A lot of companies are talking about trends going into 2023. Digital transformation, the use of more artificial intelligence, and data-driven decision-making… all of these would top the list. As we look into the future, though, we should take a collective look at 2022 and how the world around us impacted business decisions on a broad scale. Because that’s the real indication of how 2023 will shake out.
Theme 1: From cybersecurity initiatives to incident response planning, even companies with the best protection still need to be able to recover from unexpected surprises. In June, we covered the various threat vectors that we’re seeing cybercriminals use to gain access to an organization’s network.
Theme 2: A lot of attention was paid to the world of cyber insurance policy renewals with added pressure to meet new and expanding requirements. In this article from May, ZAG highlights what you need to know about this process and how you can leverage your IT partner to navigate these changes.
Theme 3: Ongoing focus on security enhancements was a central theme for the year, as cyber incidents were on the rise and more businesses became targets. In the ag space, we discussed the importance of protecting the nation’s food supply by partnering with the ProduceSupply.org group on new cybersecurity best practices. Here’s where you can find more info about this.
Theme 4: Tech talent is tough to find and even tougher to keep, even going into a slower hiring season overall, which is why outsourcing technology projects and day-to-day management might be a growing focus. This is where managed IT services can play a role, and here we discuss some of the advantages of expanding expertise through outsourcing.
Theme 5: Digital transformation efforts took a front seat with many organizations investing in long-term solutions, such as migrating to the cloud. There’s value in leveraging Microsoft Azure and Azure Virtual Desktop for your business (which we outlined here), but there are also cost savings in leaving cloud storage maintenance to the pros. The broader ecosystem is also talking about making sure the tools are available to meet customer demand, so this theme is set to carry on into the next year.
Going into 2023, here are some of the ways that this year’s findings will carry over into next year’s decisions:
Theme 1: Doing more with less will be a core focus because of an anticipated economic slowdown, which means vendors will need to look at how services are delivering higher levels of value to the business.
Theme 2: With a focus on cost, businesses will realize the importance of outsourcing, especially when maximizing small teams. Those companies that leverage a managed services provider (MSP) will be the winners in this scenario, which offer a breadth of expertise for clients without having to invest in a full-time in-house employee. Here we answer the question, “What is the true value of an MSP?”
Theme 3: Cyber insurance rates will continue to climb while pushing organizations toward minimum requirements that are focused on prevention. According to KnowBe4, cyber insurers are getting smarter about limiting their risk, which means they’re pushing more responsibility onto policyholders.
Theme 4: Looking at the weakest link in the supply chain, organizations will need to find ways to minimize risk and after implementing changes internally, they’re going to start looking outside to vendors to do the same. Proactive vendor risk management will be at the top of the list to ensure production and shipping deadlines can be met to keep customers happy.
Theme 5: Interpreting data so that it can be actioned and visualizing this data so it can be easily understood. Similarly, it’s a lot easier for businesses to make critical decisions when presented with all the information. In 2023, data will play an even bigger role in organizational change, starting with streamlining tasks that are heavily influenced by aggregating incoming data. ZAG talks about this here, as it’s the next frontier of innovation for agribusinesses and other tech-forward companies.
Ready for the New Year? Tell us what your top tech goals are.
