A good crisis cannot go to waste: now is the time to bring your IT into the 21st century

The world around us is changing, and uncertainty tends to lead to caution. However, Margus Eha, CEO of Opus, says that the past crises have clearly shown that when the stakes get more serious, it’s time to double down, not wait and see – especially when it comes to IT, automation, increased efficiency, and greener thinking.

“A good crisis can’t be left unused – it’s a time to innovate, try something new, and see if and how current processes could be optimized, where there’s room to achieve great results in a more efficient manner, and in what areas could medium-sized investments yield higher returns,” he explained. “More often than not, all of the above relates to IT, infrastructure, and automation in some way or another.”

When times are good, companies often settle for what they have and what they’re used to. However, once the situation changes and the needs of the company abruptly pivot, the support systems employed by these organisations must change as well. Margus noted that once COVID hit, many companies vastly increased their IT investments to get an edge over their competitors and perfect their processes in an era where revenue fell, but the challenges and expectations of customers only increased.

“I believe we are nearing another situation like this. The current economic outlook is rather grim, and whilst stronger companies will weather the storm, they too must adapt to the changing reality,” he said. “Investments that had been put on hold in recent years should now be dusted off and implemented as soon as possible – be it new infrastructure, new software for better revenue or goods management, new sales channels, or even (marketing) automation. The only way to thrive in rough times is to innovate and do it faster or better than your competition.”

Over the past years, Opus has helped dozens of companies to find new and better revenue sources with state-of-the-art custom e-commerce solutions, new software, high-efficiency in-house tools, and a lot more. “Future-looking companies understand that IT is not an expense, but an investment. Yes, it might be a big chunk of change upfront, but over the years it will yield far greater savings,” Margus added.

It’s not just about the money

While new and more efficient IT solutions help organisations save tons of money, Margus notes it’s not just about that. “It’s also about thinking green and realizing that doing useless work or working in an inefficient manner is good for nobody. Modern systems enable you to work in a modern way, with minimal waste, and with keeping in mind the green principle – everything that can be done more efficiently, should be done more efficiently,” he said.

As an example, he said that a company that currently spends 40 hours (about 1 and a half days) a month compiling various reports and importing/exporting various data streams to get an overview of their business, could save heaps on labour and pointless handiwork by implementing modern tools and software into their processes.

“A tailor-made piece of software just for you, that’s fine-tuned to your needs and your company specifics. That’s where the increased efficiencies lie,” he said.

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