Johannesburg, 31 Jul 2018
The future isn't what it used to be. Advances in technology have produced myriad new concepts, abstractions, and, unsurprisingly, a host of new abbreviations, that are challenging existing business structures and models. Users have gone from tech-weary folk to in-touch consumers who expect to take their tools and apps with them wherever they go.
The advent of "digital everything" is stretching today's technology workers' key performance indicators far beyond traditional upkeep, as talk of the competitive edge takes centre stage. Networks are also a far cry from what they were only five years ago. The RJ-45 cable is facing extinction as 5G mobility promises to revolutionise the way we think about connectivity.
In light of these far-reaching changes, technology leaders must know how best to capitalise on new opportunities without putting the organisation at risk. We've come a long way since the days of 54Kbps Internet, but the "openness" inherent in today's networks have come at a significant risk to security and general network predictability. Yet, we hardly live in predictable times.
Gone are the days of IT being able to erect technological walls around the business and micro-manage access to every conceivable resource. Today, security walls must give way to business demands for agility, which directly challenge the risk-averse approach to enterprise networking.
So, how does the modern CIO balance demands for agility while remaining sensible about building a future-proof networking infrastructure?
Catering for an evolving workforce
Today's realities dictate that workers access everything from the company CRM to e-mail over the public Internet as user experience, instant communications and ubiquitous application access takes precedence in the business narrative. For IT leaders, letting go of the security "veto" might be tough, but they have to consider the needs of the evolving workforce and the organisation at large to compete in an "always-on" business world.
This demands more open discussions between IT and the organisation that will give CIOs an opportunity to change the "us versus them" culture that creates a divide between IT and the workforce. Fostering new, collaborative relationships in the business will help to better understand the risks inherent in mobile workforces and rethink existing technology stacks that can impede business performance.
Enterprise business tools of tomorrow
With traditional enterprise networks being comparatively limited to today's ubiquitous and increasingly fast public Internet, looking beyond the borders of your firewall is a business imperative. This means being prepared to re-evaluate the returns you're getting from existing technologies and assessing them against evolving ones. Fortunately, leaders in next-generation ERP software development are already changing their delivery and integration mechanisms.
Brennan Fritz adds: "The leaders in next-generation ERP software development have already changed their delivery mechanisms and integration points. The shift away from thick clients to rich HTML5 interfaces with built-in client/server certificate authentication and options for additional security features, such as dual factor authentication, are allowing us to run these applications securely from within hyperscale data centres, without limiting functionality or at an increased risk of exposure.
"That, combined with a managed service that monitors and automatically alerts and reacts to unauthorised attempts to access these systems, are just some of the ways we are assisting clients in securing their ERPs while allowing them to take full advantage of this next generation of software and the features available from the cloud platform providers."
Can today's software keep up?
Fritz explains: "Some applications are simply not ready for the environments of the future, and if there is no roadmap for these applications to become cloud-ready and securely integrated, then I believe that organisations should be looking to replace them with modern and secure alternatives. Agility and flexibility have become non-negotiables. How IT approaches these challenges will largely dictate how well the organisation can seize opportunities."
However, it's not all risk and little reward for IT. Moving away from legacy systems that demand constant upkeep allows tech talent to be put to better use and bring more value to the organisation. This is just one of the many advantages that IT organisations can benefit from by looking beyond existing infrastructure and positioning their networks for the future.
Where to from here?
While the death of the in-house ERP system didn't come as swiftly as some might have expected, new ways of deploying technologies are making it possible for companies to manoeuvre with far more agility. CIOs considering the viability of evolving cloud-based ERP systems will need to weigh the benefits of keeping their technology stacks in-house versus the advantages inherent in new systems.
Yet, one thing is certain: applications and their supporting infrastructures are changing, and so are businesses. Building an infrastructure capable of taking you into the future will demand a new approach to the old way of doing things. ERP systems like the Sage Business Cloud | Enterprise Management solution are allowing large-scale organisations to position business-critical technology investments for the future. Sage's enterprise solutions are helping organisations better prepare for the future network and business model in partnership with SynergERP and SynergIT.
To learn more about how we're helping organisations across South Africa build future-ready business solutions, visit SynergIT and SynergERP to learn more about our agile IT and ERP solutions.
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