How businesses can ensure success in the post-pandemic world

businesses success in the post-pandemic world

By Tarek Meliti, CEO at TDM Group   

A year ago, the business world faced a huge wave of uncertainty when Covid-19 came crashing down: budgets reduced, companies faced difficulties, and people were losing their jobs. Doubt was everywhere and nobody could predict how long it would last, what this could lead to, and when things could go back to normal. 

As a Managed Service Provider (MSP), the past year and a half can be summed up by two words: uncertainty and turmoil. Overnight, businesses were confronted with seismic changes in operations and the technology required to support businesses and drive digital transformation. Consequently, the managed services model has become more hands-on in terms of business strategy amid the Covid-19 pandemic, creating new opportunities for TDM Group.   

Technology has to be at the core of business strategy 

From the outset, MSPs assume the role of an outsourced third-party company, responsible for the day-to-day management services to its customers. In terms of IT, this includes networks, applications, infrastructure, and cybersecurity, via ongoing support and active administration on customers’ premises, external data centres (hosting), or in the public cloud.    

TDM Group considers itself an IT partner that offers the complete package: a balanced mix of technical know-how and business acumen. We recognise that there’s much more to managing IT and digital transformation than just technology. That’s why we look at how to add to our tried-and-tested, traditional model to offer a comprehensive strategy that aligns IT requirements with the business strategy. In practice, this means that potential vulnerabilities and weaknesses within an organisation can be easily identified in terms of people, process and data – not just technology.   

Don’t fall behind from a security and a business standpoint

Businesses can be slow in adopting new technologies – especially SMEs, which typically have limited IT resources. Some businesses are guilty of holding onto old ways of working, meaning they have a reluctance to change and an unwillingness to take the tech leap – putting themselves at risk from a security standpoint. Companies need to ensure networks are safe, encrypted and protected and they put the necessary measure in place which can detect potential security risks before they become a threat to the organisation – especially in this new hybrid working world.   

However, for organisations considering an upgrade, the cost involved to implement technology and train staff to use it correctly can be hard to justify – especially for SME owners.   

By not placing technology at their core, companies are failing to support and cultivate themselves and drive digital transformation. Technology alone doesn’t guarantee success; therefore, it is essential to set clear goals and ensure the tools are being utilised in the correct manner to attain financial stability and scalability, resulting in continual business evolution. 

By failing to utilise technology, businesses are not implementing the correct strategies and ensuring investment is put in the right places. In these challenging times, that’s more important than ever. Technology provides business leaders with the power to improve the overall business function like never before.  

It goes without saying that the traditional M-BiTS model serves a useful purpose, offering a proven track record that allows SMEs that lack the right in-house capabilities to re-build and re-bound from the pandemic, drive greater efficiencies and create new competitive advantages.  

Technology is the best investment for your business to face the post-pandemic world  

Companies, regardless of their size, have been hit with swift technological changes as they scramble to transform operations and look for new ways of navigating a rapidly changing way of working.     

The pandemic has rapidly increased the level of adoption of digital technologies by several years, reinforcing the need to rethink the role of technology in their overall business strategy. A key take-away from the pandemic is that technology must have a seat at the table when it comes to driving delivery and business strategy. Businesses that refuse to place technology at the core will sooner or later fall behind the competition.  

Investments in technology that are aligned with the business strategy are significantly more likely to support a successful transformation than those that have been undertaken in silos. To achieve their ambitions, it’s critical that businesses truly recognise what it really means to differentiate from competitors when it comes to technology, capabilities, talent, leadership, and resources to attain better economic outcomes.   

About the Author

Tarek

As co-founder and CEO of TDM Group – a global Managed Business IT Service provider – Tarek is passionate about helping companies recognise technology’s potential to drive their business forward by looking beyond the IT department.

Over a period spanning three decades, Tarek has gathered a wealth of technical experience and developed a strong business acumen working with partners of all sizes within the IT industry. This diverse skill set has enabled him to establish a unique strategy for achieving innovation and success, called M-BiTS: Managed Business IT Service – a holistic approach to managing IT and implementing innovative change that’s shifting the model towards a more business-focused mindset, by considering the impact technology has on the entire organisation.

His personal experience of working within the sector and growing TDM Group as a business, has led to a firm belief that people are an organisation’s most important asset. M-BiTS considers the interactions of people with the other key elements of successful innovation: data, process, technology. This business-focused mindset recognises that each element is underpinned by people, and a good relationship must be maintained between them to harness the power of technology to act as a business enabler. 

The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of The World Financial Review.