September 28, 2022
How ICT can save your business time and money
For businesses of all sizes, information and communication technologies (ICT) can improve productivity and reduce costs. ICT helps businesses in a variety of ways, including the ability to work more efficiently through improved collaboration and data tracking.
With ICT, businesses can improve profitability by improving internal processes and workflows. Companies that draw on data-insights are more competitive and agile, effectively responding to the needs of their stakeholders.
Businesses are better able to withstand global shocks and economic pressures when they have a robust digital presence or working culture. Bold digitisation has shown to lead to greater profitability.
For instance, businesses that were quickly able to move to a work-from-anywhere culture during Covid-19 were the ones that enjoyed most success. For both internal and external processes, businesses that are more digitised are more successful in rapidly changing market conditions.
Making the right ICT decisions for your business
Businesses certainly need to undertake a thorough analysis of ICT technologies before implementation because not all technological upgrades result in a good return on investment. For example, the decision to revamp on-premise servers or on-site databases may prove to be extremely expensive. Similarly, it may not be financially viable for businesses to build private networks when there are alternatives available today that can reduce costs.
Cloud computing is a prime example of how the use of public infrastructure can dramatically drive down costs. Another key area where ICT can save your business time and money are in tools that enable remote collaboration, technologies that improve cyber security, and the use of high speed fibre connections that make all other ICT solutions technologically feasible.
ICT supports remote collaboration
Remote collaboration tools with unified communication (UC) have secured their place among most large-scale enterprises. Software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications, such as Microsoft Teams, include instant messaging, simultaneous collaboration on documents, high-definition conference calling and smart scheduling.
This makes it much easier for team members to interact with each other no matter where they are located. Since all communication and correspondence is in one centralised place, employees save time from not needing to switch from one application to another. It is estimated that employees lose about five hours a week by switching from one app to another.
Another popular digital tool used by enterprises is cloud-based virtual private networks (VPNs). With a cloud-based VPN, employees can securely access business files and networks from any location in any place. VPNs are needed in highly confidential and secure environments, such as healthcare and banking.
With a cloud-based solution, enterprises can easily manage users and devices connecting to the business network. These technologies offer automation and this means that any changes can be quickly automated, or manually configured from a remote console. This translates into time saving for tech teams. As an effective tool to combat cyber security risks, VPNs save your business money.
Save money with improved cyber security
A cyber security breach can cost a significant amount of money. It is estimated that in 2021, the global cost of cyber crime was $6-trillion (~R106-trillion). Without the right cyber security tools in place, businesses lose money through lost productivity, particularly when employees are prevented from working because of a cyber security breach.
There are also reputational costs involved with the lack of cyber security; customers and clients may lose faith in your business if they perceive it to be digitally insecure. The average time for businesses to recover from a cyber security breach was 20 days in 2021.
With so many different security solutions out there, it is important for businesses to choose one that suits their needs and requirements. Working with the right cyber security partner gives businesses valuable insight into what to prioritise and how to base protect their business networks.
E-mail protection and endpoint security is crucial for businesses of any size. Similarly, comprehensive distributed denial of service (DDoS) protection is relevant for large enterprises that are heavily reliant on their digital ecosystems and require maximum up-time for business applications.
Cloud computing saves your business time and money
While it can be expensive to replace legacy systems, new technologies that are hosted in the cloud are significantly cheaper and easier to deploy. Based on subscription payment models where you only pay for what you use and need, businesses can more affordably upgrade their business networks with the latest technologies.
The cloud offers a scalable infrastructure with pooled resources. By using a public cloud, businesses tap into the latest trends and technologies used in cloud computing. Public data centres are highly secure and by using a multi-tenanted architecture, businesses share the cost of computing resources with other companies.
This allows businesses to save both time and money because they benefit from improved computational power and their IT budgets don't incur any unexpected expenses. Needing to maintain in-house servers and equipment can often lead to unexpected costs arising. However, with the public cloud, these risks and unexpected costs are carried by the cloud service provider.
ICT costs are reduced with high speed connectivity
Without a stable internet connection, businesses waste a lot of time. If employees need to wait for documents to upload or customers are left hanging at a payment gateway, businesses can face huge losses in terms of lost productivity and revenue. For seamless enterprise connectivity, organisations need a fibre optic network.
With fibre to the business, ultra-fast upload and download speeds make internal operations and client facing processes more stable and secure. SEACOM Business is a connectivity, cloud, and IT security partner for South African businesses. Our extensive ICT infrastructure enables businesses around South Africa to operate at high performance and maximum efficiency.
We also have a range of cyber security solutions for businesses of all sizes, and our team of technical experts is available to support your business in its ICT needs. For more information or to get a quote for our connectivity, cyber security or cloud solutions, email us at marketing@seacom.com or leave us a message.
SEACOM owns Africa’s most extensive network of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure, including subsea cables and secure internet connections. We offer a diverse range of flexible, scalable and high-quality solutions for businesses that meet world-class standards for connectivity.
SEACOM is privately owned and operated, making it agile and adaptable to the needs of the customer. This makes us the preferred ICT and internet connectivity partner for African businesses and peripheral service providers. We can guarantee high-speed, low-latency and secure internet connections to corporates and small enterprises.
For more information on our internet and voice solutions, follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter. Keep an eye on our news section for insightful articles and relevant news stories on African ICT, internet connectivity and our leading cloud and security solutions.
Need internet for your home? Our subsidiary, WonderNet, brings fast and cost-effective broadband internet to all Africans with a fibre-to-the-home offering.