How to digitize an SME?: Five aspects to consider to stay competitive

The small and medium businesses have been one of the sectors hardest hit by the pandemichowever, due to their ability to reinvent themselves and remain competitive, they became a key piece for the economic revival from the country. According to the National Institute of Statistics and Informatics (INEI), at the end of 2020, SMEs represented 95% of Peruvian companies and employed 26.6% of the population. economically active population (PEA)which positions them as the engine of the economy.

“SMEs play a fundamental role for the growth of our country and in this context, they require conditions that allow them to be more competitive in the market, here the digital transformation is key and becomes a priority for them to guarantee the continuity of their activities and drive their long-term growth. SMEs that have gone through a process of adaptation and digital transformation – taking advantage of the use of the Internet and cloud services – have a greater opportunity to grow rapidly, despite the difficulties” explains Annie Fernández, Regional Business Marketing Manager of Movistar Empresas

SMEs have moved a large part of the Peruvian economy (Photo: UnSplash)

Therefore, within the framework of International SME DayMovistar Empresas provides five aspects that SMEs should consider to digitize their business:

Ensures connectivity and communication: Digital transformation begins with its foundations: communications. A digital SME with a good fixed and mobile communication network is ready to adopt and implement more advanced solutions.
Consolidate your online presence: It is essential that your business has a presence on the net through your website or online store, this, in addition to allowing your products or services to reach more customers, will also help you stand out from the competition. Virtual stores must be constantly evolving, later digital marketing tools, payment gateways, among other aspects can be implemented to have a robust online presence.
Know the potential of your data: To take full advantage of the opportunities offered by new technologies, SMEs must anticipate scenarios and make strategic decisions based on informed findings. For this reason, analysis and interpretation have great potential to improve decision-making, process automation and the development of new products based on customer knowledge and reducing margins of error.
Virtualize your business with cloud services: Currently, a key aspect in the business world is the mastery of Cloud technology, which, in addition to keeping critical business processes and information always safe and available, offers great benefits in cost reduction, mobility, flexibility and collaborative work. high perfomance.
Cybersecurity culture: It is usual for SMEs to feel that because they do not handle critical data such as the financial sector or large industries, they do not need security layers for their businesses. This is one of the main reasons why they can be vulnerable to cyber attacks. A digital SME must adapt its business strategies to remain competitive in a market that is highly exposed to this type of threat. Business continuity is based on reducing attacks and damages that compromise your information and that of your customers.

LOOK: Four benefits of applying digital transformation in Peruvian companies

Digital adoption of SMEs

SMEs stand out for the acceleration of their digital transformation processes due to the pandemic, however, they require specialized support and advice on their way to digital transformation. According to the 2021 Hispam SME Digital Adoption Level survey conducted by Movistar Empresas, 67% of the SMEs surveyed adopted at least one technological solution in their businesses.

“At Movistar Empresas, we understand the need for SMEs to quickly launch new solutions, which is why we provide technological support and advice based on state-of-the-art digital solutions for business”added Annie Fernandez.

Currently, in addition to the fixed and mobile connectivity services offered by Movistar Empresas, among the solutions most demanded by SMEs are those related to the protection of Internet browsing with Managed Security, office automation with Office 365, collaborative work and communication to through Microsoft Teams, and real-time monitoring of workers in the field with Geomanagement.