Industries
Bridging the IT skills gap
As retail apps and connectivity grow more sophisticated and IoT devices multiply, recruiting the right IT expertise at affordable rates is a challenge.
We offer a way to access the skills and experience you need at a price that works for you. Our managed IT services are trusted by many of the UK’s leading brands and enable SSM Technologies to act as a seamless extension of your in-house team. We can also help you attract and retain top talent by embedding flexible, tech-enabled working practices that empower your people to get more from their job.
Delivering the “stores of the future”
As customer expectations of their in-store experience grow more sophisticated, retailers are constantly called on to create a more dynamic, personalised and tech-enabled shopping environment. That means new self-service options, staff mobile devices, greater use of the IoT and ways of interacting with in-store customers through their own devices.
We can help you create the robust, resilient, and agile network connectivity to make it all work seamlessly, now and in the future, while offering customers a consistent, rewarding experience both in-person and online.
Using your real estate more efficiently
Speed, flexibility, and responsiveness are vital to any successful retail operation. Pop-up stores and concessions are increasingly used to test new markets and locations, and need swift, low-cost connectivity to get up and running. At the same time, dynamic data links are required between local stores, warehouses, and forward stocking locations.
Drawing on our partnerships with top global vendors, we can help you establish the connectivity (and flexible contract terms) to open new locations at short notice and run your operations with the speed, agility and accuracy that customers demand.
Maximise system security and data compliance
Retailers have always been attractive targets for cyberattackers and data thieves. And, as retailers increase the size and sophistication of their IT networks, the growing number of endpoints create an expanded threat surface for cyberattackers to exploit. Meanwhile, ageing data centre infrastructure may no longer be fit for purpose in the wake of new regulation such as GDPR.
All this puts additional pressure on already stretched IT teams. That’s where your SSM Technologies team can help – whether by deploying the next generation of end-to-end security platforms, managing your security operations on a fully-outsourced basis or helping you replace, manage or isolate legacy infrastructure.
Managing costs effectively
Amid declining margins and increased fulfilment costs, today’s retailers must keep careful tabs on spending and look to optimise wherever possible. Especially in technology, where Gartner forecasts IT spending in the retail industry to grow by 5.9% – cost management becomes even more imperative.
Our integrated, end-to-end approach to IT and communications means cost-effectiveness is always built in. From recycle and reuse policies that prolong the life of your equipment, to flexible leasing that allows you to adjust for seasonal peaks and troughs, we enable you to streamline costs in multiple areas simultaneously.
Cost-effectiveness is an equally important benefit of our Cloud, Connectivity, and Managed Services offerings.
Make better use of data
With online retail you lose the ability to upsell directly. The answer? Use the data provided by online interactions more effectively, so your business can draw on it when the customer next engages with you. This results in a much closer relationship, enabling you to send them targeted marketing and increase their total lifetime value.
Legacy data centres can present a barrier to this kind of supple, data-led strategy, while impeding your online growth more generally. A hybrid cloud model can help to mitigate this, protecting legacy systems that can’t migrate to the cloud while migrating those that can in order to minimise capital investment.