When it comes to integrated business technology, putting all your eggs in one basket is still the best bet.

Innovation and change is the new normal

Technology has transformed our world, and new innovations appear at breakneck speed. Given the dizzying speed of change under the influence of COVID-19, it is easy to become overwhelmed, focus exclusively on what comes next and forego the need to be intentional in assembling a made-for-purpose technology stack for your business.

The rising costs of business technology

While we’re still waiting to see the 2020 numbers, IT spending in South Africa totalled about R303.46 billion in 2019, a 3.9% increase from 2018, according to Gartner, Inc.

Software spending in South Africa will reach R32 billion in 2019, an 11.4% increase from 2018. Cloud computing is a new reality in South Africa. South African organisations are consuming significant amounts of cloud services, including software as a service, platform as a service and infrastructure as a service. CIOs in South Africa have started adopting cloud-first strategies. – John-David Lovelock, research VP at Gartner.

The major cause of these rising costs?

Disjointed and mismatched technology systems that each come with their own maintenance and service requirements, as well as a resulting budget line.

Integration is key

Consolidating current technology options under a single, integrated service is a logical step towards optimising your systems and driving down costs.

Understandably, the emergence of the coronavirus has dramatically accelerated the process of integrating business tech, as industries around the globe race to get online as fast as they can. But as many observers have noted, the state of business technology under COVID-19 is more like triage — a form of crisis management — and not at all like skillfully managed integrated technology.

Three types of technology integration

The question is no longer whether you need technology for your business to succeed, but instead how to integrate your technology solutions so your business can reach its goals. Infoprotect is your complete business technology partner, providing custom, integrated solutions that solve any business’ specific technological needs. They take complete responsibility in guiding companies through all the available options, providing them with custom-designed solutions that will actually enable their success while delivering an ongoing service in maintenance and upkeep, for example:

1. Integration with other technologies in your business. Making sure all the in-house systems are 100% compatible, and fully optimised to work seamlessly together.

2. Integration with the business processes itself. The technology should become an integral part of how the business functions – as accessible as all the other business tools.

3. Integration with the greater industry. This allows your business to play well with others and contributes greatly towards making your brand the preferred option for suppliers, partners and third-party service providers.

The direct benefits for your business

The direct benefits from a purposefully integrated technology stack include increase in production, lowered costs and ultimately a healthy, sustainably growing business. For Nando’s, a major South African based international restaurant franchise, ICT downtime equates to a loss of business and negative customer experiences. Infoprotect’s Cradlepoint solution helped ensure secure failover capability for all Nando’s restaurant communications. In the words of Stephen Brookstein,

Nando’s head of technology:

Nando’s is 30 years young, and facing the same challenges as all businesses in the local market, stability is the key to offering customers a better experience, and this requires an integration of technology.

Partner with the best

Don’t let mismatched legacy systems compromise your productivity and rob your business from its profitability. Invite Infoprotect to assess your current unique technology needs and design a custom, integrated solution for your business.

Infoprotect – your integrated, full-service technology partner.