3 IT strategies CIO’s should adopt in 2021

As we rush through the final few weeks of 2020, we’ve been looking back over the fundamental changes of this unusual year and what that could mean for the year ahead.

Technology has never been so important, and we’ve been witnessing better collaboration between IT departments and the wider business. IT budgets for next year may not be set in stone for some, and there is still a lot of uncertainty around what’s to come – but some form of fluid forecasting should still be in place.

We discuss the top 3 IT strategies that you can implement.

Artificial Intelligence

The IT landscape is constantly shifting, so it’s important to stay current and adopt new technologies that progress your business but also help create an agile and productive workforce. We’ve seen COVID-19 accelerate many digital transformation projects to increase capabilities. Aside from the usual transformation projects, if you’re looking to enhance your customer service or efficiency within your workplace, consider investing in AI. Research has shown a direct correlation between AI adoption and greater business outcomes for employees and customers. But how can you get started?

Customer experience 

Customer service via chatbots is seen to be the leading application of AI being deployed today. By 2022, it will carry on being the leading use of AI for customer service. Chatbots are a means for supporting employees, rather than acting as a replacement for humans. The idea around the implementation is to create value in saving businesses costs while allowing customers to resolve their issues within their own time. This also aids employees in the sense that both employees and chatbots can simultaneously handle requests – resulting in a more proactive approach to customer service.

Employee efficiency 

AI technology can play a huge part in ongoing training and enhanced learning experiences for newer hires. Taking engineering giant Honeywell as an example, the company developed tools which use augmented (AR) and virtual reality (VR) with AI. These innovative tools capture the experience of work to extract “lessons”, used to train new employees.

Whilst engineers carry out their daily tasks, AR headsets can be worn to record the engineer whilst image recognition technology is in use. The idea around this being implemented is for new employees to gain a better understanding of the role by experiencing the role first-hand through VR.

With AL continuously progressing, both in adoption and market size, it’s worth looking into how AI can fit into your business.

Sourcing external talent 

Earlier this year we covered the IT skills shortage, how it’s come about and how it can be solved. Gaps in capabilities and expertise can easily hold a business back from achieving further success; therefore, having a skills strategy should be a priority.

The major gap in skills is driving the adoption of managed services. The use of managed services is allowing businesses to gain more value from their internal IT team, whilst leveraging skills and expertise from their partner to help with strained capabilities.

Enhancing security measures 

Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses have been the victim of various cyber-attacks. As a result, decision-makers are realising that tighter security measures will be essential for the new year. Wondering how to spend your cyber security budget for 2021? We’ve got you covered.

Businesses should look to research into network security and identity and access management as part of their IT strategy. These various security measures will ensure layers of defences are in place as well as protect access to sensitive corporate data.

Hackers don’t seem to take time off, so with 4 out of 10 businesses having already experienced a security breach, there are growing concerns over businesses continuing to be targets in the upcoming year. This stresses the importance of Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR). With cybercrimes on the rise, it’s essential to be proactive, not reactive. Not only will EDR focus on prevention, but the solution will detect and analyse threats to eradicate them in the event of a breach.

For businesses who lack skills within the cyber security space, we recommend looking into a >Managed Cyber Security provider. By doing so, businesses can gain full-time access to an experienced team of security-focused experts and consultants to protect them from cyber threats. Whilst managing your security, a Managed Cyber Security Provider can also recommend various upgrades and technologies for robust security.

Looking for advice on how to plan your IT strategies for the upcoming year? Reach out to our team of experts for a cost-effective, efficient and secure solution. Alternatively, reach us at +44 (0)207 605 7890 or email us at hello@oryxalign.com.