Business has changed for many in the wake of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Last year many organizations pivoted to a remote work strategy, and now the focus is shifting to office re-entry considerations. However, for each of these transitions, one aspect that remains critical is the need to secure your workforce and data, no matter where business is happening. So how can you be sure that your IT systems are thoughtfully aligned to support your next strategic phase of business operations securely?

In 1970, around the same time David Bowie was writing “Changes”, Alvin and Heidi Toffler wrote a book entitled “Future Shock,” arguing that the ever-accelerating rate of technological and social change would create fear, confusion, and tension across the globe. In the last 50 years, their predictions have been largely prescient. While cloud technologies keep getting better and have improved our lives in a myriad of ways, there is no doubt that it leaves some people’s heads spinning. So how do you keep up with the cloud?

Have you wanted to move some or all of your organization's infrastructure to a cloud service provider (CSP) such as Microsoft Azure but have reservations? These could include security, compliance, and/or costs — areas you would not want to have surprises. This is why it is important to consider how you will get you there in a secure and optimized way for cost and performance. To help you navigate this process, we put together some key points to consider in your cloud migration strategy.

What is digital transformation, and what does it mean to my organization? The concept of digital transformation takes on many different meanings. What business you are in will dictate the specific factors involved. For many companies, the pandemic jump-started their digital transformation. Others simply embraced the changes they already had underway. Aspects of digital transformation that speak to all organizations include the need to be adaptive, resilient, and relevant to customers and stakeholders. Here is a look at what it means to adopt digital transformation within your organization.

What would it be like for your organization if there was an IT disaster such as an office fire, systems failure, or ransomware attack? If all your data was lost, how long would it take for your organization to be functional again? Minutes, hours, days, or weeks? How would this affect your customers and your employees? These are the types of data resiliency questions business leaders should ask when thinking about their data backup solutions and recovery needs.

Trends in Information Technology are continuously changing and, as a result, organizations are having to adapt to those changes. Let's look at the most prominent IT trends that are showing up today.