“Work from home [WFH] is a continuation of the paradigm shift in digital transformation. The development of technology has now enabled the convenience of working and living under the same roof,” said Roldane Henry, infrastructure lead at MC Systems.

Working from home moved from imagination to reality for millions of businesses and employees in the global community. The seismic shift in how the world and businesses work requires agile adaptation and the right technological tools to survive and continue through and beyond disruptions.

The ideal suite of tools allows businesses to manage productivity, data, remote collaboration, payroll, and, inevitably, profitability.

Productivity Management

As businesses manage resources more critically and increase output efficiently they are better poised to attain a high level of profitability. Digital transformation introduces new technology such as artificial intelligence (AI) and automation that allow businesses to execute tasks at a fraction of the time required to complete these routine tasks manually. Less time spent on everyday tasks means cost savings for companies based on reduced staffing costs and the ability to reallocate human resources to revenue-generating activities.

As confirmed by US-based international management consultants Gartner, 69 per cent of routine work currently being done by managers will be fully automated by 2024. So managers will be able to focus on strategic and revenue-generating activities.

Henry’s advice? All resources should be available to employees through VPN, cloud-based collaboration tools or other network resources.

WFH Security and its ROI

Security solutions boast many benefits in preventing data loss and driving revenue growth. As reported by Microsoft in February 2021, Azure Security Centre records 219 per cent return on equity (ROI) over three years and a payback of fewer than six months.

Microsoft’s Azure allows businesses which have undertaken remote work to secure multi-cloud workloads, shielding them against genius-level attacks. Enterprises stand to mine increased financial benefits based on a 25 per cent reduction in the risk of a security breach, reduced time to threat mitigation by 50 per cent and over the US$200,000 in cost savings by lowering third-party security tools and services.

Traditionally, this industry protection level was almost exclusive to larger enterprises. The sector focused on government sites, ports, mines, and other complex organisations. Now, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) benefit from a more secure experience while increasing customer engagement and the capabilities of management systems.

Storage

How does data storage influence the bottom line? According to Henry, cloud storage is likely to affect the bottom line since it is more cost-effective than on-premise solutions. Chief information officers (CIOs) can select the storage option they require based on cash flow, avoiding upfront payments and only undertaking costs for storage that they need. Some CIOs and chief financial officers (CFOs) lean more confidently towards having these costs recorded as operating expenses, instead of paying for storage up front as a capital expense, allowing businesses to scale their storage to the growth and demands of their business.

Organisations must adapt to their data residing offsite to unlock these massive savings, specifically in the cloud. Modern integrations allow businesses to decide on data centre storage and which security type to employ.

Payroll Management

Employees working from home still expect to be paid promptly and seamlessly while receiving payslips and compensation-related transactions and notices similar to when they are in the office. But how does payroll directly affect a company’s profitability?

Payroll technology accessed remotely aids profitability. Payroll solutions in the cloud mean businesses can convert to a digital workspace without incurring costs to move files and records and relocate security and server systems, reducing expenses during disruption and even natural disasters. There are also personal-hours savings since payroll systems such as MC Systems BizPay Central automate tax calculations and compliance tasks.

Collaboration

Videoconferencing allows businesses to continue communication without being in the same space, reduces the need for physical spaces, saving on real estate and utility costs. With the right security approach, such as encryption, virtual tools allow employees to execute tasks while maintaining business privacy for sensitive information and managing projects with insights from a bird’s eye view.

Several project management tools foster great collaboration while providing savings on physical resources and actionable insights. Some remote tools that facilitate collaboration and cost savings include Microsoft Teams, Slack, and Monday.com.

The shift in the landscape has empowered businesses to become stronger and pivot, adapting to changes with a unique fusion of robustness and agility. This response has led to increased methods for performing a single task, growth in productivity, multiplied efficiency, and a greater capacity to generate profitability.

Roldane Henry is the infrastructure services lead at MC Systems and a Jamaica Technology and Digital Alliance member. Send your feedback to marketing@jtda.org.