Investment decisions in the field of technology, which you would normally think about for months or perhaps even longer before making a decision, were made in one day: after all, you had to move on.

We have also noticed this at SPOT ICT. Afterwards I understand that some IT service providers were concerned last spring. About their customers and about their own company. It is certainly the case that some customers have run into serious difficulties due to the crisis and therefore had no room for investments. On the other hand, it is our experience that the need for good advice and well-functioning technology was high.

That is why we have not done things very differently during this pandemic than we have been used to for years: together with our partners, such as Uniserver, we are looking for ways to let customers use technology. For many of our customers, ICT is not the most popular topic. They want to do business: develop products or services and serve customers. They don't want any hassle. If everything works in the IT field, then stay away! That can be good advice, because change for the sake of change should of course not be done. But the rule is that it is best to repair your roof when it is dry. Then you will certainly be dry at the first downpour.

And when we make choices in the field of ICT together with customers, as far as we are concerned there are actually two pillars: simplicity and security. By simplicity I mean that employees are not bothered by technology, but that it makes their lives easier. That is why we always look very carefully at what exactly is needed to support the processes. That's the basics. This way you prevent frustrations and irritations and ultimately loss of productivity.

In addition to simplicity, it is increasingly about safety. Many medium-sized companies often think that they have less are at risk because hackers mainly target large companies or large government institutions. Until they become victims themselves and are very relieved when their IT partner has their backups in order and can therefore quickly restore data. In this context, I always remind customers of the two b's: bitcoin or backup. Do you want to pay with bitcoin to retrieve your data or are you one step ahead of hackers by arranging your affairs properly?

ICT is not a goal but a means to do your work better, more efficiently and effectively. The world has changed enormously since 2020. Just think of the role of collaboration software such as Teams, which in 12 months has become an indispensable part of the modern workplace. I notice that many customers now realize that they have to look ahead when it comes to technology. You can't stand still. We help them with this, together with a network of reliable partners, such as Uniserver, so that our customers can do what they love most: doing business.