"As we enter 2024 and beyond, businesses are seeking guidance on thriving in a digital-first world. There's a demand for assistance in delivering outcomes through a range of lifecycle services encompassing cloud, connectivity, collaboration, and security, aiming to optimise operations, minimise risks, and empower employees," Woodward highlights.
"In an era where technology drives transformative change, staying abreast of these emerging trends is crucial for organisations aspiring to flourish in the digital age.”
Logicalis, with its 7000+ 'Architects of Change' spread across 30 territories, is renowned for its expertise in cloud, connectivity, collaboration, and security lifecycle services.
Woodward offers a comprehensive lens into the evolving landscape of technology trends, providing invaluable insights that businesses can leverage to navigate the ever-shifting terrain of digital innovation.
Woodward identifies six tech trends to watch in 2024.
1. Holistic Digital Transformation:
Woodward urges businesses and tech leaders to adopt a “holistic approach to digital transformation,” and recognise that success lies not merely in adopting isolated technologies, but in orchestrating a comprehensive strategy that integrates various facets of the digital ecosystem. He notes that successful transformation that realises business value and return on investment is an ongoing activity that requires strong leadership to ensure change is adopted, time and again.
“From cloud services to data analytics and artificial intelligence, there’s a growing need for organisations to embrace a unified vision that aligns technological advancements with overarching business goals,” he explains.
Therefore, it’s crucial, he says, for businesses to have access to real-time visibility and actionable insights across the performance of their digital ecosystem. Insights that include availability, user experience, security, economic performance and sustainability. A cloud-based operating model that is built on an integrated enterprise architecture encompassing different components of a cloud ecosystem, such as Microsoft M365 and Azure, integrated through identity, security and availability is needed to underpin safe and rapid transformation.
2. Security as a Pillar of Digital Resilience:
With an increasingly interconnected world comes the escalating threat of cyber-attacks. “Security is not merely a component, but a foundational pillar of digital resilience,” Woodward notes.
In response, Woodward urges tech leaders to implement robust cybersecurity measures, secure mobile access, and adopt end-to-end security solutions.
“In an era where data breaches are a pervasive concern, organisations are encouraged to fortify their security postures to safeguard sensitive information.”
A compelling example is Logicalis' successful fortification of a social services organisation against potential cyber threats.
That organisation, with a vast network of over 1,900 staff and 2,200 active volunteers spread across 70 locations, necessitated a substantial enhancement in the security and efficiency of its mobile workforce to help achieve its purpose of providing critical support to the most vulnerable members of the community.
As part of the project, Logicalis leveraged the Microsoft ecosystem to implement an end-to-end security and lifecycle management solution for mobile devices, ensuring that sensitive data remained highly secure.
According to Woodward, the security implementation was significant, ensuring that all data, (which was of a sensitive nature), was not only highly secure, but the devices were also centrally managed in an efficient manner that fully leveraged the ability to deploy key applications for the purpose of delivering on their mission.
Additionally, Woodward underscores the transformative impact of the security endpoint solution on the experience of frontline workers. "By securing their devices, Logicalis ensured that workers could access crucial information securely, serving clients 'in the moment' without compromising data integrity."
Importantly, Woodward adds that by focusing on the core business requirement of enabling the organisation’s people to provide life-changing services to the community while reducing risk, the implemented solution needed to integrate seamlessly into the broader Microsoft ecosystem already in place, rather than introducing new tools and processes to learn. “The nature of true transformation for business, is that while the IT is fundamentally transformed, the business process is familiar, but more convenient, more available and more secure,” Woodward says.
3. Collaborative Technologies for Empowered Workforces:
In 2024, remote work continues to be the norm, and Woodward champions the role of collaborative technologies in continuing to empower workforces.
“Employees require the right tools that enhance connectivity, communication, and productivity. From unified communication solutions to collaborative platforms, organisations are encouraged to invest in technologies that foster innovation and seamless collaboration, ensuring that the workforce remains connected to the organisation’s mission and a cornerstone of digital success.”
“Most organisations moved to digital collaboration tooling at a rapid pace during the early stages of the pandemic. Now that the world is returning to a new normal, organisations need to leverage this change in working modes to deliver strategic outcomes. The ongoing strategic investment will ensure that the workforce is engaged, gets closer to its customers, and optimises its operations for success.” Woodward adds.
4. Agility and Adaptability in the Face of Change:
In 2024, organisations need to be agile and adaptable in the face of technological change.
“The digital landscape is dynamic, and successful businesses are those that can pivot swiftly to meet evolving challenges. Whether it's navigating cloud migrations or embracing emerging technologies, organisations are urged to adopt an agile mindset that positions them as leaders in their industries,” he says. “Leveraging the agility that is inherent in cloud-based ecosystems, organisations’ project teams can move from ideation, through proof of value, and into production rapidly using cloud native approaches where the underlying platform becomes the enabler rather than the blocker,” he adds.
This strategic approach not only positions these organisations as leaders in their respective industries, but also empowers them to proactively tackle the multifaceted challenges posed by the rapidly shifting digital landscape, he notes.
5. Proactive Innovation for Competitive Edge:
Woodward underscores the significance of embracing a proactive stance towards innovation, emphasising the need for organisations to actively seek and implement novel ideas and technological advancements.
“This means staying ahead of the curve, anticipating changes, and strategically integrating innovative solutions to drive continuous improvement and future success,” he says.
“Rather than merely reacting to technological shifts, organisations are encouraged to anticipate change and leverage emerging technologies to gain a competitive edge. Strategic and forward-thinking adoption of technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and advanced analytics will drive innovation and position businesses as pioneers in their fields. This is where the embedded platform capabilities of Azure, especially with the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI), will become a strategic partnering advantage for our customers.”
6. Sustainable IT for a Greener Future:
Woodward recognises the growing importance of sustainability in technology, and the role of sustainable IT in building a greener future. Considering sustainability has moved from nice to have to a critical requirement and enabler as organisations consider their own sustainability goals.
“Organisations are encouraged to consider the environmental impact of their technology initiatives, adopting eco-friendly practices and lifecycle solutions that contribute to both digital and environmental sustainability,” he says.
He encourages a holistic perspective that considers the broader impact of technology on the environment. Considering the entire lifecycle of IT solutions, from manufacturing to end-of-life disposal, as well as the selection of technologies that can enable sustainable practices such as more remote work and online collaboration, become part of the conversation. By embracing sustainable IT practices, organisations can not only reduce their carbon footprint, but also set the stage for a more responsible and resilient digital future.
“Having sustainable IT operations is no longer just about your reputation as an organisation. It’s about being a responsible business, your bottom line, attracting new talent and the opportunity to innovate, all while reducing the impact of an organisation’s activity on the planet,” he says.
The Digital Way Forward
From holistic digital transformation to the pivotal role of security, collaborative technologies, agility, proactive innovation, and sustainable IT, organisations can glean invaluable lessons to navigate the evolving tech landscape successfully.
"In the dynamic landscape of digital transformation, it's not just about embracing change; it's about seizing the opportunity to lead and innovate. This means considering the selection of tools, platforms, cloud-based operating models and capabilities through the lens of digitally-led business innovation, agility, user experience, sustainability and creating the most productive and secure working environment for our collective teams,” Woodward says.
