COVID-19: Digital readiness and the impact of Digital Transformation
A rare opportunity to communicate and work differently
The start of 2020 is not a pleasant one. Faced with a novel coronavirus, COVID-19, as named by the World Health Organisation (WHO), it had changed the way how people live all around the world. This includes commuting, working and the social lives that we once accustomed to.
Digital Transformation
Digital Transformation by definition is the use of new, fast and frequently changing digital technology to solve problems. Four technologies are enabling this: Data Science, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), automation and the cloud. We will not go in-depth on these technologies as the main focus in this article is on leveraging digital platforms that allowed us to change the way we live and continue with life in a difficult time.
Virtual Meetings
While some companies have already imposed telecommuting due to the pandemic outbreak worldwide, some have not done so because of the uncertainties they may face. Communication is key in businesses as meetings and presentations are involved. To solve these problems, there are commutation platforms in the market to meet the needs of these virtual meetings.
Communication platforms are the following, not limited to, and by no means stranger to most people:
Platform as a Service
Social distancing and putting people in isolation is the key to fighting this pandemic. Most governments from around the world should have already imposed restrictions travelling to crowded areas. Shopping malls have also started to limit the number of people entering at one time. Governments have also placed people in isolation, usually the ones at higher risks, from interacting with anyone.
With all these restrictions in place, we need a way to continue with life. To solve these problems, we have platform services such as online eCommerce to do shopping and platforms to order food delivery. As such, these platforms became rampant in demand. We now can have deliveries right at our doorsteps without having to get in contact with anyone.
5G — IoT network infrastructure
While the worlds anticipate the arrival of 5G, they are solely for use in the consumer markets.
5G is the foundation for realizing the full potential of IoT. While 5G is set for commercial availability sometime around 2020, the industry is already working to develop new global standards and pre 5G products to benefit industries everywhere.
A great article on 5G and the Internet of Things (IoT) written by Ericsson below.
As such, China placed 5G networking in their handling of the virus outbreak. Some examples include the Chinese doctors using the technology to do remote COVID-19 diagnosis and remote CT scans with great success.
Looking ahead
Digital Transformation is not just about businesses integrating or innovating new technologies. There are platforms and tools that empower people to work in new and different ways. While this is just the beginning, lessons can be learned to improve from the process. In an eventful period, we faced with a rare opportunity to put our digital readiness to the test. And with the continuous success of our progress, only can we move on further and better.
This article is written in the opinion of the author.
