Articles about Pandemic

With COVID-19 as the backdrop, the last two years have been both scary and exhilarating for IT teams as they delivered innovation at previously unimaginable speeds.

During this time, CIOs have overseen the enablement of remote working for millions of employees and shifted numerous legacy systems to the cloud. But as we emerge from the IT battlefield of COVID-19, what does the post-pandemic landscape look like? What new challenges will the coming months pose, and how can IT departments prepare themselves for the next wave of disruption? Below are three recommendations for where to focus IT efforts in the near term while continuing to drive business value by leveraging the speed and power of modern innovations. Let’s begin by looking backwards.

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Local councils in the UK report a 27 percent increase in the use of digital services over the 12 months from summer 2020, compared to the previous year.

Digital experience company Acquia used freedom of information requests to compile the report, which also suggests the UK government’s drive to encourage usage of digital services is bearing fruit with local councils making considerable strides to improve accessibility.

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During the pandemic banks have undergone a rapid digital adoption process, with 89 percent boosting their implementation of technology by as much as five years.

Research by analytics company SAS shows traditional banks have overseen a marked rise in the adoption of new technologies with 93 percent accelerating their digital adoption compared to 87 percent of challenger banks.

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A new report from IT management specialist Flexera looks at how organizations have adapted their technology to meet the demands imposed by the pandemic.

It reveals information technology asset management (ITAM) trends relating to responsibilities and challenges introduced by the increased use of new IT environments such as software-as-a-service (SaaS), cloud and containers.

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A new report from HP Wolf Security reveals that 76 percent of IT teams admit security has taken a backseat to business continuity during the pandemic, while 91 percent feel pressure to compromise security for business continuity.

It also shows that almost half (48 percent) of younger office workers (18-24 years old) surveyed view security tools as a hindrance, leading to nearly a third (31 percent) trying to bypass corporate security policies to get their work done.

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We’re a year and a half into the COVID-19 pandemic, and burnout is hitting employees hard. Recently, Okta CEO Todd McKinnon used an all-hands meeting with employees to underline the importance of taking vacation. In April, LinkedIn announced it was giving the entire company a full week off to unplug, recharge and help curb burnout. 

For security teams, burnout isn’t a new phenomenon. Given the need to always be on and ready, cybersecurity professionals already face high levels of stress, and the pandemic has added to increasing and alarming burnout rates. On the heels of the Exchange, Kaseya, and SolarWinds attacks, it’s no surprise that cybersecurity teams are overworked and exceptionally stressed -- we’re under a lot of pressure.

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A quick look at the Forbes Global 2000 will tell you that not many businesses stand the test of time. To endure throughout the ages, organizations must regularly adapt and reinvent themselves to keep up with new developments. Never has this received wisdom been more apt than throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, where many businesses have had to adjust their offerings and operations to stay relevant in the remote climate.

In the aftermath of the pandemic, this sentiment will continue to be vital. Indeed, as vaccination rates climb, and nations worldwide begin to ease their lockdowns and restrictions, many governments will be scrapping their 'work from home' guidelines. That said, this doesn’t mean companies plan to return to their old ways. As such, decision-makers will require a plan of action to make the decisions necessary to keep up with new trends.

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Enterprise cloud developers believe open source will be key to the future of their organizations, as businesses look to restart growth post-pandemic.

Research from Finnish software company Aiven surveyed 200 UK developers in large companies and shows that 90.5 percent say open source will be a part of the future of their organizations.

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Aging infrastructure, legacy tools and outdated strategy. Businesses today that have one or more of these issues are quickly realizing that they're not set up for success.

As we start to see signs that the pandemic is getting under control in some places, many companies are finding themselves faced with the reality that they were ill prepared to handle the tumultuous nature of the past 12 months. Those who've struggled to make it this far are realizing it's time for more than just a refresh of their old systems. A new approach is needed.

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A new report from cloud business management company Sage reveals that 52 percent of companies say they have accelerated digital transformation plans by three years or more due to the demands of lockdown.

The study of more than 1000 finance leaders across US small and mid-size businesses also shows a growing confidence that they will return to pre-pandemic revenue levels by the end of 2021.

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We’re nowhere close to being out of the woods just yet, with COVID-19 death rates in the US still averaging around a 1,000 a day, but we're starting to get there at last thanks in part to a robust vaccination program.

However, the after-effects of the pandemic's impact will linger long after the illness subsides. According to new research, a lot of people are losing their jobs as a result of automation. 

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Developers are key to recovery from the pandemic according to 91 percent of UK businesses in a new survey, and 95 percent see them as crucial to digital transformation projects too.

But the study from cloud communications platform Twilio finds that the majority are not yet unlocking the full power of developers.

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The year 2020 was challenging to say the least. Between the pandemic, shutdowns, wildfires and other natural disasters, most of us will look forward to a new beginning in 2021. However, the pandemic response in 2020 will have a lasting impact on how and where consumers and businesses will use networks services, how service providers will build out their networks, and where they will invest in additional capacity.   

On that basis, here are a few predictions for 2021 for service providers: 

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The threat of a global pandemic is alarming, but at least in this case, IT has some advance notice to prepare for the worst-case scenario. You do not want to be caught without a plan if local governments institute a quarantine or local schools are closed for several weeks. And even if we avoid a pandemic -- fingers crossed -- the planning you did won’t be in vain.

It’s important for every organization to always have a plan to deal with disasters large and small, whether it’s flooding, inclement winter weather or a particularly bad cold that sends half your team home. Here are the steps you should take to put together your plan and prepare for a potential pandemic.

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