Do we still remember when IT and its manager were mainly responsible for running the mail and file servers, and making sure the latest version of Windows was installed?

In recent years, however, IT has grown from a support area into a field that increasingly shapes the business itself, and this process accelerated dramatically after the outbreak of the COVID pandemic.

Customer-friendly applications

Just a few years ago, even the largest companies were only at the stage of thinking it would be nice to have a website, and maybe a Facebook page wouldn't hurt either. Many stopped right there. Then, when the possibility of personal contact with customers disappeared, big trouble arose.

Although a process of "let's handle our affairs electronically" had already begun earlier, according to some opinions, what has taken place in this area in the past six months would not have happened even in 10 years without the pandemic. Wherever IT is not moving or has not already moved on digital transformation, the entire operation becomes impossible.

Digital channels have become primary...

CRM

If we can only meet our customers and each other in the digital space, then we can no longer rely solely on our otherwise uncertain impressions. Instead, we can make their preferences, opinions, and choices measurable.

IT therefore bears a much greater responsibility for gathering this information and being able to provide valuable advice to business areas.

Anything is possible

The shutdowns that occurred worldwide put company decision-makers in a position where steps related to digitalization, previously only planned or under consideration, became unavoidable. Radical new changes were needed, such as automating and remotely controlling human processes and eliminating paper-based data entry and approval.

Who else could carry all this out but the IT department?

Decentralized work

We know that the internet can't be shut down because it's decentralized. If one server goes down, there are a hundred others in its place.

Companies had to realize very quickly how outdated and how illusory the notion is that walls represent (information) security. Because if the virus starts in billing, within two days it's in the warehouse too... That's why big American companies bought thousands of laptops a day when the pandemic broke out. Because they had no other choice.

Head for the cloud!

The above shows that the pandemic radically transformed and expanded the tasks of IT departments. This transformation, however, is well supported by increasingly secure and cheaper cloud-based providers, toward whom there is still considerable reluctance in Hungary, but for IT to be able to focus much more on the business, it has to let go of what it doesn't have to do.

The key question, of course, is: how can a win-win situation be built in this "forward escape into digitalization"? How do the remote worker, the customer, and the decision-maker all become motivated and satisfied?

Because of the situation that has developed, since every player is being "forced" or "fleeing" into the digital space, the responsibility of IT leaders in creating this brave new world has grown by orders of magnitude.

At the same time, business areas can no longer look at IT the way they used to.