Business Communication: Five Trends for 2023

1. Cyber resilience as an integral part of business strategy

In times of uncertainty, companies should anticipate ever more deceptive attacks on their communication infrastructures. Ransomware remains the primary threat – with email the most frequently exploited gateway. Because cyberattacks have a direct impact on the success of the business, cyber resilience needs to become a board level concern. To ensure that core processes and infrastructures continue functioning regardless of extraordinary circumstances, business continuity approaches must include strategies for dealing with worst-case scenarios. This includes being equipped with comprehensive mechanisms for advanced threat protection. For instance, an email continuity solution separate from the company’s own infrastructure can enable email communication to continue seamlessly in emergency situations. Geopolitical conflicts are also increasing the risk of cyberattacks emanating from specific regions. With services such as Retarus Predelivery Logic, messages can be preventatively isolated based on their GeoIP – be it a security considerations requirement or internal compliance guidelines.

2. Sustainable cloudification of business models

Digital business models are taking root and the cloud is providing the basis. Since the COVID-19 pandemic and the related work-from-home arrangements, digital communication options and virtual collaboration have certainly become ubiquitous. Cloud computing has meanwhile become firmly established within IT departments. At the same time, companies now find themselves having to respond to the significant associated cost pressures. Those responsible for budgets are compelled to plan as cost-efficiently and sustainably as possible. In this regard, cloud services also provide a viable solution. They are flexible and scalable, meaning that the services can be customized to meet current requirements exactly, all while avoiding over / under capacities. As a result, innovative offerings can be brought to the market more rapidly and costs controlled more closely. Companies especially stand to benefit from cloud service providers that unburden the company’s own IT department with platform offerings, managed services, and innovative solutions. Such providers grant enterprises the opportunity to introduce optimized business models, as cloud services facilitate agile activities and enable direct, quick communication with the market. In this regard, the Retarus Enterprise Cloud provides a wide range of services which businesses can utilize for a variety of use cases across all sectors. The services meet all established sector-specific standards, with interfaces that allow virtually seamless integration into on-premises, cloud, and hybrid infrastructures.

3. Intensified automation within the supply chain

The past year has clearly shown just how susceptible supply chains are to disruption. In addition, companies are feeling the impact of the shortage of qualified workers as never before. In 2023, it will be essential for companies to set up their supply chains to be more resilient and automated. In this way, they can counteract any skill gaps and increase their productivity. For instance, if inbound business documents are automatically captured and processed, a company can avoid the time-consuming manual entry of data related to incoming orders for goods or services. Companies benefit from more efficient process communication, smooth cash flow, and increased cost savings near 60 percent when compared to the manual processing of orders. Your expert staff can get back to focusing on innovation and providing the company with a decisive competitive advantage.

4. Optimizing the customer journey

The requirements and expectations customers have regarding digital services have increased significantly since the onset of the pandemic. Meanwhile, companies have grown more familiar with digital interactions and touchpoints. A positive customer experience is now a crucial prerequisite for the success of a business. Only reliable, secure business communication tailored to the company’s needs can enable it to offer the critical touchpoints with customers that boost customer satisfaction and loyalty. Companies who fail to invest in their customer communication stand to lose out to their competitors. By way of digital communication platforms, companies are able to serve digital touchpoints including multifactor authentication, email order confirmations, transactional emails such as newsletters, weather alerts via SMS, and status notifications. Ideally, these services can be integrated seamlessly into business applications or digital platforms by way of standardized APIs, thus allowing their easy adaptation to meet new requirements quickly and flexibly at any time.

5. Ever more complex data protection regulations

According to analyst firm Gartner, 75 percent of the world’s population by 2024 will most likely have their personal data safeguarded by data protection regulations. Legal provisions are playing an increasingly critical role since regulatory requirements are constantly evolving and becoming more complex around the globe. Companies face the threat of high fines should they violate data privacy rules. When it comes to selecting an external service provider, it is essential to ensure that they are fully compliant with the current data protection regulations. Ideally, the provider should not only fulfill all GDPR requirements, but also the relevant sector-specific standards and company-specific compliance requirements. Crucially, all data needs to be processed locally in audit-ready data centers. Some providers already contractually guarantee this commitment to data protection in service level agreements with their customers.

About Retarus

Retarus is a global provider of cloud solutions, modernizing and securing the digital communications and data exchange of organizations and public authorities. Key products are digital Cloud Fax, SMS, Transactional Email, Email Security, Supply Chain Integration, and Intelligent Document Processing. Retarus operates globally distributed data centers, providing these solutions with top performance, security, and data protection. Headquartered in Munich and founded in 1992, Retarus is privately owned and proud of its innovative strength. The company employs around 500 people in 20 locations on four continents. Nearly half of the companies listed in the S&P Global 100 already place their trust in Retarus and, along with leading analysts, confirm the outstanding quality and reliability of its services. Retarus generates around 40 percent of its revenue in the US and offers its products both directly and in close cooperation with selected partners. More information: www.retarus.com