2021 started with the world in a spin. The pandemic impacted all our lives, from how we work to how we live. Though we may have adjusted to these changes on a personal level, there are still businesses who have yet to make the changes that better their business strategy. One department that will continue to be impacted is that of IT. Whether that is changes in software, technology, etc. The IT department experience large shifts during the pandemic, especially since technology development grew dramatically since lockdown began in March 2020.
Why the big tech boom during the pandemic?
“Other big tech players, namely Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft, joined Facebook and Google in the donations of precious N95 face masks, pledged hundreds of millions in grants to small businesses, and started hiring thousands of workers.
Essentially, in a time of fear and mass hysteria, big tech companies became beacons of hope. (At least, that’s what they wanted to be perceived as.)” – Bruce Takefman (https://researchfdi.com/tech-boom-covid-19-pandemic/)
The Impact on SAM Managers
There are a few things to look out for in 2021 that could impact SAM managers and how the business works and operates. We have noticed major changes in:
- Flexibility
If flexibility has not become a standard business practice for you now, it most certainly will. We are learning that we do not need to be in a physical office space to remain productive. This means an increase of remote staff who must learn how to achieve a healthy work/life balance. For this to happen, business hours may adjust, meaning a change to ‘regular’ business hours. We have also seen an increase of BYOD, or bring your own devices. This means if you have a personal computer/ laptop, you can access your Microsoft 365 or any other software you would need whilst working from home.
- Cloud
We found a study from McKinsey & Company that shared most businesses had only shifted about 20% of their workloads into the cloud, leaving the remaining 80% remaining within on-premises legacy solutions. Since the pandemic hit and continues on, the shift to the cloud will continue to grow. This is because the cloud provides the security that business will not be interrupted if something else were to strike.
- Automation
Automation is booming right now. Anything that can remove mundane, day-to-day tasks will help improve the business. Taking away the manual error and giving time back to your employees sounds like there is more room for productivity! Like the cloud, automating tasks will minimize future business disruptions. If you haven’t began the process of automating some tasks, ask yourself:
- Are there high-volume tasks?
- How many employees does it takes to perform tasks?
- Is this task time sensitive?
- Does this task have a significant impact on other processes and systems?
- Are you in need of remaining software compliant?
- Can this be done more efficiently through automation?
What can SAM Managers do?
Our advice is to keep up with the change. Remote work, automation, cloud software, are all things that are here to stay and expected to grow more!
One easy way to keep up with the change is to start using Smarter SaaS for M365. With this SaaS management tool you will be able to track automatically your M365 software usage. You can see who users are installed where, which users are using what, and generate automatic usage reports, all from the comfort of your home office!
TBSC offers a one-stop shop when it comes to your Microsoft 365 subscriptions. Not only do we provide the communication needed to ensure you understand your SaaS usage and spend, but we provide automated tools, like Smarter SaaS for M365, that suggest training needs, help increase ROI, and provide ongoing optimization opportunities with your M365 usage.
We are happy to help you with our free trial version of Smarter SaaS for M365, the quick, easy, and cost-effective way of managing your M365 SaaS subscriptions. This is a zero-cost free trial and we do not ask for credit card information.
Our goal is to help your business achieve efficiency through intelligent, web-based software. Our easy-to-use Smarter SaaS provides detailed software usage reports and analysis on your Microsoft 365 license subscriptions. Other features include:
- Fully automatic reporting and analysis
- Viewing individual software usage to date
- Cost savings opportunities
- Optimization opportunities
- Training opportunities
- Reharvesting options
- Compliance reassurance
Register for a free trial by visiting our website: https://tbsc.cloud/free-trial/
Still unsure this is the right opportunity for you?
We offer a free Smarter SaaS Health Check where we analyze your current Microsoft 365 licensing management. After you are tested and scored, we will provide free advice on how to improve your score! This is all included with the Smarter SaaS free trial.
