Digitization boost thanks to Corona?

The digitization of business processes has gained considerable importance in the past year. The Corona pandemic revealed weak points and was some kind of “digital wake-up call” in many areas. Particularly in the SME sector, digitization projects are highly prioritized. We give insights into current developments and show you how to run your company digitally with our range of services. Also, find out how to get valuable government funding for your digital projects!

Life without MS Teams, Zoom & Co? – Hard to imagine, especially regarding the ongoing Corona pandemic. The digital world is shaping our daily lives more than ever. It has become an integral part of our everyday lives and enables us to keep in touch with friends and family or make purchases via online shopping even in times of lockdown. However, digitization is not only perceivable in the private sphere, but is also experiencing an increased boost in the corporate sector.

In fact, alongside all the downsides of the Corona crisis, there is also hope for progress. As a recent survey by Bitkom Research reveals, there has been a “digitization boost in people’s minds” (Source: Bitkom). While in 2018, one-third of respondents still doubted the economic benefits of digitization, it is only 12% today. In comparison, at the beginning of the 2020 pandemic, 27% were still sceptical about the benefits of digitization. This mind shift must now also be consistently put into practice so that companies can benefit in the long term.

Not surprisingly, small and medium-sized companies, in particular, have lagged behind in the digital transformation to date. According to the Digital Index by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, large companies are way ahead. However, especially in the SME sector, the digitization of business processes has gained considerable importance in the wake of the Corona pandemic. Accordingly, digitization projects are highly prioritized.

However, while Corona is acting as an impetus for digitization processes in some companies, projects have been postponed in other organizations due to the economic situation. But still: “Digitisation must be at the top of every company’s agenda,” says Bitkom President Achim Berg (Source: Bitkom).

Within a very short period of time, many employees were transferred to the home office last year. This required new ways of collaboration and adapting to new ways of working. The necessary conditions and suitable infrastructure weren’t in place everywhere. Companies were confronted with the need to optimise internal work processes in the fastest possible way and to maintain business processes despite the new situation.

Digital solutions help to overcome the sometimes newly created spatial separation of teams and colleagues: Thanks to communication and collaboration solutions, cooperation between teams, employees, and business partners can proceed efficiently. These digital applications are suitable for both internal and external communication. Thus, video conferencing, messenger, and collaboration tools, in general, are increasingly finding their way into companies.

The use of classic communication channels such as letter posts and fax, on the other hand, is declining. This has positive effects: The number of paper-based transactions and work processes is decreasing. Electronic invoicing, for example, makes an important contribution at this point. Electronic document management and archiving as well as digital signature solutions also ensure paperless processes. (Source: Bitkom Research 2021).

The “forced” digitization by the Corona crisis has thus led to innovations in many places. However, there is still work to be done, as there is much-untapped potential and further need for improvement.

The diversity of the application of digital solutions in companies is almost inexhaustible. It is about solutions that are not only used to survive the times of the crisis. Those solutions must bring sustainable changes from which companies benefit in the long term. These include the use of:

On the road to digital transformation, many entrepreneurs see a multitude of obstacles. The fear of data loss, the high requirements for data protection, and IT security are some of the reasons that slow down digitization projects in companies. In addition to these regulatory hurdles, it is not least the lack of know-how or also the lack of time. (Source: Bitkom Research 2021). This is where we help as an IT partner: We provide you with comprehensive advice on digitization strategies in your company and support you in implementing the measures!

With our range of services, you get everything you need: from IT security solutions and data protection consulting, to the introduction of the ERP system SAP Business One and the design of the digital workplace – all from a single source!

Get ready for the future and implement your digitization projects together with us! In addition to consulting and implementation, we also make sure that your employees are all set for everyday digital life! In the following, we present two ways to create digital business processes.

SAP Business One is the ERP software specifically designed for small and medium-sized companies. The ERP system links all relevant business areas and enables full control over all business transactions. All processes in financial management, purchasing and sales, customer management are thus digitally mapped in a central application.

The software is applicable in various industries and can be customized depending on your requirements. As SAP partner, we accompany you during the introduction and complete implementation of the SAP Business One software including training and support.

In addition, we offer specially developed add-ons for the management of your e-commerce and the management of warehouse and logistics. Especially for digital document management, we provide you with the extension solution of C.K.Solution.

The flexible and digital collaboration will play a major role in the future. We, therefore, create suitable concepts for modern workplaces in your company so that all employees can work together efficiently regardless of time and location. To do so, we analyze the working methods, requirements, and needs. Then we develop an individual and customized Modern Workplace concept.

We offer the following solutions:

As a Microsoft Partner, we provide Microsoft 365 including the collaboration tool Microsoft Teams. Microsoft 365 with its versatile functions is fundamental for the modern, digital workplace. Chats, phone, online meetings, and collaboration in real-time – the complete solution Microsoft 365 fulfills all these and many more functions. We take care of the complete implementation and also offer training for your users.

There are numerous attractive government funding opportunities for financing digital projects. They encourage companies to invest in their future and facilitate the implementation of digitization measures.

„Digital Jetzt – Investitionsförderung des Mittelstandes“ is the funding program of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi). The program supports digitization measures of small and medium-sized companies in Germany. Grants of up to 50.000€ are available for investments in digital technologies, as well as for investments in the qualification of employees on digital topics.

The „Digitalbonus Bayern“ provides incentives for digital transformation in small businesses. The Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs promotes investments in digital technologies and systems in order to digitalize operational processes and support data-driven business models. Investments in IT security are also funded. The grants amount to up to 10.000€.

You are looking for a competent IT partner for the digitization in your company? Then you’ve come to the right place!