How to “future-proof” your business with technology

Operating a successful business means staying a step ahead of potential threats. These include new competition, financial instability, and natural calamities and disasters that could disrupt operations. However, a potentially major threat that isn’t immediately apparent — but can nevertheless cripple your business — is the inevitable: the future. Or to be more specific, what it brings with it.

The threats businesses face in the future (and how to deal with them)

With uncertainty comes a high level of risk — and the future is certainly full of it. While we can’t really predict what’s in store for us in the future, here are some of the apparent trends that could completely upend your business.

• New competitors with better ideas can take a significant chunk of your customer base away from you.

• The steady march of technology can render businesses irrelevant if they can’t keep up. As cheaper and more efficient alternatives and solutions appear on the market, businesses must strive to adapt and evolve, improving their products and the way they deliver them to match the benefits that these new alternatives can bring. 

• Disruption, which means an entirely different, potentially industry-changing product or experience that can render other players obsolete. Think about what cellphones did for communication, or how cloud computing is revolutionizing the way we store and manage data.

• Data security is also a significant issue now, with hackers being empowered and emboldened to stage more cyber-attacks on unsuspecting business to steal their customers’ information.

• Lastly, automation, machine learning, and artificial intelligence (AI) can have significant impacts on your business if you don’t learn how to properly leverage them.

Future-proofing your business with technology

Fortunately, it’s possible to “future-proof” your business, which basically means ensuring that it will survive and endure in the face of these coming threats.

Having business processes in place, for example, will enable you to easily prioritize the functions and processes you can automate. Giving your employees proper training in using new systems and technologies is crucial in guaranteeing that your team can keep up with the times. However, arguably the most important way to future-proof your business is to invest in the right technology.

• For starters, technology enables your company to scale up and scale back when necessary. This ensures that your business growth can match your needs at any given time, no matter what happens.

• While no company is immune to cyber attacks, having effective cybersecurity measures can protect your business from data theft. Make it one of your priorities to obtain technology that can protect your company’s information; otherwise, it may take you a long time to bounce back from a cyber attack.

• The right technology can make your operations more efficient, guarantee a pleasant experience for your customers, and help you come up with new ideas to stay ahead of the competition.

Photo c/o Schneider Electric

Companies such as Schneider Electric have taken future-proofing a step further by developing new products that cater to the security needs of technology-empowered businesses.

APC SmartConnect is the first cloud-enabled UPS for distributed IT environments, allowing small and medium businesses to monitor and manage their UPS systems and prevent any unwelcome disruptions in their operations.

Via Schneider Electric’s cloud-enabled EcoStruxure IT architecture, SmartConnect provides businesses with a secure web portal in the cloud, through which they can view the current status of their UPS from any device connected to the internet. With SmartConnect, users can send and receive data about their UPS devices: warranty details, performance notifications, battery replacement, and more.

SmartUPS (photo from Schneider Electric)

Furthermore, the remote monitoring interface itself is user-friendly, and is capable of sending important automatic notifications and updates as well as troubleshooting support. And to top it all off, it does not require any configuration. Even non-technical users can simply take it right out of the box and start using it to secure their business operations.

Business stability in an ever-changing world

APC by Schneider Electric is the world’s top brand for integrated physical infrastructure and software. Through products like SmartConnect that deliver reliability, certainty, and security solutions for IT-empowered businesses, APC’s partners, individuals, and businesses can enjoy the benefits of future-proofing, effectively removing any fears of data theft, performance issues, sudden infrastructure problems, or obsolescence from their list of worries.

For more information, visit https://smartconnect.apc.com/welcome or contact your local APC representative. #SchneiderElectricPH

*Cover photo from Schneider Electric