Professional services companies are among the most reliant on technology, so it stands to reasons that they are also among its most enthusiastic adopters.

This is an industry where competition is fierce, time is limited, and skills are a valuable commodity. Companies that can get the maximum possible value out of their time can transfer that to the client, providing better services than their competition. So, it’s natural that these professional services companies are constantly on the hunt for tools that can help them achieve this.

What is Digital transformation?

‘Digital transformation’ has been thrown around as something of a buzzword over the last few years, so it’s always worth taking a step back and giving it a tangible definition. Digital transformation refers to technologies and emerging practices that are set to completely recreate the way professional services and people interact with technology.

Many of these are commonly grouped under the term ‘emerging technologies’; such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and alternate reality (AR). Others refer to IT infrastructure developments, like the move towards cloud computing and the Internet of Things (IoT), which are already transforming the platforms on which many IT systems operate.

Here are some of the ways that today’s companies can harness digital transformations to transform their internal processes and gain that all-important competitive edge.

Cybersecurity

There’s been a lot written about the potential cybersecurity risks of business cloud migration. In fact, plenty have doggedly avoided doing so because of these concerns. As it happens, maintaining your data inside an external server is actually a lot less risky than people originally thought. In fact, these days it’s actually the safest option.

If companies like Amazon, Microsoft, and Google wanted to be trusted with a sizeable proportion of the world’s data, they reasoned they’d have to create the most secure protection available anywhere.

Microsoft is also pretty secretive about where these servers are physically located, meaning the chances of them being physically damaged, or otherwise tampered with are even slimmer. Despite early concerns, companies have generally concluded that cloud storage is safer than any alternative.

Businesses have historically spent a lot of time, money, and resources securing their internal servers. Companies that migrate to the cloud can free up these resources and redirect them to better use at more high-value tasks elsewhere.

New Developments in Cybersecurity

Laying the cloud aside for a moment, we find that the most promising developments in cybersecurity come from emerging technologies. Historically, security companies had to painstakingly identify specific types of malware and then program antivirus software for their clients to protect against it.

Machine learning software can identify and protect against new types of malware, creating ever more dynamic and effective protections. Better security for clients is undoubtedly a good thing, and less time spent establishing it is time and resources that companies can better distribute elsewhere.

Productivity

Today’s emerging technologies provide some of the most exciting productivity development opportunities that we’ve seen in recent years. The development of AI looks set to completely transform the way we work.

Think how many mundane or repetitive tasks the average knowledge worker completes daily. We’re talking about admin tasks, checking and replying to emails, dealing with basic queries, and organizing internal storage systems.

The increase in the use of chatbots is a good example. These have recently appeared on a range of websites, designed to automate basic low-level customer service queries and allow the relevant internal staff to redivert their skills to more important, client-focused work.

While concerns remain about AI and robotics taking away jobs from workers, the industry has created more jobs than it has eliminated – particularly for professional services companies. AI is making existing jobs more productive by automating those low-value tasks that don’t make the best use of our business and human resources.

Infrastructure

There’s been plenty spoken about the infrastructure benefits of switching to cloud-based storage. Cloud computing allows everything in your network to be unified under one, integrated platform. This includes everything from file storage to productivity apps– meaning wherever anybody is, they’ll be connected onto the same system.

People will no longer have to worry about information being siloed away, where people can’t access it – on personal computers or in apps. Documents are instantly available to the entire team, so everyone can work with the most up to date information.

A cloud-based infrastructure is also known to cost businesses significantly less than a traditional on-premises setup; all of which is money that can be diverted to creating new and innovative ways to deliver better services to clients. Cloud infrastructure allows you to pay for only the licenses and apps you use, meaning you can get more value for money from your existing cloud costs. These savings can be spent on developing emerging technology-based services that can provide professional services companies with a competitive advantage.

IT environments for Professional Services Companies Today

Professional services companies everywhere are constantly searching for that one tool or solution that’ll revolutionize their internal processes and allow them to provide better services to their customers.

If you want to provide more for your customers, you need to operate in an IT environment that lets you do so. Whether migrating to the cloud or deploying innovative solutions that enhance productivity, Worksighted can help you. We specialize in delivering IT solutions for professional services companies, ensuring these services are securely deployed and adopted so you receive the best ROI.

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