A Look at Trends Disrupting the Market in Q1 2022
By Peggy Tierney Galvin, Chief Strategy Officer, Force4 Technology Communications
As professional media monitors, the Force4 team has been following the humanitarian disaster in Ukraine and its fallout. While we’re still at the early stages of the invasion, the ripple effect of the conflict is exacerbating inflation by spiking the cost of fuel.
Never a dull moment, is there?
Sanctions against Russian oil and gas might accelerate European and U.S. investment and R+D in renewable clean energy, but the short-term effects will be painful as the disruption will further impact the supply chain, already beleaguered by COVID-19 shutdowns, current inflation rates, and manufacturing and shipping delays.
But there are tentative movements back towards normalcy. Companies are feeling more confident about the return to the office, as mask mandates have been lifted in all 50 states and in-person industry tradeshows, including RSA Conference and Cisco Live, make a hybrid comeback.
Our advice
There are ways that businesses can help protect themselves from the ripple effects of the crisis.
Now more than ever, cyber hygiene best practices around updating software and patching vulnerabilities make for smart business.
Organizations can also boost their resiliency by pivoting to domestic supply chain partners in manufacturing and fabrication. More federal subsidies are forthcoming in this area, and this gives tech leaders the opportunity to support their local economies while reducing uncertainties around shipping times and geopolitical disruption.
For companies looking to stabilize their go-to-market strategy as supply chain and COVID uncertainty continue, partner relationship development is an excellent bet to reinforce selling channels, maximize marketing reach and value proposition and broaden the spectrum of sales enablement opportunities available.
The net takeaway: adjustments to adapt to these rapidly changing global factors may be abrupt (see: the Great Zoom Pivot of March 2020) but can lay the foundation for lasting resilience and business health in the long term. Questions? Feel free to shoot us a message here.
