The Changes from 2020 that Business Leaders Should Keep

It’s been just about a full year since we collectively stepped into the future by a full decade. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, companies across all industries were forced to move quickly to adjust to new ways of doing business. These ranged from setting up remote work options to rethinking how products and services were sourced, manufactured, and delivered.

Our ten-year leap can be found in U.S. e-commerce penetration: the current rate wasn’t expected to hit 24% until 2024. But we got there – and surpassed it, moving from 17% to 33% - in only two months. And today’s remote work adoption wasn’t expected for at least two more U.S. general elections.

Surprisingly, some of those modifications we all made along the way were actually an improvement on the old ways. Now that vaccines are being distributed and we can see the light at the end of this exceptionally difficult period, it’s a good time for businesses to reflect on which adjustments are worth making permanent as we move into a post-COVID landscape.

Communication and Security in the Home Workplace

The most obvious shift we saw in 2020 was the widespread move to remote work where possible. Without the ability to pop by a coworker’s office or meet in a conference room, workplaces adopted video conferencing and instant messaging platforms to make up for the lack of physical proximity. As more employees come to appreciate the balance and flexibility that remote working affords and employers benefit from office-related cost savings, it’s likely that this trend will continue.

Businesses have learned, though, that enabling remote work is not as simple as making sure employees have laptops and internet access. Privacy and security are crucial parts of a remote work strategy. What’s more, they need to be implemented without negatively affecting productivity.

While remote work is definitely a keeper, businesses need at least these layers of security to help mitigate risks:

• Providing virtual private networks (VPN) and multifactor authentication capabilities for employees working remotely to prevent hacking and unauthorized access to systems.
• Approving a few platforms for official use and working with vendors to invest in security upgrades and configurations to shore up defenses.
• Creating policies and reference guides that detail minimum security requirements, guidelines for usage (e.g., keep systems and software up to date, make sure family members and others aren’t accessing sensitive information on shared devices, etc.), and outline what to do if devices are lost or stolen.
• Preventing security breaches caused by human error: make sure employees are familiar with evolving phishing techniques and other scams, know how to create strong passwords, and are aware of the danger of public wifi networks.
• Providing remote staff with ample IT services and support they can contact in case of issues. It’s frustrating enough to have your devices go haywire at work, but even more so if you’re left to figure the problem on your own.
• Monitoring connections for potential attacks and infiltration, and having a plan to quickly back up data and systems in case they are compromised.

In addition to focusing on the technical aspects of the work-from-home paradigm, it’s important not to lose sight of the human component as well. As Tamara McCleary, CEO of Thulium, put it, “We are all just people with lives outside of work and complex social structures. We've seen everyone in their home environment and it humanized us. I believe it was an equalizer and we have a much more realistic picture of ourselves and others irrespective of whether we're the ‘top’ or the ‘down’ on our company's organizational chart.”

As the home replaces the office as a workplace, having these strategies and tools in place will go a long way toward keeping a business’s data and systems safe and employees productive and happy in an entirely remote or hybrid work environment.

Building a Better Supply Chain

One of the most immediate effects of the pandemic was sudden supply chain disruption. Items ranging from bicycles to flour were suddenly scarce. And who can forget The Great Toilet Paper Run of 2020?

As the linear supply chain evolves into a much more complex network model, even under normal circumstances businesses need visibility into the sourcing and shipment of materials, components, and products. With the ability to anticipate obstructions and respond quickly, they are better able to ensure continuous production and availability even during unexpected events.

For example, shipping assets outfitted with location tracking and geofencing help companies monitor freight schedules and immediately address delays. Inventory assets outfitted with IoT sensors can also monitor conditions like temperature, humidity, and light, alerting businesses when they might need to inspect or replace items because of potential risks to quality and integrity.

With these insights and greater control across the entire supply chain network, more businesses will be primed to manage manufacturing and shipping snarls, pivot to new solutions as required, and continually optimize operations to respond to evolving situations. The result: a more resilient supply chain for increasingly complicated times.

Leveraging Machines for Automation and Efficiency

During the COVID-19 crisis, many businesses turned to automation and smart technologies as a way to prevent transmission of the virus among the workforce. Even under normal circumstances, IoT objects and artificial intelligence can improve efficiency and scale processes on a number of fronts, suggesting that they should become a permanent part of doing business in the future.

●    Intelligent and automated processes on the factory floor can help businesses maintain safety protocols, such as social distancing requirements and hazardous material procedures.

●    The massive computing ability of artificial intelligence and machine learning empower businesses to scale everything from data analysis to customer service.

●    Shifting menial, repetitive tasks to machines not only can reduce costs but also gives employees more capacity to use their intelligence, creativity, and empathy — perhaps to design innovations that will improve human life and take our civilization even further into the future.

Investing in smart infrastructure not only supports an improved bottom line but can also prevent the waste of materials and energy. We already know the importance of sustainable practices, and intelligent solutions will become an essential component of responsible, eco-conscious business planning.

Taking Stock and Looking Ahead

If you had the chance to read Anne Chow's recent blog detailing some of the ways our business adjusted to meet shifting customer needs, you know the importance of resilience and reliability – and how often those qualities come down to being flexible.

Instituting dramatic changes in a short period of time is hardly an ideal approach to business — but the pandemic made it necessary. Now that we’re past the worst of it, leaders can transition from putting out fires to evaluating their emergency strategies for effectiveness and viability in a changed world. In short: keep the best, toss the rest!

Learn more about the need to adapt to a new technology landscape: Download the latest Cybersecurity Insights report, 5G and the Journey to the Edge, for more about modernizing your business for 2021 and beyond.