COVID-19 has eliminated the option of whether a business should invest in collaboration software.

Ensuring that your company has access to the right workplace technology is your key to survival through the coronavirus crisis.

A report published by Gartner, a global research and advisory firm providing information, advice, and tools for leaders in IT, finance, communications, and more, has confirmed how the use of digital tools will better prepare enterprises to endure the long and short terms effects of this global pandemic.

In Gartner’s report (1), there is a clear emphasis on the influence of the chief information officer’s role to ensure that companies have access to technology that will enable them to remain resilient against coming disruptions and equip them for what may happen next.

The report said,

While organisations may be in a crisis mode to cope with short-term impacts, there are long-term impacts of which they should be aware of. When traditional channels and operations are impacted by the outbreak, the value of digital channels, products and operations become immediately obvious, and CIOs can present a more convincing business case. This is a wake-up call for organisations that focus on daily operational needs at the expense of investing in digital business and long-term resilience. Organisations that can rebalance business priorities and technology investment are in a much better position to capture future growth.

A clear pathway to workplace technologies is essential to continue to operate in this current business climate. For companies looking to pursuing a “business as usual” approach with customers, moving team meetings digital and maintaining company culture and a sense of teamwork with virtual team beers and online “pub” quizzes is no longer an option. A robust digital workplace strategy and the integration of collaboration tools that enable your employees to work remotely, while ensuring appropriate security limitations and network support is in place, is the key to protect and develop your business and your people during this crisis.

To help reduce the spread of COVID-19, we, at TwistedPair, have taken precautionary steps to prioritise the safety and health of our team. These measures include employees working from home until further notice. We have seen a minimal impact on our communications due to our existing digital and agile working approach, and 80% of our workforce able to work from anywhere.

We are a technology integration partner of choice to Dropbox, a global file hosting technology firm, assisting them in their objective to build a smart workspace. In a recent blog ‘Preparing for distributed work’, they spoke openly about reaching their goal of online collaboration for their people on a worldwide scale (2), 

Our IT team’s goal is to maintain as much continuity with our normal working culture as possible within this new world of distributed work. Our philosophy to accomplish this is a balance between trust in our employees, a frictionless technology experience so they can keep projects moving forward, and security to protect our IP.

So, what comes next…

With large technology firms already leading the way with digital tools and remote working, and COVID forcing many others to embrace the same to survive, could this cause a distributed work revolution?

A recent article from The Guardian (3) said, 

Those sorts of investments have prompted many to wonder if companies that embrace remote working in a crisis may find it sticks around as normality returns. It is harder to say no to employee requests for working from home if HR has already bought them a new desk – and it is easier to view the investment as a sensible one if it pays off for years, rather than months, to come.

The column continued,

Millions of people will get the chance to experience days without long commutes, or the harsh inflexibility of not being able to stay close to home when a family member is sick… This might be a chance for a great reset in terms of how we work.

As global experts in workplace communications, we believe that with the right technological investments, that you can build better business resilience while discovering new and unexpected opportunities for company growth.

We are offering a free technology consultation to companies who are struggling to adapt to remote working. If you would like some time with one of our technology professionals, to learn more about the benefits of adopting the right technology for your business, please email sales@twistedpair.co.uk quoting the reference ‘TECH-TALK’ today.

Alternatively, if you are looking for collaboration software to make your operations and workplace smarter, please visit our website to learn more about our services – www.twistedpair.co.uk.