Digital transformation – the integration of digital technology into all areas of a business that changes how it operates and delivers value to its customers – is not a small feat for any organisation, more so government agencies.
Director of engineering and new business and managing director of Blu Networks Consultancy Ltd, Sheldon Paul said although TT is making strides, it still has a long way to go. Blu Networks Consultancy Ltd is a Cunupia-based telecommunications integration company that has been in existence for ten years.
Paul said putting proper infrastructure in place is at the core of digital transformation, which is something many people overlook.
“It’s a strategic approach, and what we have seen over a year plus, because of the pandemic, is the rush for digital transformation, which is not a bad thing.
“But we see a lot of focus on the ‘sexy’ stuff like the applications and the features. Schools, for example, use Zoom, Teams, Google Classroom. Those are the flashy stuff – the things at the interface user level. But what we’ve also seen is a lack of thought and interest in the infrastructure around making those things work.”
He said some organisations and schools may have started using Zoom, for example, and two months down the road they’ve had security concerns. Companies may have “transformed”, but six months down the road they have security concerns.
“They now ask, ‘is my data saved to the cloud? How do I get my users to the cloud? I’ve invested in laptops to make my users mobile, but how do I manage these laptops?’ Those are all infrastructure components. There is no shortage of companies coming to tell you to move your data to the cloud, use Teams or Office 365. What we are seeing is a shortage of is organisations asking what are your infrastructure concerns?”
Paul told Business Day the walls, as it regards network architecture, have been blurred as more people are working from home. That means companies have to pay attention to getting supporting infrastructure to facilitate this.
“Ten thousand people from government agencies are working from home. Does the existing infrastructure support that move to the cloud? Fifty per cent of my staff is working from home on laptops and I want them to be productive and communicate. How are they going to communicate? Is the wireless infrastructure at home going to support their continuous access to the cloud?
[caption id="attachment_893090" align="alignnone" width="700"] Director of engineering and new business and managing director of Blu Networks Consultancy Ltd, Sheldon Paul. Photo courtesy Sheldon Paul Photography -[/caption]
“I have now moved my data outside of the traditional walls of the organisation because employees are working from home. From where is the data being accessed? The walls of the organisation have stretched to the home and the home is now considered the enterprise. Who is securing that? What are the infrastructure components to secure that? How are you managing
