Author: Steve Masters, chief digital group chief technology officer.
Everyone has adapted over the past year to make the best out of a bad situation. Whether your organisation was digital or not, it’s likely transformed in some way to provide the same, familiar service. Even as a digital organisation, Jisc have made changes for the better and will continue to collaborate and transform our customers.
Now we are all wondering, what’s next? We can’t say for sure when we are back to ‘normal’ but do we want to go back to where we were, anyway? You have come this far to make it work, and perhaps some changes to the way we work could stick around.
Digital strategy
Many companies have goals, milestones and business plans and having a digital strategy is just as important. If you don’t already have one, get one. You evolve your organisation following your business plan, right?
Having a digital strategy drives decisions and gives you the ability to readily adapt, grow, and move with times. We have worked with customers to modernise their digital infrastructure, enabling them to do the simple things they’ve always wanted. Whether its NHS trusts in need of a secure public cloud, connectivity for local authorities or a housing association requiring new safe operating systems– you’re in safe hands.
Security
You have adapted digitally in some way, perhaps homeworking or developing a website to keep things ticking along. Sadly, cyber attacks are on the rise for businesses, with one in six of those attacked saying their future was under threat. Rapid deployment of remote working can be a security risk. Installing anti-virus software, taking up training, and securing access through a VPN is important.
Remote and hybrid working
We have become accustomed to working remotely now, but it will be nice to have human contact again too. Remembering what we have learnt over the past year and keeping remote working as an option is a good idea. Fingers crossed, we are out of the worst of the pandemic, but you never know what will happen; remote working should be an option.
You may do a bit of both, hybrid, a form of flexible working. We have been given new ways of working and collaborating online, which has served us all well in recent times, let’s not forget that. Giving your workforce the flexibility to choose when it’s suitable to be home or the office builds the culture of a trusting work environment.
Steve is speaking at a Jisc breakout session at Socitm’s President’s Week 2021 – ‘Post pandemic – what’s next for digital in the public sector?’ , 9 June 2021, 11:30.
Jisc can enable your digital transformation through our world-class cloud, cyber and connectivity services.
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