On the 11th of March, the Xenex Systems team attended the Leader Expo 2020 in Perth, Australia’s largest IT reseller expo.
We enjoyed catching up with the local market and it was great to hear what’s new.
Since then the market has changed dramatically and overnight working remotely technology tools have become indispensable for businesses today.
Below is a summary from the seminar and we also wanted to provide an update on what some of our providers are doing in these times of COVID-19 shutdowns and how we are getting involved in helping these businesses through these tough times.
Cyber-secure while working from home
WatchGuard seminar was about how important it is in today’s unprecedented situation for employers to adopt security measures which protect workers whenever and wherever they’re on the job. As working remotely becomes the norm for more Australians, implementing cybersecurity strategies to support the remote working model is imperative for local businesses to protect the integrity of their systems and data. In this case, employees become a major attach target of attack.
WatchGuard focused on the cloud platform and TDR, how we can stop different platforms configuration and talked about Firebox T10; more than ever, how important the multi-factor authentication services are, how they integrate with Office 365, push notifications and other features.
There were discussions about GDPR for information to be saved and how important is to work closely with the Digital Transformation Agency to put in place new policies for Australia as well very soon. However, the GDPR of Europe and America are confusing and further discussions should take place. Watch Guard expand their services portfolio by partnering with security companies (like Bitdefender and Kaspersky), and the latest acquisition was of Panda Security.
Remote Management System
Their Teltonika smart transportation systems including new Bluetooth 4.0 accessories with temperature and humidity sensors are a must-have to track in the retail transport industry.
Hosted on Amazon, their Remote Management System (RMS) for bus tracking can be pre-programmed and personalised for any business. The management systems have an IOS/Android app for easy monitoring while on the move, simplified maintenance and diagnostics and device access without public IP address. TSW 100 is very useful for the mining industry, also including RUTx12, secure branch VPN connectivity, with 4G connectivity for the retail industry and food vendors, but also digital signage screen infotainment systems for the advertising industry.
Managed IT Services & Cloud Spend
As Microsoft Platinum Partner we were happy to catch up with their team and develop more discussions around cloud transitions. For 2020 it was predicted already that businesses demand managed IT services are increasing multi-fold. They projected that the managed IT services market will group by 38% in the next two years because of:
1. Limited IT resources
2. Volume of mission-critical applications
3. The pace of change and increased complexity
4. The rapid growth of automation needs
We heard about the drivers of Cloud Spend with Microsoft that are:
1. Cost savings, OPEX vs. CAPEX
2. Flexibility, scalability, optimization
3. Security, performance
4. Accessibility, mobility
5. Efficiency, responsiveness
6. Growth in AI, machine learning, IoT, data storage
In the times of coronavirus crisis, there is an increasing new demand for services like Microsoft Teams and other Office applications as more employees work for home. Therefore, tech companies like Microsoft are taking on central new roles around keeping governments, businesses and education up and running as offices shut down to reduce the spread of coronavirus.
Tech for Working from home
Xenex Systems is partnering with these companies and can provide any of their services. We can integrate and manage these technologies along with other services of worldwide leaders technology. However, at the moment the hardware shortages out of China are out of our control and we recommend ordering computers and accessories in advance to allow for delays in manufacturing.
In these unusual times, some businesses will have to reinvent themselves and embrace the challenge of change, looking for opportunities in unprecedented times. We have a professional team at Xenex Systems to help you transition to the latest technologies, with the highest performing tools for working remotely.
We have already assisted our clients to set up staff to work remotely, including answering calls via the company phone systems using our 3CX Cloud PBX technology. Get in touch if you have further requirements or know someone needing technology assistance with remote workers.