Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs) currently drive innovative growth in different sectors. With technological advancements and changing business needs, many businesses pivot their core models in different directions to sustain their operations. As per statistics, there are 32.5 million small businesses in the United States, accounting for 99.9% of all companies.
With the ease of restrictions related to the pandemic and the world opening back to normal in 2022, SMBs expect to face different challenges and align their IT priorities accordingly. As a result, most business owners are keen on investing in IT advancements to set the right pace for the time ahead.
If you are also a part of the SMB ecosystem, you must know how to set or upgrade the IT setup you have in place as per the current trends. Let’s find out more about the key IT concerns and preferences for 2022 and beyond:
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Hybrid work environment
While the impact of the pandemic has gradually receded, the return-to-office plans are put on hold by businesses in different industries. The occurrence of different waves of this outbreak has made the old work mode increasingly distant.
Using modern technology, many SMBs like yours are planning to accommodate hybrid work capabilities, i.e., working from home and office per business requirements. A recent workforce report also says that the number of remote workers is expected to double the pre-pandemic mark by 2025.
Also Read: Remote Working is Here to Stay. Here’s How You Should Reshape Your Business
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Enhanced cybersecurity defenses
Cybersecurity threats are on the rise on a global scale and are targeting sensitive information related to both individuals and small businesses. This is why global spending against cyber threats crossed the mark of $1 trillion in 2021 (Source).
Regardless of how impactful your current cyber defenses are, you need to upgrade them to the latest advancements. It is because cybercriminals are evolving their tactics, which requires you to stay one step ahead of them. For further improvement in your cyber security standards, you can plan to invest in endpoint protection, multi-factor authentication, and managed security services.
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Adoption of cloud technology
Statistical projections reveal that the global cloud computing market is expected to reach US$791.48 billion in 2028.
At the core of the digital transformation of SMBs lies the power of cloud technology. Most businesses want to free themselves from the upfront investments required in the on-premise IT setup, which is also difficult to scale and more prone to security issues.
With the help of cloud technology in different deployment models, you can benefit from maximizing the growth potential of your business. You can choose from the following cloud deployment models for your business:
- Software as a Service (SaaS)
- Platform as a Service (PaaS)
- Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
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Extraction of data-driven business insights
These days, the power of data has grown exponentially in different spheres of business. The best part is that access to business-related data can help make wise business decisions for long-term growth. To extract insights from raw data, you can either use data analytics software or hire a professional having expertise in data analysis.
Depending on your chosen solution, you can unify multiple data sources to obtain actionable insights for decision-making processes. For example, you can expand or drop certain product lines in different geographical regions based on their popularity and usage amongst the targeted audience.
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Strategic recruitment for tech roles
The world is witnessing accelerated voluntary staff turnover, also known as the Great Resignation. Amidst such a scenario, losing the best tech talent from your organization will be no less than a sudden shock. Besides this, the time it would take to fill the vacant role again would hamper the operations in terms of productivity.
This is why the tech talent hiring in SMBs has shifted towards building a pipeline of potential candidates. When faced with tech role resignations, your organization can benefit from already-assessed candidates in the pipeline with reduced time-to-hire.
Your IT priorities in 2022 and beyond should be a core business objective. Some of the critical aspects, like cybersecurity, hybrid work environment, and others cannot be overlooked in the current competitive landscape. You can also benefit from hiring a capable managed IT service provider to take care of the implementation and management of new technologies in your organization.
