Margaret Totten
Managing director, Akari Solutions
Recession-fuelled technology tip: Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Viva and automation
In the danger zone: As above
What technology solution or service are you betting on to help customers in the event of a recession later this year?
Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Viva and automation.
The collaboration and productivity message are vital to companies looking to deal with an economic downturn. As they are put in the place of needing to do more with less, these tools are the solution.
Solutions like Viva within Teams give organisations quick wins utilising existing solutions
With employee wellbeing it will be vitally important to continue monitoring morale and wellbeing as people are any organisation's biggest asset. Solutions like Viva within Teams give organisations quick wins utilising existing solutions and gives key productivity wins with app loading and communication with internal and external users and applications, which in turn stops the costly expense of shadow IT.
The growth in citizen development will also be a boost to help organisations learn how to improve and streamline from the help of the people who know best: those doing the job. That, coupled with solutions like Microsoft Power Apps and Power BI, will give organisations more control over their internal processes and help them combat cost cutting measures without losing productivity.
Conversely, are there any technology areas where you are anticipating a spending crunch?
Ironically, I think in the beginning the very same value adds I mention above may fall victim to cost cutting. When trying to budget, we automatically go into contraction mode, where we can save and stop spending and we then double down. But that can lead to a false economy. Actually investing in some quick, simple solutions that provide longer-term cost savings will be more financially beneficial.
How do you feel an economic downturn will play out for the UK IT channel more broadly?
I think something Satya Nadella said recently sums it up best. ‘Digital technology is a deflationary force in an inflationary economy'. I think, as everywhere, there will be some pain as customers cut spending. But I feel that technology companies and the channel are uniquely placed to actually help and pull organisations back out of the mire. Just like in the pandemic, in times like these, the first thing businesses should be looking at are how to make gains in productivity. Investing now in ensuring they are using the right solutions can help solve issues like accommodation, hybrid working and can help boost engagement and employee well being which is vital during this. I believe the UK channel has a huge part to play in driving the UK economy forward and helping customers when they need it most and a unique opportunity to ensure that purpose driven technology helps deliver real world gains when we most need it.
Which reseller boss is backing optimisation services to thrive during the impending downturn? See following page for more...
