaaS?
The profile of your workforce is changing
Workers expect the latest and greatest technology from employers.?Refresh aging hardware at more regular intervals?with DaaS.
You need to migrate to Windows 11
Microsoft announced that they are ending free support for Win 7.?DaaS gives you?access to the latest Windows 11 devices today.
You need to improve network security
The most up-to-date hardware and software ensure greater levels of security. Increase security with more frequent refresh rates with Device as a Service
You need to focus on ROI across your IT fleet
DaaS is ultimately cheaper than buying devices upfront – with the added benefit of unique fleet analytics that can help drive cost efficiencies even further.
Watch further to see the benefits - DaaS - Device as a Service
WHAT ABOUT THE BENEFITS?
Whether you're a start-up or a large corporate, DaaS delivers a whole host of business benefits, including:
A superior end-user technology experience, allowing you?to?attract and retain top talent.
Easy and ongoing access to the latest Win 10 ready technology with regular hardware refresh cycles.
Effective management of your technology with automated, pro-active hardware and software analytics.
Peace of mind that your data and devices are secure
Cash efficiencies with no initial capital outlay
We are using our commercial leverage as a business to give our customers and prospects the best kit, the most reliable service, and aftercare, all managed in controlled and OPEX costs that can be agile, scalable, and fit for purpose.
We partner with HP , DELL , and also APPLE to give you and your team the products you need, the service you require at the costs that fits the budget.
Finally, The ENERGY price increase across homes and businesses is going to be bad enough for everyone. 54% increase is absurd and unlawful IMHO, if you can do one thing right, then make sure your IT stack and deployment is 'FIT FOR PURPOSE' and has the 'OBJECTIVES' of the company and the employees in mind.
Future proof your business and the business employees you look after.
If you want to discuss any of the above, I am here 24/7 365 (within reason).
Hopefully, this article has given you some food for thought on what can be achieved, what others are doing, and whom we are leaning into as a business navigating this tricky but opportunist landscape that is
DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION 2022. CHANGE IS HERE.
Thanks
Kev
Public Sector Scotland Helping companies identify the right technologies to benefit their business. Specialising in Cloud Telephony, Email Security, Process Automation, Laptops, Licensing and IT Support
2 年Nice overview of what we are about. Sharing information the first step to getting every business up to a great level of tech. That allows them to be more productive.
Senior Procurement Specialist
2 年I must confess to not knowing much about how my laptop and the day to day processes work beyond just switching it on. I might start thinking more about the technology now - interesting read!