The COVID-19 pandemic is resulting in managers thinking differently about using technology to improve their business… including cloud based data management.
Viv Preston, maxgeo’s Managing Director, explains.
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed many aspects of our lives – how we interact with friends and family, how we react when someone coughs nearby or comes in for a hug, and how we shop.
It has also affected how we work. Since 2020, maxgeo managed to introduce several new clients to modern data management. Companies that had never considered a work from home policy now have them in place. Video conferencing is being used for team meetings, client catch-ups and job interviews. Document storage over the cloud is becoming more common because it can be accessed no matter where you are working.
“COVID-19 has forced businesses to consider using technology for staff and customer interaction. And by having early success with team communications apps, it seems that managers are now more open to the idea of other technological solutions to run their business better”, said Viv Preston, Managing Director at maxgeo.
An example of a technological business solution that is quickly gaining traction is maxgeo’s cloud based data management. It enables mining and exploration companies to outsource their data management requirements, reducing the time and money spent setting up and maintaining a data management system so that they can focus on their core business.
“The cloud based data management solution means that companies can reduce or eradicate all sorts of IT costs including hardware and software upgrades, backup and redundancy. Our team of Database Administrators does all the work for our cloud clients, saving them the HR and training costs of hiring their own Database Administrator (DBA), with the added benefit of always having a DBA available for support. And less support is needed by our clients because our data management system is browser-based so that any authorised user can view their data from anywhere, any time – they don’t have to ask the DBA to send them the information they need.”
This sort of IT outsourcing is not new. Companies all over the world have been testing the benefits versus perceived risks by outsourcing their IT hardware, software, or support services for decades. If your core business is not IT-related, then delegating it to experts can make good business sense. According to a study from 2009, announcing the decision to outsource IT systems often has a positive impact on the company’s stock price1.
Viv Preston has been running maxgeo for 20 years and is a keen observer of business trends.
“While our cloud based data management solution has been available for three years, I’ve noticed an uptake in interest since the coronavirus pandemic started. Mining and exploration companies are not only continuing to operate throughout the pandemic, they are becoming more innovative”, Viv said.