The role of I.T. in driving business success is growing.
Technology is rewriting the rules of business, eliminating old business models and creating entirely new ones.
I.T. is enabling new ways of doing business, creating new value, changing the nature of customer service, and improving management decisions.
Business growth and success are being shaped by new and emerging technology, coupled with the ability of a business to quickly spot and capture new opportunities.
To stay ahead of ever-changing trends and disruptions, businesses must find ways of aligning I.T. strategy with long-term goals. They must be agile enough to adapt to new technological advancements and have the right support structure and systems to ensure success.
Here are five important I.T. strategies that your business can adopt in 2019 that will provide a foundation for future growth.
1. Data Protection Strategy
2018 was marked with a number of massive data breaches, including breaches of big tech players like Facebook and Google+.
2018 also saw the rollout of new legislation that had a worldwide impact: the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). GDPR is the first all-encompassing consumer data law of its kind and is predicted to pave the way for similar legislation in many countries.
These developments, coupled with increased consumer awareness regarding data protection, is forcing businesses of every size to take a hard look at their I.T. security solutions and develop data protection strategies to ensure that customer data is safe on their networks and servers.
The size of the business—and type(s) of data collected and stored—will determine the kind of strategy adopted. As the first step, a business needs to map its data to understand which data lies where.
Then put in place a robust plan that includes backup and recovery measures, real-time tracking of data movement, robust system security, data process policies, and even equipment lifecycle management strategies.
2. Cloud Computing
The adoption of cloud computing shows no signs of slowing down.
According to a study done by Forrester, “Predictions 2019: Cloud Computing,” the global cloud computing market will exceed $200 billion in 2019.
The benefits offered by the cloud are numerous. Cloud computing allows scalability, easy sharing of resources, increased storage capacity, easy access to applications, and enhanced security.
IBM predicts that in 2019, businesses will seek to move from infrastructure as a service solution to cloud data integration, open cloud technology, and hybrid multi-cloud architecture.
Given the growing importance of cloud computing, your business should develop a strategy that will assist in getting ready and migrating to the cloud.
3. Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics
Data and A.I. have become key components of forward-thinking business plans. The volume of data available is increasing exponentially, and the technology to harness and analyze the data is growing as well.
Smart use of data creates opportunities for businesses to increase performance, strategize, and gain competitive advantage.
A good data analytics strategy will enable your business to predict outcomes, identify improvement areas, and enhance customer experience.
Overall, it leads to better decision making as it gives a 360-degree view of the business, ensuring business strategies are based on past, recent, and predictive customer behavior.
The keys to successful utilization of data and A.I. is to determine which data is relevant to your business and how such data will be obtained, then create a data inventory, document data life cycles, and develop a decision-making matrix to help keep your planning consistent.
4. Digital Channels
Technology continues to disrupt traditional sales channels.
We are living at a time when every stage of the customer journey can happen with no human contact. Customers conduct research online, make online product and service comparisons, and buy online.
For your business to meet your customers’ needs, you need to create effective digital sales funnels and expand your digital reach. Digital channels have become important avenues for promoting products and services, generating sales, building brand awareness, and growing market share.
In 2019, it is important to gain an understanding of which digital channels will have the most impact in growing your revenue, then develop a strategy on how best to exploit the identified channels.
5. Online Marketing
As the era of traditional marketing draws to an end, your business needs to rethink its online marketing strategy.
Online marketing has created an opportunity to deliver personalized and relevant marketing to the customer. It enables your business to better understand and communicate with your customer, tailor your products and services to their needs, and manage the customer journey.
When developing your online marketing strategy, consider agile marketers are looking at every option available to them for spreading the word about their business.
Video content will continue to grow, thanks to platforms such as Facebook Live, YouTube, and Amazon Prime Video.
Use of video search, virtual voice bots, virtual and augmented reality, progressive web apps, accelerated mobile pages, chatbots, and messenger marketing will also see significant growth.
Getting the Strategy Right
I.T. is a constantly changing organism. Business leaders must monitor technology continuously and adapt accordingly to remain relevant.
The redefining of traditional business models necessitates the adoption and development of I.T. strategies that will enable you to thrive in the new age.
Unfortunately, many businesses struggle with identifying which I.T. strategies will work best for them, and how to go about implementing the changes they wish to make.
At JMARK, we work with businesses to assist them in identifying and developing best I.T. strategies and practices.
We help businesses analyze their I.T. needs in light of current landscapes, understand new trends, plan how to merge your in-house capabilities with our comprehensive services, and develop strategies that will enable your business to thrive in this age of disruption.
We have a strong track record of offering game-changing I.T. support services over the last three decades.
Call us at 844-44-JMARK or Contact Us for a free, in-depth discussion about how our I.T. services can assist you in getting your I.T. strategy right.
