New opportunities through comprehensive IT consulting in the greater Hamburg area

The city-state of Hamburg with its 1.89 million inhabitants is considered to be second-largest city in Germany. A Trade and service center of supra-regional importance, which, among other things, is Media location and is known as the seat of well-known insurance companies.

Chemistry and electrical engineering, mechanical and shipbuilding and, last but not least, banks and the petroleum industry also contribute to the popularity of the Hanseatic city as attractive employers.

In doing so, the Senate of Hamburg Start-ups and founders through individual advice, loans and investments. It is therefore no wonder that the Future Atlas predicted “very high future opportunities” for entrepreneurs in the greater Hamburg area back in 2016.

How much do external IT consultants contribute to the economic success of companies? As a result of digital transformation, the framework conditions that a region or a city is able to offer its entrepreneurs represent only one, albeit important, pillar of the economic success of companies. A powerful IT infrastructure, which even small and medium-sized companies (so-called SMEs) can use to future-proof their customer management and cybersecurity from the outset, is just as indispensable. Especially in large service and metropolitan centers such as Hamburg, external IT consultants, who are familiar with the latest software and hardware technologies, are urgently needed.

Digital transformation is advancing relentlessly

Before we start the job profile of an external IT consultant and his services , let's take a brief look at digital transformation. It starts with artificial intelligence, goes over Online consultations with doctors And ends with countless Apps that each of us How self-evident Uses on a daily basis. 

Some products, such as the Deutschlandticket, are now only available digitally, and the cashless payment transactions continue to increase. Economic historians and IT experts have therefore long been talking about a digital revolution. This equates the changes and opportunities, but also the risks that go hand in hand with advancing digitalization, with the upheavals of the industrial revolution.

In fact, the progressive automation of processes poses challenges not only for companies but also for municipalities. It starts with a fast and powerful Internet and ends with the question of whether there are enough external IT consultant and implementation partner are on site in a metropolitan area such as Hamburg.

Because your own workforce is often overwhelmed by the latest technologies and challenges in the IT sector and long-term partnerships between start-ups and external IT consultants make sense.

What are the challenges of digitization?

For SMEs, this means digitization both A challenge as well as an opportunity. This is because companies that make good use of the latest technologies can automate many work processes and thus save time and resources. This applies not least to the areas of customer management and marketing, where optimal software solutions have been on the market for a long time.

Conversely, questions relating to cybersecurity and data protection are becoming more and more important and Even start-ups and small businesses are often confronted with very specific requirements and problems.

Digital transformation therefore almost necessarily goes hand in hand with transformation within the company. Because only one regular review of the computer infrastructure in the hardware and software sectors guarantees that companies remain competitive and are optimally protected against cyber attacks.

The biggest mistakes that new founders and companies can make in the course of advancing digitalization can therefore be summarized as follows:

• modern technologies are not being used
• Employees carry out digitization on their own
• Hardware and software are outdated
• Vulnerabilities are not recognized or are not taken seriously

How well are German companies, for example in the Hamburg area, digitally positioned?

In fact, many IT consulting experts, such as MDSYSTEC, are sounding the alarm. Because companies are still afraid of the need for investment and out-of-date hardware and software one.

Auch lack of time and lack of qualification Digitalization and the automation of recurring processes among their own workforce are still often slowing down, especially in medium-sized companies.

But sometimes there are also Resistance within the workforcewhen new software, such as for customer management, is to be implemented.

The work of external IT consultants therefore consists of a comprehensive inventory of the IT infrastructure, including the issue of cyber security. Raising awareness and enthusiasm among employees for this issue is an important step.

Only then are desirable investments and new acquisitions coordinated with managing directors and respective decision makers and implementation and training of internal employees take place.

Tailored solutions for specific requirements

In fact, the human factor sometimes turns out to be the decisive weak point within the IT infrastructure of companies. For example, when the benefits of the latest technologies are not recognized or simply ignored.

It is also not uncommon for even long-time employees to inadvertently open emails with corrupted content. The task of IT consultants is therefore to provide a Awareness of the opportunities and risks of digitization among managing directors, but also within the workforce toward wake. Managed services and software that meets current requirements are only a second step.

Using the example of powerful CAD software via the cloud, we would like to take a closer look at the benefits of a tailor-made solution that external implementation partners can offer.

• Flexible and can also be used in the home office: In fact, the cloud-based provision of CAD software allows easy access for all authorized parties. And that from anywhere in the world and at any time. Business trips, but also home office, are therefore no longer slowing down the workflow.
• Cost savings: High acquisition costs and time-consuming maintenance are eliminated. Companies can save money thanks to managed services and modern software. This is then available for other useful purchases, such as vehicle fleets or furnishing business premises.
• Individual solutions including: Experienced IT consultants in particular, such as MDSYSTEC, can also offer companies tailor-made solutions as part of cloud-based software applications.

The fact that there is still a need for action in Germany's digital transformation has also Pandemic Once again mercilessly revealed. Denn Many companies were not ready for home offices and virtual meetings, either in terms of their hardware or as part of the software solutions they used.

The goal of companies as well as IT consultants must therefore be to drive business transformation using AI and automation not only in the greater Hamburg area, but throughout Germany!

Did the pandemic have a positive impact on Germany's digitization?

Despite there still being some catching up to do in the IT infrastructure of many companies, the pandemic has turned out to be a real booster for Germany's digital transformation in retrospect. Other parameters that drive digitization include:

• globalization
• the steady growth in the area of goods and in particular in online retail
• general technical progress, for example with privately used smartphones

as well as

• networking financial markets

Anyone who wants to keep up here almost automatically employs external IT consultants or increases their own IT department.

Understanding the specific requirements of each industry

The large number of professional groups that benefit from digitization requires good IT consultants to be familiar with the specific requirements of the individual industries. For example, operators of online shops naturally have different demands on their new marketing and CRM solution than is the case, for example, with companies in the healthcare sector or craft businesses.

Especially in large metropolitan areas or a city-state such as Hamburg, the selection of suitable implementation partners comes therefore a central role in. It is important to differentiate between agencies and freelancers. In addition, some external service providers see themselves as generalists, while others have specialized in a specific area of responsibility, such as CRM solutions or even the topic of cybersecurity.

As a full-service IT provider, MDSYSTEC can offer Hamburg-based companies an all-inclusive solution for internal IT. However, specialists from the agency's staff pool will also comprehensively address specific requirements, such as a cyber attack, and, in contrast to IT consultants from abroad, can be on site promptly if necessary.

It is therefore true that between Generalists and specialists to differentiate. Companies also have the question of whether IT consulting is outsourced abroad or whether German providers make more sense at the end of the day.

Speaking for German IT consultants and implementation partners:

• IT consultants and companies live and work in the same time zone
• There is no language barriers or socio-cultural hurdles
• necessary trainings on the new hardware or software in German
• Experts from the consulting agency can be on site promptly in the event of computer breakdowns or cyber attacks

This in turn reduces the costs and downtime that are invariably associated with every hacker attack and every crash of internal IT systems.

This also minimizes the risk of loss of image or recourse claims associated with blocked or leaked customer data.

Our Conclusion

Regardless of whether it's in Hamburg or another region of Germany, IT consultants help find tailor-made solutions for specific requirements and to use the latest technologies for optimal results.

There are often long-term partnerships The The key to successful digital transformation. Because in addition to professional expertise, the human factor also counts. Board members, managing directors and employees must be convinced of the proposed hardware or software solution. Only if this is the case will the newly implemented application be a success.

The aim of MDSYSTEC is therefore to provide exceptional IT support with managed services in Hamburg and throughout Germany. Applications for working from home or employees who sometimes want to work remotely are also part of the portfolio.

Of course, the needs of the respective industry are fully taken into account and, if desired, retraining of the software takes place. Last but not least, can regular cyber security reviews by trained employees be booked.