Alan Saunders
Public Sector Manager, Virgin Media Business
Reacting to the unprecedented disruption caused over the past two years, organisations and enterprises have had to accelerate the pace of their transformation activity to adapt to a rapidly changing world.
Over these past few years, all of us have been living with the reality of digital transformation like never before. Sudden requirements such as enabling employees to work remotely, providing virtual learning and homeschooling to children and shifting services from the premises to the cloud have stretched ICT resources to the limit.
Wider reach in a remote environment
Some organisations with active digital transformation programs in place were rewarded for their forward planning, with other entities finding themselves under increased strain to react more quickly than ever before.
Thankfully, technology and connectivity have provided the means for businesses to carry on and even thrive within this context.
Continued productivity in various sectors
In the healthcare sector, for example, patients and staff were able to communicate via online consultations, allowing the same quality of care to be delivered while also keeping patients and professionals protected.
In the retail sector, online purchases have increased rapidly over the past few years, meaning cybersecurity has been placed at the forefront of online safety. Organisations are seeing the value in this and adopting it in their digitalisation strategies to keep up with demand, with security being the focus of all online activity.
What this pandemic has clearly shown is a glimpse of our future, today. Connectivity has become this generation’s new frontier, with organisations now having the opportunity to do things better than before.
Those that have invested in their networks and security have been better placed to react to the pace of innovation demanded by a changing world. They have delivered a more seamless digital experience for both staff and customers, ensuring the organisation can remain relevant, increasingly accessible, and positioned for growth into the future.
Connectivity has become this generation’s new frontier.
Secure and reliable networking channels
Hybrid working has changed the way we work. Organisations today need a flexible and resilient network that remains available and secure for remote end-users, regardless of where they choose to work. However, there remains a need to deliver the same user experience without compromising security.
Today’s organisations are putting the right tools in employees’ hands and empowering them to do their job in a way that works for everyone. None of this is achievable without a robust underlay network that permits users secure and reliable access at all times.
It can help to treat cloud security and connectivity as a coherent objective. Embedding cybersecurity into your network and everything that runs on it does not only reduce the risk of a data breach but simplifies user access to resources. Empower your people to do their job wherever they are, in a way that works best for them and your customers, without worrying about sensitive data.
Benefits of digital transformation investment
Within the public sector, agencies have been able to address their needs in partnership with government networks and the many shared services they can offer via the Government Cloud network. Nevertheless, many agencies are also looking toward a hybrid model, incorporating a blend of Government Cloud and public cloud offerings from providers like Microsoft, AWS and others.
But what does all this change mean for your organisation? And how can you ensure you’re making the most of the digital opportunities ahead? Digital transformation powers growth and positive change in Ireland which leads to increased productivity, employee satisfaction, and customer security. By providing continued investment in digital change, it will help to grow our industries and public sectors, boost the national economy over the coming decades, and ensure your organisation is ready to adapt and thrive in the years ahead.