By Brian Timperley, MD of MICROmega Group company Turrito Networks

When it comes to technology, executives who believe they can future-proof their organisations need to realise there is little that can be controlled about its evolution in the workplace.

Effectively planning for advancements in technology is virtually impossible, especially when the organisation still relies heavily on legacy infrastructure. Arguments can be made for phasing in the adoption of, by way of example, a fully virtualised environment. But how effective can this adoption be, if the legacy hardware and software cannot support it?

Fundamental to any future-thinking approach has to be an organic strategy that can cater for significant technological changes three to five years from now. Business has to remain as agile as possible when it comes to the potential of what technology will be able to deliver in our near future.

Realistically, there is just too much change and innovation taking place to really say any organisation is future-proofed. This is where small to medium enterprises (SMEs) have the advantage. Traditionally, they are nimble enough to adapt and have already embraced office productivity software-as-a-service, while many enterprises are still debating the merits versus the colossal migration required.

Any organisation has to adapt quickly when market forces change. The days of being in total control of technology are long gone. Instead, the business needs to work with an agile technology partner to deliver a future-friendly strategy.

Identifying such a partner is no mean feat. Businesses are cautioned against relying on a specific vendor solution, rather than a partner who is vendor / solution agnostic. It comes down to delivering solutions effectively in an ever changing environment.

The road ahead is all about technology and not just having the right business mindset. Executives need to understand the impact this will have in their environment. First-to-market advantage when embracing innovative technology is critical to stay ahead of competitors. It is all about how quickly you can evolve and implement.

Those organisations choosing to ignore the technological forces at play might as well close  their doors. Fighting these changes is an exercise in futility - either embrace it or get out of the way of others who are better geared towards a digital future.

The cloud is already here. In a decade’s time, it is going to be the most archaic thought to still own and manage your own infrastructure. People will consume everything through applications and infrastructure driven by cloud environments.

Even in South Africa, the bandwidth discussion will become as irrelevant as it is to far more developed countries. Organisations will no longer be concerned about their internet speed or the amount of data they consume monthly. It will simply be a case of consuming as much as is needed.

The future will be always-connected and businesses are starting to realise this. Combine that knowledge with a more holistic technology strategy and there will be some semblance of future planning. Even better, decision-makers need to focus on the things they can control and leave the right technology partners to deliver the rest.