Companies are just starting to realise the long-term technology impact of COVID-19

IT services giant TCS recently announced plans to permanently move 75% of its workforce to a flexible work scheme. Twitter and others are committing to similar long-term initiatives. Companies around the world are now grappling with the idea of a permanent impact on business – but most are just starting to appreciate the long-term implications on technology. This structural change will be felt throughout the technology ecosystem, from strategic services to the end user.

Here are some of the ways that all kinds of businesses, from factories to fitness clubs, will be impacted when it comes to IT:

• IT systems and policies will need to be reconfigured for flexibility and volatility. Remote working will happen unevenly, meaning that companies large and small will need to transition from emergency IT policies to longer-term solutions, involving different ways of managing devices, ensuring connectivity, and supporting users with troubleshooting and training across a more distributed environment. Server requirements will need to be reconfigured to handle new demands such as video, file sharing, and mission-critical enterprise apps to cope with new ways of working and respond to fast-changing market conditions. IT will become increasingly viewed more as a flexible service than as a fixed cost. 
• Security will become increasingly complex, permanently. Rather than securing locations, companies will need to secure systems - extending the same network security best practices that exist within the enterprise to all remote environments. To secure and manage endpoints, companies will need next-gen solutions with AI-powered capabilities to predict cyberattacks and automatically self-heal devices. The use of unsecured networks and personal devices will only continue to grow, coupled with the growing sophistication of phishing attacks – meaning that companies must grapple with the possibility of more data breaches than ever.
• Device management strategies will change. For many companies, traditional ways of buying and managing PCs and laptops won’t make sense in the post COVID-19 world. Device-as-a-Service (DaaS) will become mainstream, fast, as corporate CIOs see the benefits of agile, customised solutions and greater control of the device ecosystem. Smaller businesses have so far moved slowly in this area, but as workers are more broadly distributed it will become essential to manage everything centrally, from laptops, power packs and monitors to VPNs and security. And from a pure cash perspective, DaaS will enable them to benefit from significantly lower capital outlays as well as predictable, fully amortised ongoing costs.
• New opportunities will arise, based on data. Customer behaviour is changing - and smart data management can offer opportunities to companies to respond strategically. In particular, companies will succeed when they collect and analyse operational data to stay on top of the changes – for example, developing better customer profiling for customers who switch back and forth between home addresses and corporate facilities. On the supply side too, lockdown disruptions will cause many companies to diversify supply chains and rethink logistics. Data is the key to determining how the new normal can be optimised and become a competitive advantage.

Right now, for many businesses it’s hard enough to simply handle the short-term consequences. The larger challenge, however, will be managing the permanent transformation of business – and it’s not too soon to start preparing.