Fast Forward to a Cloud Economy
It is evident that the economic reopening will be less like flipping the light on, and more like an unpredictable dimmer switch. As we have seen, the soft opening of businesses will require strict social distancing. This means ordering ahead, setting appointments, waiting in line to enter a store, and restaurants at half capacity with spaced out tables. These changes will also pose a challenge to businesses with office workers as they try to establish a safe, dispersed working environment.
Businesses will likely be expected to accommodate workers, if they choose, to work from anywhere (WFA). Employees who live with elderly or at-risk individuals, or who are at risk themselves, may want a work-at-home option for the foreseeable future. In fact, we may see laws requiring businesses to provide equal and fair WFA capabilities. This will put a strain on Information Technology Systems as companies scramble to provide WFA options that allow for the same productivity as an employee in the office. Providing a productive hybrid WFA environment for employees opens up a host of challenges from managing the productivity of remote employees to optimizing team collaboration while still providing an excellent customer experience.
Leveraging cloud-based technologies provides the best platform for a productive WFA environment. Meeting these demands requires virtualized workstations, phone systems in the cloud, and cloud applications optimized for a distributed user. Businesses that adapt well to this environment will optimize systems and application performance for a WFA user, deploy employee collaboration tools, and enhance systems security to accommodate remote users. Companies and divisions of businesses that focus on Customer Experience (CX) will find the most success moving their systems to the cloud to allow for workers that will not be in the typical call center building.
Even before the outbreak of Covid-19, the economy was moving towards a cloud-based IT infrastructure. However, today we have fast-forwarded to a future where systems will have to be cloud-based to accommodate a diverse WFA. Coronavirus has forever changed the way people work, as WFA has quickly become the new norm. Companies will need to upgrade their technology infrastructure and policies to adapt and survive.
Businesses have already been forced to make some rapid changes to migrate to cloud-based technologies. They will require an independent technology consultant who not only understands cloud solutions, but also understands applications, data centers, security, and network connectivity. Network optimization using SD-WAN technologies will be critical for not only cost savings but performance optimization.
Luckily, businesses are not left to navigate this daunting technology challenge on their own. Telarus works with thousands of independent technology consultants across the US, Canada, the UK, and ANZ. They are experts in UCaaS, CaaS, Security, WaaS, IaaS, SD-WAN, Network, and other technologies needed to establish a secure, productive cloud environment optimized for a distributed worker. The best part about these technology consultants is they are agnostic, not tied to a specific vendor, but take a focused approach regarding each company’s desired outcomes. As the economic “dimmer switch” starts to brighten, the demand for technology consultants who understand how to enable WFA will be greater than ever.