Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, in which the way of working has changed worldwide, bringing mainly the hybrid modality, mMany companies are still developing the new work environment, evaluating acquired technology and trying to find ways to expand infrastructure capacity. This concentrates the focus of IT departments and brings the challenge of reviewing all technological support for the business.
A recent survey carried out by FindUP, a company specializing in Field Service and IT support in general, concluded that, in specifically 252 Brazilian companies, the search for maintenance of equipment such as computers, notebooks and operation infrastructure has increased by 142% since 2020. banking sector led the ranking of the sectors that most sought this type of service, followed by the retail sector. But the third place went to the technology area.
One of the biggest concerns of IT teams is to provide continuous support for hybrid work, along with a collaborative platform equipped with protection tools, aiming at agility and adaptation to the constantly changing market. Research points to an increased focus on security management and improvements in systems operations and performance. The goal is usually to ensure that all employees of a company have equal access and experience with the tools, regardless of where they work.
Trends are toward increased physical device repairs, efforts to modernize infrastructure, increased security management, and constant innovation. While in 2020, the year the pandemic began, IT was focused on surviving amid the pressure of remote work, after reformulating strategies to accommodate the new model, 2022 moved forward with flexible strategies and workplace policies. The same survey cited above found that in the last two years, 60% of the services provided by technology professionals to banks began to be done remotely.
Many leaders already see the benefits of remote work in terms of experience and productivity, and therefore have increased their IT budget to modernize and protect it, as security has also become a major concern, especially with major risks such as attacks of ransomware, insider threats, API/software breaches and vulnerabilities, Phishing and cloud-related attacks. This is supported by another recent survey by F-Secure, which shows security and privacy as the top concerns for remote employees. According to the data, answered by more than seven thousand workers around the world, 67% of them who work remotely, are concerned about security and privacy online. While only 58% of internal employees reported their concerns.
When adapting the IT infrastructure for hybrid work, some solutions may no longer meet the needs of the company, so it is important to consolidate costs by identifying solutions to replace the current ones that are consuming a disproportionate amount of time and unnecessary budget of the IT department. For example, many employees need access to documents, structured data, frameworks accessed and created by others, and tools that allow them to collaborate from wherever they are. In this sense, digital tools and automated processes will work better. Furthermore, by creating a hybrid culture across the company, other partner departments such as HR, finance and legal can share best practices.
It is very important that in the hybrid work model, collaboration between IT teams and other lines of business is strengthened, to invest in digital collaboration tools, including cloud-based training materials, for example with HR. Or ensuring efforts to monitor employee productivity, in partnership with the legal department and compliance with company policies and procedures.
As with any change of this magnitude, normalizing hybrid work requires a committed commitment.continuous effort and a lot of willingness to face the challenges that arise throughout the process, making the IT sectors in a moment of great evidence. According to Gartner Peer Insights research, along with cybersecurity and digital enablement, hybrid working will be a top priority for leaders in 2023.
To view the full survey, click below:
2022 CIO Priorities | CIO Dive
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