Kevin O’Leary (Mr. Wonderful) recently spoke in Orlando, FL on the long-term effects the global pandemic had on businesses around the world. First of all, Mr. O'Leary in-person is EXACTLY like Mr. O'Leary that sits in the middle seat on ABC's Shark Tank. He spoke very frankly about the market, the pandemic, and what it takes to survive as a businesses before going belly-up in a post-pandemic world. Detailed are the top 5 problems Mr. Wonderful suggests businesses face post-pandemic, and the solution that a Managed Service Provider (like us) provides. 

#1 Businesses were forced to operate remotely.

Businesses around the globe either closed or sent their employees to work from home. This forced business leaders to look at their cloud solutions and remote infrastructure plan. Work from home solutions provide companies accessible software where their employees can effectively collaborate in real-time.

  • What we provide: We provide effective cloud-based collaboration and communication tools. Through these solutions, employees are able to collaborate in real-time to prevent any silo effects that could occur while working remote. We also provide employee productivity and monitoring tools to ensure that employees are adhering to company security and compliance requirements, while staying productive during the work day. Additionally, we offer cloud-based security solutions that deliver encryption, multi-factor authentication, and single sign-on compliance enforcement. (www.responsivetechnologypartners.com/infrastructure/)

#2 Accelerated adoption of technology.

Technology quickly shifted from an additional asset within a business structure to a bottom-line necessity to effectively function. Now, technology is utilized every second within a company. COVID-19 caused business leaders to pivot their technology business model quicker than ever. Some were able to pull it off, but unfortunately, others could not keep up and had to close their doors.

  • What we provide: Most business leaders don’t have time to fuss with technology, so we provide the tech experts to do it for them. Our IT help desk offers support throughout the workday with a guaranteed response in 10-minutes or less. Our dedicated virtual Chief Information Officer (CIO) will know your network to prevent problems arising, or quickly fix them when they do happen. Our business phone systems and services provide office phones that can transfer to a mobile device easily, making it easy for employees to work remote. Finally, with offices throughout the southeast, there is a local support expert close-by when our clients need boots on the ground in an emergency. (www.responsivetechnologypartners.com/it-support/)

#3 Enhanced focus on direct-to-consumer strategies.

Since the pandemic, many businesses have shifted their sales model to selling directly to their customers through online shopping. The example Mr. O’Leary used was Nike. Previously, Nike used shoe stores like Finish Line, Rack Room, Foot Locker, etc. to sell their shoes in brick-and-mortar stores. Now, Nike has seen positive growth through selling directly to their customers through their online store.

  • What we provide: As a business increases their online presence, they increase their vulnerability of exposure to hackers. Online stores require sensitive data and information to be provided by the consumer (credit card numbers, home addresses, etc.). It is the duty of the business- no matter how small or new to online stores- to make sure that the data is encrypted and safe during the transaction. It’s simple, our cyber-security services keep data safe. We worry about it so you don’t have to. (www.responsivetechnologypartners.com/cyber-security-and-compliance/)

#4 Reassessment of real estate investments and costs.

Business leaders are asking the question – should we pay for this much office space? The pandemic has shown that employees may be just as productive at home as they are when in an office. So as business leaders and investors are analyzing their costs, rental office spaces are a large topic of conversation.

  • What we provide: As businesses are adopting work from home options for their employees, cyber-security should be the number one concern on their list. When employees work on their own home network, they are more susceptible to allowing malicious attacks into the company’s database. Spam e-mails and phishing e-mails are becoming more and more sophisticated, and harder to spot. We provide zero-trust management to keep your company from becoming hacked. (www.responsivetechnologypartners.com/cyber-security-and-compliance/)

#5 Potential for long-term operational enhancements.

Business leaders are looking to invest in their staff, reduce costs, improve customer experience, streamline, and simplify.

  • What we provide: Outsourcing your IT support or making sure your business has the proper IT partnership (Co-managed IT: www.responsivetechnologypartners.com/comit/), gives your business the benefits of a full IT department WITHOUT the cost.

As Mr. Wonderful closed his presentation, he mentioned how scared he is of cyber-attacks. His biggest concern for his own business (and businesses he has investments in) is the cyber-security plan and how secure their network is. He knows that one hacker attack can bring down an entire business- causing them to close their doors. His biggest suggestion to us as cyber-security providers is to let businesses know what we can provide them. If you have any more questions about the services we offer or what was mentioned in this blog, please schedule a brief 10-minute phone call with one of our expert engineers by calling (877) 358-9388. You can also submit a webform with any questions here: www.responsivetechnologypartners.com/contact-us/.

Written by - Mary Caroline Tracy, Marketing Manager