11 May 2021

Alex MacPherson, director of solution consultancy and account management, Manhattan Associates

If theCovid-19 pandemic-induced disruption to retail in 2020 taught retailers anything at all, it’s that the need to be flexible is crucial not only to business continuity, but to business survival.

The seemingly never ending uncertainty caused by repeated lockdowns, social distancing, lack of clarity as to what you could and couldn’t do, having to work from home with no end in sight - not to mention finally “getting Brexit done” – has had an enormous effect on society as a whole. Combine that with the closure of non-essential shops and the rise of ecommerce has had just as big an impact on retail as an industry too.

11 May 2021

Scott Dodds, CEO, Ultima

The Covid-19 pandemic has created exponential growth in companies requiring cloud services, but their IT staff don’t have all the technical skills to effectively and safely move them to the cloud. This leaves companies open to security vulnerabilities as well as meaning they are not optimising their cloud environment. 

While many businesses have risen to the challenges of remote working, infrastructure and security remain an issue. But automated cloud services with in-built security solutions can solve these problems. They can be bought on a pay-as-you-go basis, addressing large CAPEX outlay issues and allowing companies to overcome legacy application issues and provide security that protects both employee and company from outside attack.