By Sundaresan Kanappan, VP NextGen Technologies APJ and CGM India, Tech Data
The pandemic increased digital-first interactions globally, and its effects continue to resonate. This shift in customer behaviour is driving digital transformation, in turn forcing companies to change their business models and adapt to the new market reality. In India, the reliance on digital solutions is more pronounced compared to its global counterparts, with Indians creating an average of almost 20 new online accounts each, during the pandemic.
Getting closer to customers is a natural evolution for businesses whose values are in deep service understanding, responsiveness, and availability in the end-to-end process of customer experience. Customer intimacy is an absolute necessity, and the facilitating of a memorable experience is where value can be created. For example, if there are logistical issues in the delivery of products, a Managed Services Provider (MSP) could actively keep its partner informed and updated, in turn enabling them to better manage their customers.
As the world recovers, staying stagnant is not an option, and companies that are reducing the digital gap by adapting to transformation with speed and agility are seeing quicker returns. Tapping the synergy of economic recovery and MSP India’s digital economy is expected to witness exponential growth to $800 billion by 2030 on the back of rising internet penetration and increasing income.
The nation has seen a calibrated opening-up of the economy and a healthy recovery in economic growth and corporate earnings in 2022 – by the government’s estimates, it is set to grow by 9.2% this year. The Budget has increased India’s capital expenditure this year by 35% to INR 7.5 lakh crore, most of which is likely to be spent on critical connectivity projects and infrastructure, creating opportunities for India to modernise its key infrastructure sectors.
The enterprise growth is led by sectors such as digital infrastructure, services, healthcare,
metallurgy, and construction, complemented by its yet fully untapped rural economy, along with a vibrant fintech, startup, and SMB landscape. Having a robust digital infrastructure is a must-have for companies, in this scenario, irrespective of size, to tap into the burgeoning growth potential that a recovering economy offers, and this is where managed services can be a catalyst for digital acceleration.
Cost reduction, doing more with less, managing compliance, and sharpening competitive edge with data analytics are real-world issues that continue to challenge organisations as they look to scale or innovate. The Managed Services business model helps to alleviate the pain points with its portfolio of tools and services to enable a business to focus on its core deliverables. It builds resilience and empowers orgnaisations to put their best foot forward.
It’s no surprise that digital transformation will be the harbinger of a constantly evolving
economy. Where end-to-end solutions and processes are concerned, businesses in India will need to look towards ensuring they have a solid IT infrastructure and foundation, to better focus on strategic growth for long-term business results.
The journey towards end-to-end processes and solutions The path to enabling an end-to-end process can be challenging, with key concerns including internal process redesigns, organisational consequences and changes, limited in-house IT capabilities, and more.
Working with an MSP can help bypass this challenge – as a third-party company that remotely manages its partner’s information technology (IT) infrastructure and end-user systems, MSPs often handle management services on an “always-on” basis. This enables its partners to focus on improving their services and strategies without worrying about extended system downtimes or service interruptions, building towards greater digital integration and transformation.
Furthermore, by engaging an MSP, partners can also have access to high-quality, business-critical services. Typically, MSPs can:
● Help save time and money, providing businesses with a full team of experts without
needing to train or pay their salaries. Furthermore, they can tackle monotonous IT tasks, plan for maintenance and implementation of new updates, as well as ensure uptime and quick recovery to prevent as much loss as possible.
● Ensure compliance regulations are upheld and assist organisations – like government
agencies abiding by CJIS, and healthcare providers tied to HIPAA and HITECH
legislation – with offering data protection while keeping up with ever-evolving
compliance laws so that internal attention can be focused on the bigger picture.
● Manage security at all times, helping businesses plan for the worst by protecting their
data and ensuring that they can recover from a disruptive event. Whether it's data
breaches by threat actors, unavoidable power outages, or even natural events like
hurricanes, a reliable MSP will ensure overall business continuity throughout backup and
recovery plans.
● Cover all IT support needs, freeing up valuable staff resources to focus on business
objectives, rather than the tedious tasks
As a result, working with an MSP may not necessarily see the business immediately achieve end-to-end solutions across its network of systems and processes, but it ensures a strong first step towards a secure, flexible IT infrastructure.
Ultimately, digital disruption is affecting the end-to-end process, and businesses that can better understand their capabilities along with their needs will be able to leverage the opportunities that lie before them. The right MSP can provide all the tools and services needed to keep organisational infrastructure in order, and function as an extension of the IT department, providing them with the expertise and resilience they need to survive and thrive in the post-COVID landscape.
