The massive digitalization witnessed over the last year is one of the most enduring impacts of the pandemic on human society. But, a digital transformation journey requires a staged approach with a clear strategy that involves a host of stakeholders beyond internal/external barriers.
Innovative technologies are deciding the present and the future of businesses for the past two decades. Digital transformation is not a trend or technology, which anyone can learn and implement quickly. It requires leadership, a clear strategy and proper implementation.
Today, businesses around the world are witnessing digital transformation, but only a few have mastered the skill to make it a competitive advantage. It is the CIO who is responsible for the digital transformation journey of an organization. But, with the COVID-19 outbreak, CIOs leading digital transformation in 2021 face new risks and opportunities. The strategies adopted by them will have a massive impact on the long-term success of the business.
Also Read: Remote Work Trends: Future of Enterprise Hiring in the IT industry
Digital Acceleration
Since barriers like competing priorities and slow executive approval are now out of the way, CIOs have a great opportunity to execute their long-stalled digital transformation plans, like the transition to cloud-based technologies.
According to a study done by Twilio, the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the digital communication strategies of organizations by an average of six years. Also, according to 97% of enterprise decision-makers, the pandemic has also expedited their company’s digital transformation.
In today’s digitalized era, there are more opportunities available for IT and business operations. Thanks to globalization and the adoption of cloud technologies, geographical boundaries seem irrelevant and it provides employees with the liberty to work from any corner of the world with no limitations.
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In the wake of the pandemic, everything- right from work, school, shopping to essential communications- has been online without having to step outside. In the pre-COVID 19 times, jobs that were considered doable only from on-site are now being done remotely.
Popular peak hours for internet usage used to be in the evening. Since everyone is home 24/7, streaming everything simultaneously, the Wi-Fi may not provide a stable connection, especially during an employee’s work timings. Therefore, organizations must provide remote employees with the bandwidth and technology they need to be efficient and productive. Moreover, it is advisable to allocate a budget for employees to upgrade their home networks to premium bandwidth as choppy bandwidth on video conferencing platforms like Zoom while supporting clients can be a real challenge.
High-Threat is the New Normal
With the increase in migration to the cloud and remote working, it’s necessary to manage a high-threat environment whenever an employee fires up a laptop/mobile phone and taps into the business network or cloud resources.
Furthermore, employees should be informed and educated about the rising threats and multi-factor authentication should be employed. Organizations have to be ready to fight against every prototype, every sandbox, and every cloud-based lab environment as it becomes vulnerable the minute it goes online.
Also Read: Reskilling and Up skilling the Workforce in the Post-COVID World
Prioritize Human Connections
Businesses must prioritize the human element and support connections as much as possible. Most of the employees working remotely all over the globe are juggling with work and personal life. Therefore, organizations should treat their employees with empathy and offer them flexibility. This will help foster motivation and engagement and eventually loyalty, which can be the most valuable asset in the post-COVID 19 environment.
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Umme Sutarwala is a Global News Correspondent with OnDot Media. She is a media graduate with 2+ years of experience in content creation and management. Previously, she has worked with MNCs in the E-commerce and Finance domain
