? EDITOR ’ S QUESTION //
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SMES ALSO NEED
TO ASSESS HOW THEIR MARKET HAS CHANGED DURING THE PANDEMIC , WHAT THEIR SHORT FALLINGS ARE AND WHAT WILL ADD THE MOST VALUE .
E very business is different , has different needs , customers and channels and depending on their size , location and budget they will have access to an entirely different set of technologies . It is important to assess the right technology fit for the way the business operates right now with a consideration of how things will change in the future .
SMEs also need to assess how their market has changed during the pandemic , what their short fallings are and what will add the most value . Every SME wants to digitise or automate their manual business processes and COVID-19 has certainly accelerated Digital Transformation across every business for the better .
Now that business is not being done face to face , with so many people working at home and travel restricted , online video collaboration and communications platforms are more important than ever . It is important to consider how employees and teams will continue to engage with each other to maintain productivity levels and to encourage creativity . It is also important to optimise external communications to stay connected to clients , partners and suppliers and ensure relationships are mutually beneficial .
Businesses that are looking at investing in a web meeting platform should ensure that it can work smoothly with their existing technology and help streamline their business processes , rather than disrupt them . It is best to choose a provider that is dedicated to understanding how the business works and can customise the solutions to fit their requirements with minimal to no disruptions .
Security is an essential consideration too because we have all heard about the cybersecurity breaches that have occurred due to some of the less-secure web meeting platforms being plagued by uninvited attendees or snoopers accessing the recording after the meeting .
The right security measures ensure legal compliance and the safety of a business ’ employees as well as its clients , so SMEs need to ensure that the web meeting platform does not require the download of an executable (. exe ) and is purely cloud-based .
More enhanced security features to look for include ISO 27001 accredited data centres , 256-bit encryption , data sovereignty , MiFID II compliant call recordings among other basic and advanced security features depending on the type of business .
It is now about prioritising the most critical areas for each business and selecting the technology investments that will have the biggest impact in getting each business ready for optimal growth in this new world .
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IT IS ALSO
IMPORTANT TO OPTIMISE EXTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS TO STAY CONNECTED TO CLIENTS , PARTNERS AND SUPPLIERS AND ENSURE RELATIONSHIPS ARE MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL .
TOBIAS RAPER – ASIA PACIFIC CEO AT BABL
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Intelligent SME . tech