In 2023, there’s a clear need for modern businesses, regardless of their sector or scope of operations, to adopt agile methods of working. Business agility should be one of the core priorities for senior managers and leaders and it should be embedded in the ethos of any organization.
Put simply, business agility is the term used to describe qualities that an organization possesses that allows it to respond quickly to changes in consumer behavior, the market conditions in which it operates, and production methodologies. An agile business is one that both embraces change and adapts quickly to new circumstances or opportunities in the marketplace.
The modern commerce and consumer markets are now far different to what they were previously. Economic factors that occur in foreign countries can now affect organizations that are based elsewhere, due to the interlinking effects of a truly global economy.
For example, the ongoing war in Ukraine is affecting many other western countries by increasing energy costs and the prices of some staple goods such as wheat. In addition, global stock markets experience fluctuations, which has ramifications for businesses around the world.
In short, the need for businesses to become agile and respond quickly to changing circumstances has never been more pressing. Thankfully, by using software intelligently, businesses can gain the tools they need to respond to new challenges and opportunities and react quickly.
In this article, some key examples of how software can play an integral role in supporting business agility will be explored in detail.
Licensing Considerations
As a business moves more applications to cloud-based servers and relies on increasingly sophisticated software in its daily operations, there’s a need to manage software licenses more effectively. Multiple licensing agreements can make it challenging for a business to understand the ongoing costs and to ensure that it’s receiving the best value for the applications it uses.
Thankfully, many specialist IT companies work with businesses to ensure that they’re paying the lowest prices for their multiple software licenses
. In addition, they can advise on the applications and software packages that a business currently uses.
This helps a business to receive assurance that they’re using the most suitable software solutions for the changing needs of their organization and allows them to adapt to changes in technology and working methods.
Cloud-Based Applications
In 2020, the world began to see the emergence of the first global pandemic since the Spanish flu outbreak of 1918. With this pandemic came the need to introduce remote and hybrid models of work for millions of employees worldwide to keep the population socially distanced and slow the spread of the virus.
Companies needed to react quickly to this global challenge and technology was an integral part of the solution that allowed business continuity to be maintained.
As millions of workers were required to work from home (many of whom were doing this for the first time in their career), there was a requirement to be able to access corporate systems from private internet connections. Intranets and local networks clearly couldn’t enable effective remote working methods, so cloud-based technologies and software solutions were adopted and deployed rapidly.
By moving key software and applications to the cloud, workers could log onto vital corporate systems with their own internet connection and a work laptop.
Cloud-based systems needed to benefit from online security features such as encryption and complex password protection to ensure that cyber security considerations could remain a priority.
Today, the most severe effects and restrictions that occurred at the height of the pandemic have largely subsided in most countries. However, the value of cloud-based software and applications is now well understood by all businesses.
They can be integral parts of the IT infrastructure of any modern organization that wishes to encourage agile methods of working and support a remote or hybrid-based workforce.
Virtual Private Network (VPN) solutions
Today, many businesses don’t require their workforce to be based in one physical location such as a centralized office building. Companies are increasingly using a geographically dispersed workforce and relying more on freelance roles to undertake specific tasks and projects.
This change in working methods has created a workplace that is now decentralized and may involve working from public spaces as well as from private locations.
With this change has come the need to remain secure online when accessing corporate systems from a public area. Put simply, public Wi-Fi access (such as that available in hotels, shopping centers, cafes, and libraries) is often over unsecured networks that can be easily infiltrated by cybercriminals.
There’s a significant need for businesses to ensure that workers who access corporate systems from public locations do so safely and securely to minimize the risk of data breaches.
The most effective way to assure online safety is to use a VPN on company laptops and smart devices. By using this software whilst accessing unsecured Wi-Fi networks, data is encrypted, and the client’s IP address is protected.
This ensures that data and sensitive information can’t be intercepted and read while it’s being sent and received online. Here are some of the best VPNs that are available for business use in 2023.
Business Intelligence (BI) platforms
As a final key example, BI platforms play a vital role in any company that seeks to promote agile methodologies. BI platforms such as Microsoft Power BI allow firms to make data-driven decisions that are based on real world corporate information.
By taking multiple sources of high-volume data and combining it in a BI platform, a business can make sense of the changing business environment and changes in consumer behavior.
Data-driven decision making is now an important part of any truly agile business. It provides the tools to allow businesses to make informed decisions by using detailed analysis gained from complex data sources.
This information is condensed into clear, actionable insights that can help firms to navigate through an uncertain business landscape. Many modern BI platforms can be used by staff who may not possess highly advanced IT skills.
This allows non-specialist teams to take their own departmental data and transform it to benefit from improved decision making and planning.
