While some are winding down for the end of 2021, for others this time needs to be used for prepare for 2022. This is certainly the belief of Chris Norton (pictured above), regional director for Africa at Veeam Software, who recently unpacked the importance for CIOs and other high-level executives to begin outlining their priorities for the coming year.

For Norton there are five in particular that CIOs, CISOs and heads of IT to be aware of moving forward, especially if they are going to react quickly to the continued flux that thye pandemic has brought to the fore.

“By now it’s widely accepted that besides changing the face of businesses and workforces for good – think remote and hybrid working – the pandemic finally broke down any resistance or lethargy around digitalisation of businesses,” he highlights.

“However, digital transformation is not an event. It is a journey of constant evolution to unlock even better user experience, even more competitiveness, disrupt even more business models and manage and protect exponentially increasing seas of data,” emphasises Norton.

Citing a recent Gartner report, where technology trends for 2022 were laid out, with cloud-native platforms, cybersecurity mesh, AI, distributed enterprises and privacy computations, in particular mentioned, Norton is of the opinion that the local outlook is a little more different compared to other parts of the globe.

What should be on your radar?

“These strategic trends are exciting because they all speak of a future where automation and technology make businesses better. However, I would posit that while these are of massive interest, CIOs, heads of IT and CISOs in South Africa will be preoccupied with other – more immediate – challenges on these shores during the year 2022,” he points out.

To that end, global supply chain shortages will continue to be an area that needs to be catered for, according to Norton. With the provision of hardware and ability to map out requirements suffering as a result of an unstable supply chain, the Veeam executive says, “the target is moving and currently unquantifiable, with shortages extending in many instances to beyond five months.”

“The semiconductor chip shortage hangover will continue into FY22 and impact everyone up and down the value chain by delaying deliveries and extending project deadlines,” he advises.

Another element to consider is the re-emergence of vendor teaming. Here Norton is of the opinion that, “return on investment and showing value are as important as ever, and in most cases even more vital. Businesses simply cannot afford to always take a long-term view. Interventions need to move the dial to unlock value for all stakeholders.”

Next is the rise of challengers to the old guard. “In the broader IT industry, leadership positions in certain solution areas are already being challenged and it is likely we will see some changes, where challengers try to take on and surpass dominant industry players. In some instances they will succeed,” explains Norton.

With the Omicron variant of the virus currently plaguing parts of the globe, including South Africa, the ability to respond to ever changing socio-political dynamics continues to be a must.

“What isn’t clear, is how the government will respond to increased infections in terms of restrictions, though President Cyril Ramaphosa gave strong indications that the government is considering mandatory vaccinations for citizens to make use of public spaces.” says Norton.

“However the fourth wave unfolds, because of adaptations to working patterns effected during the initial phases of the pandemic, many people – certainly those who are able to work remotely – are geared to continue working despite any further disruptions,” he adds.

Lastly, Norton highlights the importance of cloud and security for CIOs. We have seen cybercrime skyrocket as a result of the pandemic and that shows no signs of changing in the new year. It is not a one and done scenario when it comes to securing your environment, however, and constant scrutiny and improvement is needed, according to the Veeam exec.

“Businesses have no choice but to expand their cloud strategies and invest in new technology such as Kubernetes and containerisation. However, data management, security and backup is going to remain a fundamental line item in organisations’ strategies,” he believes.

“Just as criminal networks become even more advanced, so too do businesses need to invest in the best partners, platforms and solutions to ensure their data is safe, secure, backed up and more importantly, retrievable,” concludes Norton.