What will our world be like after COVID, and is my business prepared to handle it?
What should be my first priority in the “new normal”?
Whenever I hold an e-meet these days with customers, there are always these questions I get, usually mixed with undertones of grave concern:
These are genuine concerns. The uncertainty Covid-19 has brought along is bound to continue for some time. This has shaken the confidence of industries by the roots.
Yes, optimistically the new normal is arriving, but are we ready to meet it head-on?
Digital is no longer the underdog – it’s the hero!
If you ask me, I see two broad themes emerging in the aftermath of this disruption:
- Accelerated technology adoption to restore operations, plug gaps and suit-up
- Heightened focus on mobility, remote work and e-collaboration
Before the new normal, there was universal, and often pervasive, talk of digital transformation and entrenching next-generation technologies in the business core. But the current situation proves a lot of companies stalled on this priority – and dearly paid the price.
Now, the focus for the survivors among them would be to return to normal quickly, while increasing long-term resilience. For example, as this article on Digitalist examines, manufacturing industries would look to get to Industry 4.0 faster, which will assist with social distancing and improve future readiness.The need to drive operations from anywhere, anytime, will also assume priority.
AI and automation, AR/VR technologies, cloud-based ERPs like SAP Business ByDesign, collaborative tools, network security – all of these transformative technologies will be pushed to the forefront with brute force.
In the eye of this storm is digital transformation. Because, the success of all these technology solutions is contingent on how deeply a company is willing to transform its core and drive across-the-board digital adoption.
So to answer the question: We may return to normalcy soon enough to the world after COVID, but our perceptions and priorities are forever changed. For businesses to regain confidence and move past this dark chapter in history, they must start by putting digital transformation on the map.
It is the best and only starting point.
Let me know your thoughts and questions for the new normal.
By: Venkat Nanduri
