How modernized IT can help a business go global

Sponsored content

Nowadays it is not only becoming easier for businesses to ‘go global’, but in some ways it is a logical step to take when a business reaches a certain level of growth.

These days, globalization is a major trend in business – this is implementation of business practices which help businesses connect with partners, collaborators, and most importantly, with customers, all around the world. Plenty of business have, historically, had goals to penetrate international markets, but the idea of going global has been taken much further now, mainly with the help of our modern, tech-driven world. Technology has enhanced and accelerated many aspects of our lives – from communication, to entertainment, the way we access services, etc. It is understandable that it is now shaping the goals and growth trajectories of businesses.

Move to Cloud

To begin with, the best first step for a business wanting to go global, is to transform their infrastructure so that it is agile and futureproof – for these are two of the most critical qualities needed in order to operate on the global business playing field. The way in which businesses do this is by making a move to the Cloud.

The Cloud is a highly innovative technology that has made it possible for businesses to completely rebuild their infrastructure, making it easier for the business to adapt and change, to hire and onboard employees from anywhere in the world, and perform efficient communication and collaboration. For example, TechQuarters provides IT support services in London and most of their business is concentrated in the UK; however, they have been able to hire talent from all over Europe and Africa, because they use a Cloud-based infrastructure that means their employees are not limited by their location.

For a business to go global, it is important to be able to work on a 24-hour basis. This does not necessarily mean that everyone in the business should be working around the clock, but the company must have teams working in a variety of time zones, so that they are constantly able to operate within various international markets.

Adopt the Right Collaborative Tools

If a business wants their workforce to be able to operate in international markets, then they will most certainly need the right collaborative tools. When facing global expansion, it is inevitable that a business will encounter various partners and collaborators with many different preferences for communication and collaborate – therefore, it is useful for a business to adopt tools that enable to contend with any of these preferences. Some people may rely solely on email communications, while others may prefer telephone calls, and many people these days are moving over the video meetings and conferences.

For communication, a business should opt for a unified communications strategy – this involves adopting digital tools that can be used for all popular forms of remote communication; an example of this would be Microsoft Teams. Teams is a collaborative platform that integrates instant messaging, Cloud Telephony (also known as VoIP), and video communications; it even integrates with Microsoft Outlook, an enterprise-grade email client, so with Teams you will definitely have all forms of communications covered.

Other useful collaborative tools involve ones that enable a business to share files and other important data in a flexible, yet highly secure way. Another great example from Microsoft that meets these requirements is Microsoft SharePoint – a cloud-based file management services. SharePoint is so customizable that it can be utilized for almost any file-sharing or storage purpose a business needs, and it is backed up by Microsoft’s exceptional cyber security standards. If you have international teams, they will greatly appreciate having access to Cloud-based file sharing and storage environments that make the exchange of critical information easier.

Upgrade Security

Technological security is essential for businesses wanting to go global. If a business has made a move to the Cloud, they will find it much easier to get their security up to a standard that is appropriate when working with international markets. But why exactly is it so important? Well, depending on what sector a business is in, then accessing international markets might also mean having to comply with other country’s laws, policies, and regulations – there may even be additional internationally applicable regulations to be dealing with.

Some common examples of international regulations are the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which presides over businesses located in the EU – businesses based in EU countries like Hungary that want to do business with businesses based outside of the EU would have to contend with both the EU GDPR, and the laws of whichever country their other business resides in. However, an agile security infrastructure can ensure that a business is able to adhere to any and all regulatory compliance laws that are in effect in the countries and markets they wish to access.

Of course, security isn’t only needed due to compliancy reasons. A business accessing international markets will also be increasing the frequency with which they potentially come into contact with cybercriminals, malware, viruses, and more. For this reason it is especially important that a global business’ internal security measures are up to the task of defending against the latest cyber security threats – unfortunately, such threats are getting more sophisticated, and more common, all the time.