Over the last few months, the world of business has experienced a revolution in which it has had to adopt its way of working in order not to reduce its productivity, and here, technology has become particularly relevant. HelloMrLead has talked to Santiago Campuzano, Regional Director of Iberia at Citrix, about the digital transformation of organisations or business, the importance of adapting to different environments and the changes that healthcare crisis has meant for the technology industry.
How do you see the current technology business landscape and what are the most significant changes that the pandemic has brought to this industry?
The first thing we have to take into account is the technological situation of each company. It is not the same for a company that has already tackled a transformation of the workplace adapted to Smart Working, dynamic, mobile and flexible, as it is for companies that still think and culturally feel that everyone has to work from the office. Depending on the culture and technological progress, the situation of some companies and others has been totally different; although what is certain in all cases is that this phenomenon has forced them to take a series of actions.
It is important to separate these two speeds. The first is for companies that are already advanced in the digital transformation and in the transformation of the workplace, with a culture that already accepts being able to work from home and that promotes work-life balance; and others that have simply had to take the step and then have been adapting to try to plan their future. I think that in 2021 there will be many digital transformation projects, not only in prepared companies. A maxim for us is that we work as we live, and there is no denying that technology is part of people’s lives, so we have to adapt more and more.
How has security been affected by the changing landscape that many technology – related business have experienced?
Critically. The only way to be totally secure in a company is to be isolated from the world, and that has many limitations in terms of production, efficiency and the way we relate to the rest of the market, starting with our customers and our employees. When we are not isolated, there are very important security gaps. The first thing to understand is that the main ones are internal. Some are due to people’s mistakes, because they are attacked and don’t know how to distinguish them, and others are due to bad practices, involuntary or in bad faith.
The easier you have remote access, the more points of risk there are. At Citrix our vision is to have mobile and secure worksplaces that allow us to work from anywhere and from any device, with a model that protects information, and with a part that is fundamental, knowing the reaction and recovery time to a secure work environment. We not only care about the proactive part to prevent something from happening, but also the reactive part, to be available with a secure environment as soon as possible.
Workplaces are also undergoing a transformation and another of the most noticeable changes has been the introduction of remote work. Do you think it is here to stay?
I have been looking for phrases that help us to educate ourselves. One is that “we work as we live”, but we have another concept which is the “socio-technological revolution”. We think that digitalisation matters, but cultural transformation matters much more. In other words, technology is available, but people have to adapt, and this means that organisations have to adapt as well. And company managers have an influence here, because you can put the best platform in place, but if you have a manager in a company who wants to see everyone sitting in their place from 9am to 6pm, it is hardly useful to implement telework and want to talk about conciliation.
In recent months we have experienced a situation that was not teleworking, it was the slavery of remote work. The children were at home, people were not prepared and many homes do not have a specific space to be able to work.
For the first time in history, the population pyramid reflects different socio-demographic age groups; and you find yourself with several generations in the same job that has to be attractive to everyone. We have to be able to culturally combine all of them to make the most of the talent of the people within the organisation, otherwise it is very difficult for any digital transformation project to succeed.
What is the role of digital transformation in technology business and sales departments?
For many years, technology has been a part of the operating environment and there is one thing we have to redirect. Technology is not the ultimate goal, it is a way to make companies more competitive and more efficient, both in the present moment that allows you to maintain your competitive position, and in the future to gain market share and be prepared for the next shocks that are going to exist within your sector. Digital transformation is a reality and people have to be able to adapt, thanks to the leadership of company executives and managers.
What is the positive impact and learning that technology companies can extract from the last few months?
The first thing is that we are a human engine with a great responsibility because we have helped people to be able to work from home. This means that people are safe without having to leave and go to the office. And we are also making it easier for companies to maintain their productivity, so we have two factors, one from a social point of view and one from an economic point of view.
In short, technology companies are having an increasingly global impact on the economy and society. There has also been a change and now everyone in the technology sector has a humanistic message and a concern for people that they didn’t have before. I think that is one of the parts of Citrix’s success, especially in Spain, how we have understood that people have to work.
Do you think 2021 will be a year of opportunities for the sector?
I think the real transformation exercise is going to start this year. Here we have a social doubt as to what the impact and speed of vaccination will be, but what is certain is that the world is not stopping. Technology has to have more weight and there is going to be a huge redefinition of roles at the economic level. It is without doubt a year of opportunities and everything has its technological application to gain in efficiency and in productivity.
