Connectivity has become so deeply embedded in modern business that we rarely think about it. What we do think about is the applications that we use, the devices we work on and the platforms that help us manage our businesses and serve customers but underneath all of these technologies is something much more fundamental: Connectivity. Telecoms has moved from being one of the tools a business merely uses, to being the infrastructure that has made it possible for many of today’s applications and tools to work.
The Cloud
Cloud-based technologies is a good example of this. Businesses have moved applications, storage, communication platforms and business systems away from physical infrastructure and into cloud environments. Because of this, employees can work from almost anywhere, businesses can scale more easily, applications can be accessed across multiple locations and teams can collaborate in real time. But for all of this to happen, these types of technologies need connectivity.
The Hybrid Workplace
The workplace has also changed dramatically over the few past years. Businesses have become more welcoming and accepting of one or a combination of the follow workplaces being used:
- Corporate offices
- Branch locations
- Employees homes
- Customer sites
- Hotels
- Airports
- Co-working spaces
This creates a much more distributed business environment meaning connectivity therefore needs to extend beyond the traditional office network. While this creates flexibility for employees, it also creates a more complex telecoms environment for the business to manage.
Customers Are Connected Too
The impact of increased connectivity isn’t limited to employees; it extends to customers as well. Customers increasingly expect businesses to be available through multiple channels; phone, email, websites, mobile applications, online chats and social media platforms. Behind these various channels is a network of systems and connectivity that allows information to move between the customer and the organisation. A failure somewhere in that chain can quickly become a customer experience problem.
The Question Businesses Should Be Asking
How well do you understand the connectivity your business depends on?
As businesses become increasingly digital, telecoms becomes increasingly critical and when something is critical to the business, it deserves more than simply being paid for and renewed. It deserves to be understood, monitored and actively managed.
