The last year has shown us several challenges in the areas of product development and production systems’ maintenance and so my predictions for 2021 are in three main areas:
Remote Working
First of all, we had the very real problem of how to maintain a cohesive team working in a secure manner, where no two members were in the same building. Fortunately, companies such as Microsoft and Zoom have provided all of us with exceptional collaboration software allowing our teams to work with the same, if not greater, velocity than when all staff were living under the same roof.
We well understood that cyber intrusions were increasing as a result of this global move to out-of-office working and we had to go to great lengths to guarantee the security of the remote access channels to our Worksmart servers, both in development and in production. While we anticipate a gradual staged return to office working in 2021, we also know that cyber security is here to stay.
Cyber Security
As the threat of cyber-attacks will inexorably increase, we have invested heavily in our infrastructure and hardened our internal processes. We now have a considerable percentage of our customers trusting us with hosting their solution securely. We continue to take pride in the fact that, after asking our customers, it seems they much prefer to see their data hosted within our own Worksmart infrastructure rather than one of the well-known public clouds (such as Microsoft Azure).
So, whilst this is a source of pride, it is also a significant responsibility. Consequently, our investment in this area will continue as our application production estate grows.
Product Development
In terms of product development, we have detailed roadmaps for our solutions combining a mix of technical upgrades and new functionality. Consequently, you won’t be surprised when I say that our development agenda for 2021 is packed!
This is particularly the case outside of the UK. We are seeing opportunities arising in other countries, and 2021 will be the year when we start to embrace these within our range of products, starting with SM&CR. Interestingly, several jurisdictions see the UK’s SM&CR regulation as a template for good governance, so helping the stability of their financial systems. Singapore, Australia, Ireland and Hong Kong are taking the lead, with all four at various stages of embracing their variation of SM&CR.
Find out more about our 2021 predictions for the automation of SM&CR.
So, looking ahead to 2021, it’s an exciting time and, while I don’t believe we will ever go back to the “old normal” way of working, I think the “new normal” has the potential to be even better!
If you would like to know more about how Worksmart’s RegTech solutions suite could help transform your response to people based regulation, contact our friendly and knowledgeable team on: 01908 613613 or email us on: info@worksmart.co.uk