More than half (54%) of SMEs in Ireland said that climate impact is equal to or more important than price when it comes to IT purchasing decisions, research from IT solutions and services provider Datapac has found.
Just 15% of the 150 Irish SME owners with 10-249 employees questioned for the survey, carried out by Censuswide in association with Datapac and cybersecurity and backup specialist Datto, said impact on the environment is not a key deciding factor when making technology purchasing decisions.
The climate change agenda is something which ultimately affects all aspects of an organisation’s operations," said Karen O'Connor, general manager at Datapac. "To meaningfully reduce greenhouse gas emissions, organisations must holistically examine all fundamental processes, including IT, to best chart a course for a greener tomorrow.
“The past two years have seen widescale digital transformations as organisations adapted to better face new challenges. As organisations have witnessed first-hand the value added through enhanced flexibility and productivity, trends indicate that IT investment will remain high.
"When strategically examining one’s IT position, it is important to fully consider how IT investment can enhance organisational processes, rather than just focusing on point-solutions to solve individual challenges."
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“Threat detection and response capabilities remain key, yet the fact remains that the best recourse in the likely event of data theft is having the capacity to quickly restore operational data from a recent and uncompromised backup.”
Again, more than half (54%) of those surveyed said their IT budget had increased, with 35% remaining the same, and 14% decreasing, while 40% of small business owners intend to continue to offer remote or hybrid work following the lifting of restrictions.
Securing critical data can be a challenge for many within the context of these new ways of working, with a further 38% believing that remote and hybrid working has made it more difficult to secure critical data.
“As we emerge from the shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic, organisations need to seize the opportunity to fully re-assess and strengthen their IT and security infrastructures and strategically plan how their IT can best support a greener, more sustainable hybrid future," O'Connor added.
Nicholas O’ Donovan, sales manager at Datto Ireland, said: “We have seen rapid digital adoption in organisations across the board over the last two years.
"At the start of the pandemic, many organisations were forced to enact changes under very tight time constraints and may not have had the opportunity to fully consider the security ramifications of such a shift or to seek expert assistance to guide their transformation."
(Pic: Getty Images)
