EXPERT SPEAK
INNOVATION IN THE CHANNEL WILL BE THE WATCHWORD FOR 2022
The hybrid workforce the IT industry has become accustomed to requires innovation and collaboration to achieve Business Continuity . Digital Transformation initiatives that encourage resilience are replacing traditional IT narratives . Ricardo Diniz , GM & VP of UKI and Southern Europe , WSO2 , explores how companies must start to strategically plan their IT investment to ensure that they keep pace with changing customer behaviour and nurture broader customer outreach .
Uncertainty was a key theme in 2021 . As the year progressed and we encountered new virus variants and their implications , governments around the world-imposed restrictions on movement and travel , as well as preventative measures , to keep us safe . Every one of us is now accustomed to a new way of working , whether completely remotely or as a hybrid workforce dividing our time between office and home . To support this shift , Digital Transformation initiatives have accelerated far beyond what any enterprise could have anticipated .
Technology budgets grew by stealth
Although the pandemic had a significant impact on many industries , some more severely than others , we continued to see growth in technology budgets , particularly as organisations and their partners sought to adapt to new remote / hybrid work practices and streamline and optimise their businesses . This was intriguing because one of the common IT narratives in recent years has been how the IT budget has been dwindling , particularly in the public sector , so it was encouraging to see that as
Ricardo Diniz , GM & VP of UKI and Southern Europe , WSO2 organisations looked to digitise all or parts of their business , investment in IT was prioritised .
As we move into 2022 and the workplace continues to shift , requiring collaboration among remote workers and office workers and the wider business ecosystem , Digital Transformation initiatives will continue to accelerate across every organisation . This means that IT teams and partners must continually manoeuvre to keep pace , no one can afford to stand still .
Changing customer behaviours
Additionally , customer expectations have shifted , and spending habits are moving away from in-person activities to online . This puts further pressure on organisations to ensure their technology infrastructure is resilient and able to scale accordingly . Likewise , consumers have now come to expect an always-on experience and have moved into instant gratification mode as a result . This means that IT must continue to improve in terms of maturing and investing in key capabilities in order to maintain relevance in the organisation and ensure the business maintains a competitive edge .
Therefore , as digitisation drives change , the need to deliver innovation and efficiency gains will continue to accelerate in 2022 . Indeed , this is the largest growth opportunity in 2022 , according to Jay
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