A post pandemic world: A technologist's thoughts on professional and social change

It’s sometimes hard to imagine life returning to normal. Nevertheless, this pandemic, like those of the past, will eventually recede, but it won’t leave us unchanged. COVID-19 has already had a dramatic impact on our lives and how we interact, conduct business and obtain the products and services we need.

As chief technology officer of a technology service provider, it’s my job to consider how such events will shape business so we can adjust the services we deliver accordingly. Naturally, I have specific thoughts on topics like backup and disaster recovery as a service (DRaaS), but I also have to consider societal changes and the ways in which businesses and consumers will utilize technology moving forward. So, what will a world after COVID-19 look like? Here are a few observations and thoughts.

Remote Control

Businesses are quickly adopting a work from home mentality. In tech, this is something many of us have already embraced and executed effectively for years. Still, remember at first how many employers and managers wondered if working from home meant goofing off? We now know it’s usually the opposite; remote actually tends to turn into longer hours, and there’s less time spent on chit chat around the water cooler and going out for lunch.

You can expect employers to realize they’re getting "more bang for the buck" with remote staff. Likewise, employees will realize they can be just as effective from home without enduring a long commute or incurring gas and parking expenses. The trick is to establish boundaries that’ll ensure a healthy work/life balance. Those who struggle with being productive at home are going to have to figure it out. Those who can’t shut it off at the end of the day will quickly burnout.

We’ll see HR departments at large organizations begin issuing guidance for at-home workers to manage their time, set these boundaries and avoid burnout.

As we continue down the road of mandatory work from home, the "virtual office" will become more common and acceptable. It’s likely this will become the new norm in a post-virus world. That will take a toll on the commercial real estate industry and will increase the need for higher-quality last-mile bandwidth to the home.

It will lead to lower carbon emissions and introduce new innovations for better collaboration, communication and control over remote work as well. We’re already seeing Zoom and other conferencing platforms rapidly rolling out updates with additional functionality, especially around enhancing the security of their products.

Shaking it up Socially

As part of the effects of social distancing, the business handshake will disappear. Once used as a warm greeting - to seal deals and solidify partnerships -- this tradition had already been fading for years. It’s now being replaced by contracts, many of which are moving digitally, with that bonding taking place over a video conference.

Other interactions like in-person meetings, holding open the door, even signing papers with shared pens, will likely change. Many will also continue to use the collaboration tools they’ve grown accustomed to during mandatory work from home.

Official cleaning and sanitation standards for public spaces and offices may be established that far exceed pre-virus levels of cleanliness. There’s the potential for businesses to pop up with products focused on offering sanitation above and beyond what we had in the past. I know of at least one pesticide business now being leveraged to fog public buildings for sanitation purposes. They are able to use their tools and personal protective gear to re-tool the business for public service. Use of these services could become legally mandated, especially if treatments and a vaccine take a while to develop.

Special Delivery

It’s not just about pizza anymore -- the realm of home delivery is rapidly expanding. While many already get items from companies like Amazon and Walmart, even those staunch late adopters will begin to use it now, particularly if they’re older and physically vulnerable.

Food delivery services are already here, ranging from Instacart’s grocery delivery to full online meals from companies like Blue Apron. These types of services will become even more popular, as will the delivery of products that previously hadn’t been shipped direct to door. And while some consumers may have balked at delivery charges or slightly higher costs in the past, that barrier to adoption will fall in balancing cost versus the risk incurred by physically going to retail stores.

The logistics of delivery will become more optimized, too, similar to how Amazon has continued to grow their operations over time, streamlining processes to drive lower costs and provide near-instant delivery times. As a result, we might see growth in new products designed to sanitize items before they’re brought into the home along with other services to facilitate continued social distancing.

All of this will have a profound impact on brick-and-mortar retail, which had already been on a managed decline for over a decade.

Solve and Evolve

Necessity is the mother of invention and we’ve seen some pretty quick fixes for overcoming new daily life challenges. This is a fast-moving situation, one that will undoubtedly change the way that society and businesses conduct itself once COVID-19 is over.

We’ll continue to solve, and we’ll continue to evolve. We’ve got this.

Image credit: Linda Bestwick / Shutterstock

Jim Klossner is CTO of OffsiteDataSync, a J2 Global business and leading provider of cloud data protection solutions including Infrastructure-as-a-Service, Disaster-Recovery-as-a-Service and Backup-as-a-Service. OffsiteDataSync is a multi-year, award-winning Platinum Veeam Cloud Service Provider (VCSP). It has been ranked a Top 100 Global Cloud Service Provider by Penton Media since 2013.