Business growth works better with the right tools

Growth plays a big role for many companies. Digital Native Businesses (DNBs) in particular, such as start-ups or scale-ups, seem to have mastered this discipline. But what can small and medium-sized companies learn from them? One key to business growth is to use the right cloud-based tools like Google Workspace.

DNB have an originally digital form. Digital is part of their DNA. Many of them have fundamentally changed entire industries. Fintechs that have defined new standards for established banks and insurance companies are one example, delivery apps another. These companies often start small and then scale step by step and determinedly. In the process, they continue to develop their success factors, focusing on innovation as well as rapid failure. In addition, they always have their eye on the future, as was recently made clear in a Google online seminar on the topic of "Digital Native Businesses and the Rules of Successful Collaboration".

Business growth - problems

One challenge: companies that grow in a short period of time outgrow everything very quickly. Company growth creates difficulties in acquiring talent and onboarding them or in developing the culture. There is a need to balance both current and future needs. For that, in turn, the right collaboration and productivity tools are essential. Wired Consulting was commissioned by Google to research what these tools need to be able to do.

A key requirement for growing companies is to consolidate IT. This is because 47 percent of the scale-ups surveyed in Europe use more than ten tools and 18 percent even have more than 20 tools in use. 30 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds admitted to using solutions not provided by their employer: Shadow IT. One factor here is that these are often technology companies, but also that employees want to use the latest technologies.

Consolidation for more efficient workflows

These practices bring up several challenges. One is that as the number of tools increases, so do the security requirements. Eighty-three percent of decision makers agreed. In addition to higher security risks and costs, information is held in silos, making it harder to share. In addition, there are different ways of working. The overall flow of data is more difficult to control, and IT teams are stretched thin. In light of this, 73 percent of decision makers agree with the statement that consolidation leads to more efficient workflows.

In addition, 81 percent believe that the right collaboration solutions enable innovation. 74 percent believe they support the ability to collaborate effectively with external partners, and 72 percent believe they drive business success. But how should companies go about selecting the right solution?

Tools that grow with you

Wired Consulting cited five considerations: Scalability so the tools can grow with them, the ability to integrate with other solutions, ease of use so employees can be onboarded quickly, a cloud-based approach so people can work from anywhere, and sustainability. All of these criteria lead directly to Google Workspace.

The complete package combines various apps and services for collaboration. These range from the e-mail program Gmail and the calendar, the meeting software Meet, and a chat to the online file storage Drive, Docs, tables, and presentations for jointly editing documents. Apps as well as third-party extensions can be easily integrated. All data is stored and processed in the cloud. Administrators can control all operating system, browser, app and service settings centrally via the Admin Console with little effort. Google Workspace thus addresses exactly the paint points in business growth. The suite enables uniform, location-independent and efficient collaboration - even beyond corporate boundaries. Google Workspace grows with your business.

Google Workspace as an enabler

For example, as Challenger Bank Lunar grew, it was able to gradually add the functionality it needed, as Danny Dario Winandy, Global Head of Company IT & Support at Lunar, explained. These included Security Layers, Google Workspace as an identity provider, and Google Meet with its seamless hybrid work experience. In addition, he confirmed that it is important to provide the right tools to successfully recruit IT talent and use the tools to introduce the necessary business processes. This does not have to be complicated, he said. The important thing is to look at who needs what for their tasks and then evaluate and decide.

In summary, early selection of Google Workspace and a thoughtful approach to which tools are used and how are critical factors for rapid as well as sustainable business growth. While Google's solution simply grows with you and is constantly evolving, it allows businesses to focus on their other tasks and scale. We would be happy to help you migrate to Google Workspace. If you are already a user and want to further optimize your processes, we can help you with our Google Workspace Audit and are there for you with support as well as consulting services.