Effects of COVID-19: IT and Security
I’m watching and learning from global reaction to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. There’s no doubt that some countries have handled it better than others. Some have also had some “nasty surprises” …
The time for “blame games” and recriminations will come later; let’s first learn from the different types of “fallout” we’ve seen. My first article was on “Social Fallout”. After that I wrote about “Supply Chain Fallout”. Travel & Tourism came next, followed by a closer look at the Garment Industry. The last was Leadership & Administration. This week, it’s IT and security implications…
The first effect that many of us may have noticed is a massive surge in demand for internet services as people have stayed at, and worked from, home (if they could). Their children have gone online for classes. Orders to supermarket and other online delivery platforms have skyrocketed. As a result, speed has slowed down for many as the “system” struggled to cope with unforeseen demand.
Teachers have had to deliver classes and courses online, sometimes with interesting results, as the Zoom class at a Singapore school found out. A very real problem was that the ability to take advantage of remote learning depends on bandwidth, familiarity of teachers with remote teaching devices and systems, pupils struggled to get access to bandwidth and even to PCs.
This creates a potentially new inequality of “internet have-nots”. Extending this from schools, other classes of people without access to internet, devices or both will also arise. The information age is not yet a universal blessing…
We can expect to see accelerated growth in the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and perhaps a corresponding increase in layoffs and furloughs as companies review their position and need for physically present workers. One sector where this is unlikely to happen is frontline healthcare.
The ability to work from home will from now on be critical. Laptops, mobiles, remote access, printer, one’s own space will be built into more corporate Business Continuity Plans. Distance working will become more the “norm” rather than the exception as it was before COVID-19 reared its head. Video conferencing will take over, (resulting in fewer business trips and less air pollution?)
On the security side, a host of cyber security issues will arise as more work remotely without the added protection of a centralised office and its firewalls, anti-virus software and on-site IT department.
With the rise in internet usage, service providers will need to work harder to ensure robust infrastructure (the servers, portals, cables, masts and other paraphernalia necessary to deliver service). The tiny country of Brunei experienced a brief but significant drop in services due to three of the five undersea cables in the region going down exactly when demand for internet services was surging...
Denials of service will also become a more serious threat. It’ll be much easier to cause significant damage by attacking “sensitive” or “critical service providers with viruses or other threats. Expect a growth in demand for cyber security experts.
With the increase in e-commerce, e-conferencing and e-interactivity generally, our increased dependence on technology will no doubt give rise to other, as yet unseen, threats. One such issue is that data gathering both for e-commerce and contact tracing may see more privacy concerns. Question: will people be more prepared to give up privacy to save lives?
Yes, we’re going to have to get used to a very different way of doing things.
It’s not all “doom and gloom”, however. but businesses that can adapt to the new “Tech-normal” will thrive. Demand for online goods delivery and for services of all sorts will increase. Online goods and service delivery will become much more common as people reduce their chance of becoming infected by ordering online, saving lives and creating new jobs.
With increased use of video conferencing and online deliveries, we should see less travel to supermarkets, meaning lower carbon emissions and a chance to repair our ozone layer.
The world is going to change – perhaps for the better?
I’ve spent more than half my life delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to “emerging” economies. With more than 20 years in international financial services around the world running different operations and lending businesses, I started my own Consultancy to provide solutions for improving performance, productivity and risk management. I work with individuals, small businesses, charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across the world. An international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email. My website provides a full picture of my portfolio of services. For strategic questions that you should be asking yourself, follow me at @wkm610.
Labels: Crisis Management, Customer Care, Leadership, Productivity, Strategy, Teamwork
posted by William Martin @ 08:41
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