Why Experiences Are the New IT Currency

In global markets, currencies rise and fall in value every day. Traders know that a pound or a dollar isn’t valuable because of its price tag, but because of what it enables you to buy, secure, or invest in.

The same is true in IT. For decades, technology was judged on uptime and efficiency, the cost of systems, servers, and licences. But today, the most valuable currency inside your organisation isn’t the kit you run or the licences you hold. It’s the experiences your technology enables.

Employee experience. Customer experience. The experience of your IT teams managing complexity and risk. Together, these experiences form the new IT currency and the exchange rate has never mattered more.

Currency is more than cost

CIOs and CTOs face constant pressure to do more with less. Investments in infrastructure refreshes, licensing upgrades, or new devices often look expensive on the balance sheet. But like currency traders, leaders need to ask not just “what does it cost?” but “what’s the value it creates?”

A refreshed network that reduces downtime is more than a technical upgrade it’s a productivity dividend.
A move from E3 to E5 licensing isn’t just an additional fee, it’s an investment in advanced security, compliance, and simplicity.
A Surface device rollout is more than new hardware, it’s employee engagement, talent retention, and faster onboarding.

When you look at IT through the lens of experience, cost transforms into currency. And at Cisilion, we see that every day, helping clients align Cisco and Microsoft innovation to unlock new value from the infrastructure they already own.

Trading in three IT markets

Just as traders operate across different exchanges, organisations now trade in three key “markets of experience.” Each comes with its own currencies, values, and returns.

1. Internal → Internal: The Employee Experience Market

Inside the business, experiences are the currency that fuels productivity, culture, and innovation.

Connectivity: Reliable, fast, and secure networks ensure people can collaborate seamlessly, wherever they are. Downtime costs an average of £4,300 per minute (Gartner) – poor connectivity is like watching your currency collapse in real time.
Productivity & Engagement: Digital tools shape how employees feel about their work. 60% of employees would leave their job if technology didn’t support them effectively. Surface devices and the right Microsoft 365 licensing unlock better collaboration and satisfaction.

This is the internal-to-internal exchange rate. A strong employee experience makes your organisation more valuable, to your people, your customers, and your shareholders.

2. Internal → External: The Customer Experience Market

Every digital interaction is now a moment of truth with your customers. Experience is the currency that keeps them loyal or drives them away.

Customer Loyalty: 86% of customers are willing to pay more for a better experience. From contact centres to Teams Voice to Azure-based customer platforms, the technologies you invest in directly shape your customer exchange rate.
Reputation & Growth: Just as a strong currency attracts investors, strong customer experiences attract new revenue and market share.

At Cisilion, we’ve helped clients modernise customer contact through Cisco Webex and Microsoft Teams, building hybrid collaboration and CX platforms that deliver security, responsiveness, and insight.

When your internal systems connect seamlessly to customer touchpoints, you generate experiences that compound into loyalty and long-term growth.

3. Internal → Partner: The Ecosystem Experience Market

No business operates alone. In today’s landscape, your partners are part of your currency system.

Resilience & Security: Managed services, proactive monitoring, and ecosystem partnerships strengthen your IT currency. £3.4 million — that’s the average cost of a UK data breach – a risk few CIOs can carry alone.
Optimisation: 75% of CIOs say they rely on ecosystem partners to deliver their digital strategy (IDC). Whether it’s right-sizing licensing, modernising infrastructure, or managing complex environments, partners aren’t just cost controllers they’re force multipliers.

At Cisilion, we take that responsibility seriously. As one of only two UK partners to hold the highest advanced collaboration accreditations across both Cisco and Microsoft, we bridge ecosystems that rarely meet so seamlessly elsewhere.

That’s why our managed services renewal rate stands at 98%, proof that experience doesn’t stop at delivery. It continues in how we manage, support, and evolve our clients’ environments day after day.

Strong partner experiences don’t just stabilise your IT currency, they future-proof it.

The hidden cost of ignoring the exchange rate

Just as ignoring currency fluctuations can wipe billions off a balance sheet, ignoring the rising value of IT experiences creates hidden costs:

Employee churn and disengagement.
Customer defection to more seamless competitors.
Higher long-term spend due to reactive IT firefighting.

Organisations that treat IT as an expense rather than an experience investment will find their currency devalued and their competitiveness eroded.

Connected experiences: the strongest portfolio

A single currency is valuable. But a balanced portfolio is stronger. When connectivity, productivity, customer loyalty, and partner resilience are connected, they don’t just add up, they multiply. That’s where the power of connected experiences comes in.

As a Cisco and Microsoft Gold Partner, and one of the few UK partners certified at advanced collaboration level across both. Cisilion helps organisations bring these worlds together. From secure networks and collaboration tools to customer contact and managed services, we help clients deliver IT that feels effortless.

Our role is to make sure every IT pound you spend delivers maximum value, creating experiences that empower employees, delight customers, and build long-term resilience.

Value, Not Expense

The new IT currency may look expensive up front. But just like in the financial markets, the real question isn’t the cost, it’s the return. Investing in experiences is how CIOs and CTOs create long-term dividends in productivity, loyalty, and trust. And in today’s market, that’s the only currency that counts.

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