If there is anything that has come to the forefront of business and our personal life in recent months (beyond our physical health), it has been the rapid adoption of online tools and technologies.

Even though they have been with us for years, for most of us they were an addendum to our in-person business dealings. Though in many cases they were forced upon us by circumstance, they have now become truly indispensable.

Zoom software was launched way back in 2013, Microsoft Teams in 2017, and WebEx in 2005. Yet videoconferencing didn’t really hit the mainstream until this year. Previously, video conferencing, when it was used at all, was the sole preserve of the executive suite. There are a lot of reasons why that is, but there’s no denying that video conferencing is now thoroughly democratized.

Of course, having such an exponential growth in reliance on the Internet has tested many companies’ systems to, and beyond, their limit. Whether just in terms of bandwidth required by dozens of video conferences running through the central technology hub, or automating purchase transactions, it has also revealed gaps in technology investment – and in some cases, the trouble that can come from years and years of Band-Aid solutions.

When you look at the business landscape, you often find discussions about the importance of information technology and how it is a foundation for a successful future. While it is certainly important to have up-to-date information technology, to me technology seems more like a roof than a foundation.

A solidly built foundation is a one-time investment; or at most, an infrequent object of your attention. You can have cracks in a foundation for years – quite startling signs of impending doom – and still a building will stand.

A roof, on the other hand, protects you from storms. It seldom enters your thoughts when it’s doing its job, but when it starts to fail, that same storm can take down everything inside your business.

Fixing a roof is not generally a very satisfying experience. It’s a significant, necessary and regular investment, yes. Satisfying? Not really. But it does let you keep every other investment safe and secure. Building professionals know that a roof needs regular attention and care, and that regular investment in its good operation pays off. And they also know that sometimes, the whole roof has to be replaced before it fails completely.

So whether the technology that you rely on to keep your business operating is the latest on offer or something with a few years under its belt, no system is built to last forever.

Aftermarket organizations need to be prepared for the next storm, where massive increases in the demands on their systems happen virtually overnight. I don’t think anyone can say what the trigger for that might be – economic issues, cyber security demands, e-commerce, 5G implications – but it’s safe to say something is on the horizon.

If we’ve learned anything from the pandemic and its economic fallout, not to mention the global financial crisis of a decade ago, it’s that these storms come unexpectedly and with massive force. The right technology can help you weather that storm, wherever and whenever it comes.