As we are on the threshold of another year, I am excited to share that I have accepted a new position as Communications Manager in the finance and tech house ECIT. After four years in TeleComputing, and Visolit, I wanted to share some of the most important insights and lessons learned along the way, as well as make some predictions about what is to come in the tech sector and for communication professionals going forward.
IT is no longer a support function, but a core part of business
Over the past two pandemic years we have experienced an unprecedented digitalisation acceleration, and demand for effective and modern cloud solutions has soared among the many companies who had employees working from home at large scale.
IT is no longer a support function, but an essential part of the DNA in organisations, and the ICT-sector is now in the definitive forefront of business transformation and innovation. Tech and ICT takes centre stage in the drive to business transformation, and for all of us who work in the industry: What a time to be a part of the journey!
But, there are some obstacles to innovation and competitiveness going forward, and I will point to three of them.
- The maturity and business transformation issue
- The cybersecurity issue (and competency issue)
- The competency issue
The maturity and business transformation issue
Many organisations are striving to modernise their operations and systems in order to stay competitive. Customer demands and rapidly changing market demands fuels this development, and organisations which are lagging behind in adopting cloud solutions are less mature than organisations who do adopt cloud solutions at larger scale. A report from Radar and Visolit (Yes, I better mention I have a hand in it as well, as co-writer) shows how many small and medium organisations in Sweden are not adopting the opportunities in cloud solutions to its fullest potential. The cloud maturity of many SMEs in Sweden is regrettably low. The report also shows issues with cybersecurity maturity levels in SMEs, a point which I will revisit further in this article. The report also shows that many IT organisations are prioritising efficiency and cost reductions as their main focus of improvement, to the detriment of innovation. However, operational efficiency is not just about cost reduction, but business optimisation. I agree completely with Øyvind Eriksen, CEO of Aker ASA, who opened the conversations in this years Ignite-event by Cognite, by stating that «Digitalisation is considered a necessity to drive operational improvements.» Businesses which are able to increase their digital maturity will have competitive advantages. Going forward, I expect tech and IT to grow even faster as a result. Business transformation is also a IT and tech-issue!
The cybersecurity issue
The aforementioned report from Radar and Visolit also shows how many small and medium businesses in Sweden have low cybersecurity maturity. In spite of cybersecurity being one of the top three prioritised areas for businesses, in actual investments cybersecurity is not prioritised to a matching degree! Coupled with the fact that a «successful» cyberattack will cost the business an average of 20-40 MSEK, this poses quite the business risk- and it needs to be addressed. Particularly for SMEs, who are much more likely to be severely disrupted by cybercrime than large organisations due to resource constraints.
Communicators across the businesses needs to assist in getting the message across- both internally in the management- but also to the society at large! One of the definitive highlights during the launch of this report, was when the Business Media Dagens Industri posted our recommendations for businesses in August. Hopefully, many organisations are now evaluating their risks!
I am also deeply concerned about the number of available security experts in the Nordic countries. I strongly believe we must intensify our efforts in educating and providing reselling/upskilling to employees in security going forward. Every management group needs to take security into account, as the responsibility resides in management.
Governments across Norway, Denmark and Sweden need to step up efforts to educate more on security issues, risk assessments and I should like to see more cooperation between the Nordic countries. The latest report from The Digitalisation Partnership in Denmark has some very exciting proposals for Denmark in this area, among them a specific cyber security centre for SMEs. Cybersecurity is also a tech and IT- issue!
The competency issue
The ICT sector also contributes to innovation in other sectors, thereby fuelling the transformation of society in all sectors. A survey from Abelia, ICT-Norway, NITO, Digital Norway, Tekna, Negotia and The Electrician and IT workers union, shows how the digitalisation of the sectors in Norway increases the demand for ICT competencies. This is not only the case for the ICT sector, all sectors will be competing for the ICT resources going forward. A projected 40 000 employees with competencies in ICT will be needed by 2030 in Norway in order to fuel the innovation demand. The situation is also dire in Denmark and Sweden, and ICT organisations in all Nordic countries are saying the same thing: We need an immediate and large increase of the efforts in ICT competencies- both in number of available spots in universities but also an increase in the resources available for continuous learning for employees already working in different sectors today. It will be necessary for the Nordic countries innovation capabilities going forward. Competencies is also a tech and IT-issue!
In addition to these three issues, I would like to emphasise a couple of highlights from my time in Visolit.
Public Cloud First
The first highlight is our transformation through our Public Cloud First-programme that for the past two years have improved the Cloud offerings in Visolit both from an organisational, commercial and technical standpoint. To be able to participate in the operational management team of this programme taught me so much about the complexity of business transformation, and how important it is to connect the dots from strategy through to actual implementation in organisations. Communicators have important roles here too, both in order to be able to translate the changes into messages that can be understood and acted upon, and to ensure feedback comes into consideration as changes occur. The external communication was also important, through both earned, owned and paid media, to support Visolit`s position as the customers cloud partner. I want to especially thank our COO Hans Vigstad for the privilege of working alongside a strong team to help realise the improved positioning of Visolit.
Rebranding of TeleComputing to Visolit
The second highlight was the rebranding of TeleComputing to Visolit. An encompassing task that included a total physical and digital rebranding, and the positioning of the new brand since 2019 through today. Together with Marketing Director Heidi Kopperud, we positioned Visolit as a strong cloud partner for the customers. The marketing rig we established during this process is truly professional and data driven, and I am very proud to have been a part of it! I am also happy for the truly strong voice our Managing Director in Visolit Norway, Hege Støre, has had through her engagement for a more innovative Norway! This position and engagement has further strengthened Visolit`s position in the market.
To all relations from my time in Visolit, thank you! It has been a pleasure having great colleagues, competent managers and an experienced management team to work with. I also would like to thank all the customers I have had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing, your insights have been so rewarding to me! A special thank you to DigitalNorway, ICT Norway, Tech Sweden, Radar Ecosystem Specialists and Microsoft for valuable cooperation!
Sustainable business- healthy business for a healthier planet
So, now it is time to look ahead. The three issues I have pointed out earlier are also in reality sustainability issues. In 1997, The Commission for the UN World Commission on Environment and Development, defined sustainable development as : «Development which meets the needs of current generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. Businesses and organisations must all take part if we are to make this happen. Business improvements and transformations are necessary to reduce climate impact of business operations. At the same time, societal and governance issues are to be taken into account. A framework for starting the sustainable business transformation can be found in for example the first Nordic Sustainability Reporting Standard. I would also like to add that all three issues with business transformation, cybersecurity and competency all play a central part in the 17 Sustainable Goals set by the UN Global Compact.
Accountability and transparency is the future of sustainability, and sustainability reporting is a key enabler for greater sustainability transition. This particular area is one in which I will be working closely with COO Christine Lundberg Larsen and other key stakeholders in ECIT to establish-an encompassing societal issue that is very close to my heart- and that is or will be on every CEOs agenda in the coming years, alongside business transformation and cybersecurity. We communicators are well positioned to assist in this particular transition! I am very excited to start my new position, and to meet my competent colleagues, partners and customers in ECIT- not to mention a very experienced top management group well equipped to take ECIT further on its growth journey in a market driven by innovation, digitalisation and business transformation!
ECIT has over 31 000 customers in every industry both within IT and economics, over 2100 employees and is an attractive plattform for entrepreneurs looking to grow and develop their business. ECIT is listed on Euronext Growth, and is represented in over 100 locations across 9 countries. Read more about ECIT here.
2022 will be awesome! Happy new year to all!
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