,sub.Ron Browning, Calgary-based partner and technology lead for RSM Canada, with receptionist Janette Simmonds in the Calgary office. Photo by Wil Andruschak © Postmedia Network Inc.,/sub.
Joel Schlesinger © Postmedia Network Inc.
The unfolding return to normalcy is anything but normal, with uncertainty still weighing heavily on many mid-sized businesses and organizations.
Yet, RSM Canada has been there to help, particularly when it comes to assisting clients with their technology needs to become more productive, efficient and competitive in this new era of cautious hope.
“Digital transformation was a buzzword prior to the pandemic, and then it became a necessity,” says Ron Browning, a Calgary-based partner and technology lead for RSM Canada. “Now, as we start moving past COVID, a lot of these changes are here to stay.”
Even before the pandemic, RSM—renowned for tax and audit services — had a strong track record as a leading technology consultant helping mid-sized firms.
During COVID-19, however, it has become an indispensable guide, helping clients use virtual tools for video conferencing, increase their e-commerce presence and get the most out of cloud computing and other evolving technologies. In many cases, organizations — including those in Calgary — used these innovations sparingly before the pandemic. Then these tools became must-haves as the pandemic progressed.
Today, RSM is helping clients figure out what worked, what didn’t and what tech pieces they want to expand upon.
“When you think about the work-from-home concept and the digital office environment, a lot of organizations saw savings as a result,” Browning says, adding many are continuing remote work in one way or another.
From smaller office footprints to reduced business travel, the pandemic showed the power of technology to transform organizations for the better. The challenge for many, though, is figuring out how to use technology the right way, so it enhances the workplace as opposed to negatively affecting the office culture.
Calgary’s business community is particularly at a crossroads, having battled the pandemic and an existential reckoning for its energy-based economy, he adds.
“For Calgary, this digital transformation is huge because so much of our economy has been oriented to oil and gas,” Browning says. “But there are massive possibilities to grow our tech industry while helping other sectors, including energy, use new technologies to be more competitive and effective in this new dawn for our city.”
This story was created by Content Works, Postmedia’s commercial content division, on behalf of Calgary Economic Development.