Transformations to the digital world and workplace are happening all the time and impact how we interact with our organizations daily. This shift has emphasized the need for collaborative tools, new communication techniques, increased security and maintenance of competency as team members span across various locations and business practices shift.

Keeping up with the times is difficult enough on a personal level, but what can we do to ensure success for our businesses now and in the future? Here are four top tips to future-proof your business:

1. Keep Up with the News

This will come naturally to most but keeping up with current trends is key to maintaining an understanding of where our world is going, and it’s important to update yourself daily. Investing in subscriptions to news outlets may prove beneficial, and the Apple News app is an easy way to keep up. Readers can receive live updates and notifications for breaking news, and can also subscribe to preferred outlets through the app.

It is not the sole responsibility of leadership to keep up with current trends and shifts within the industry, but executives can set a great example by maintaining competency for themselves, sharing their knowledge with the broader team, and encouraging coworkers to do the same.

2. Utilize Effective Team Collaboration Tools

Cloud usage is becoming more ubiquitous, and the importance of an effective virtual workplace directly impacts the quality of service businesses can provide. With enterprises on both a national and international levels moving toward remote work, cloud capabilities, the need to keep data safe, organization and convenience remain key.

Luckily, businesses no longer need to use multiple applications to satisfy all of the communication and organizational needs that cooperation demands. It will be most beneficial for businesses to adopt these suite-style services, as it is more cohesive, accessible and cost-effective to have a sole provider rather than multiple. The ability to utilize multiple capabilities under one umbrella, such as office suite applications, collaboration, meeting infrastructure, IaaS and more is a major draw to simplify a business’s needs.

3. Understand Data Security Evolution

Maintaining and understanding data sovereignty is an ongoing process that requires thought and care. Given the numerous, and sometimes inconsistent, array of data regulations, the responsibility for staying up-to-speed on data sovereignty often falls on the shoulders of IT teams. The stakes for compliance are high. Running afoul with any of the many regulations or laws can cost companies and individuals money and resources.

With the introduction of cloud applications, IT teams will need to evolve their thinking on security, their policies of managing it, and consider data sovereignty, as well. Questions that IT teams must address to mitigate cloud-security risks include:

• Have data sovereignty regulations been considered, and has your team ensured that these rules can be met?
• Is one cloud tenant or are multiple tenants needed for your data protection?
• Is a regional cloud ecosystem reliable for you?
• When your core business systems rely on cloud service providers, what is your business continuity plan (BCP)?

If businesses don’t remain current, they risk falling behind in the blink of an eye, or even facing legal repercussions. Abiding by updated regional data sovereignty laws can future-proof your business today and tomorrow.

4. Understand ESG

Among businesses and corporations, a new emergence of consideration surrounding environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) plays a vital role in whether investors and consumers are inclined to buy into a company or utilize their services. This is especially pertinent as millennials settle into the workplace and Gen Z enters it.

This newness may shift the idea of which companies are valued more than others. While a company’s reputation is not limited to its ESG score, prospective clients, customers and investors may be influenced by how a company treats its employees, handles social issues, and the company’s geopolitical view.

Investments and business activity will follow those companies that score well and demonstrate their dedication to sustainability, carbon-neutral initiatives, broader social issues and team member satisfaction. Companies must think long-term in order to remain successful. There are sustainable funds that exist so that investors can contribute to companies that meet ESG criteria and adhere to sustainability goals. Enterprises that fail to factor ESG into their long-term planning risk falling behind.

The tech world changes every day. If you don’t remain current, you and your business can fall behind in the blink of an eye. The largest key to future-proofing your business is to simply keep up and adapt as necessary. Get comfortable with change and know that it will continue to come consistently. Companies that future-proof well will possess team members that are passionate about maintain industry competency, are competitive in their progressions, have safety and security at their core and remain proactive.