The Future of IT Support and Innovations to Watch in SA

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“The way IT services have evolved in recent years has been pretty incredible, mainly driven by advancing technology and the shifting needs of businesses,” says Graeme Millar, managing director of SevenC. We’ve seen big changes in areas like cloud computing, AI, and automation, and they’re changing how companies work.” While it’s tricky to predict exactly where things are headed, SevenC highlights the potential directions IT services might take in the future. 

Automated Solutions 

A recent Gartner report indicated that by 2027, ‘50% of companies with warehouse operations will leverage AI-enabled vision systems to replace traditional scanning-based cycle-counting processes’. This includes chatbots and automated help desks. The next phase of AI support will likely focus on predictive maintenance – where AI will be able to anticipate issues based on real-time data and resolve them before they cause disruptions.  

Cloud-Based IT Support 

A survey by RightScale (now a part of Flexera) found that 94% of enterprises worldwide use cloud services in some capacity, and South African businesses are following suit. Cloud-based IT support allows teams to monitor, troubleshoot, and manage systems remotely, providing scalability and flexibility that traditional models cannot match. 

According to MarketsandMarkets, the South African cloud computing market is expected to reach USD 1.5 billion by 2025, highlighting the increasing demand for cloud-based services. Cloud-based IT support systems allow businesses to access services from anywhere, which is especially important given the rise of remote working. Cloud-based support also offers much-needed reliability to South African companies facing continuous power outages due to load shedding. 

The Rise of Remote IT Support 

The COVID-19 pandemic increased the widespread popularity of the remote work culture, and with that came the popularity of remote IT help. According to a report by McKinsey & Company, over 80% of South African businesses expect remote work to remain a permanent or semi-permanent feature of their operations. 

Remote IT support offers a flexible, efficient way to handle technical issues without needing physical presence. Support technicians can resolve problems from any location, significantly cutting response times and reducing the need for on-site visits.

This is especially beneficial for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which may need more resources to maintain large in-house IT teams. Remote IT support also enables businesses to tap into a broader talent pool. Companies in South Africa can now seek the services of IT specialists from anywhere in the world. 

Cybersecurity 

According to Interpol, South Africa ranks third globally for the most cybercrime victims, with 43% of cyberattacks directed at small businesses (worldwide). Several IT providers have already developed fully-fledged cybersecurity services that offer continuous network monitoring, detection of complex threats, and micromanagement of security patches. 

In the future, managed IT support will likely get even smarter, with tools like AI-driven threat detection that can spot unusual activity and stop cyber threats before they do any damage. 

Hybrid or Multi-Cloud Environments 

According to a report released by IDC, nearly 80% of businesses will adopt a hybrid or multi-cloud environment by 2025. IT support teams will need to be skilled at handling both cloud systems and on-site hardware. 

Energy-efficient Solutions 

As the world focuses more on going green, local businesses are examining their carbon footprints more closely. IT support providers are stepping up to help with energy-efficient solutions and cloud-based systems that reduce the need for physical hardware. Sustainable IT practices are catching on, like cutting energy use with better data centre management or reducing e-waste by recycling old hardware. 

The future of IT support in South Africa is bright, driven by trends like AI, cloud technology, and automation. Managed IT services such as SevenC will continue to evolve to offer more proactive, efficient, and strategic solutions.