The Pandemic Reshapes Business

By Geeman Yip, BitTitan founder and CEO

If 2020 has taught us anything, it's a stark reminder that business is unpredictable, and we can never be too prepared. By assessing how 2020 has unfolded, and what we know about the pandemic, there are some trends we can anticipate in 2021. Businesses should continue to adapt and be agile in the year ahead. Here are five industry predictions for 2021.

COVID-19 will impact business for the full year

Given the rise of COVID-19 infections and the need for mass distribution of vaccines, the pandemic likely won't ease off until fall of 2021. Because of this, the current operating state will continue, but we at least have a better understanding of what to expect. As we enter 2021, businesses should begin to prepare for the "new normal" which includes rethinking of office space, planning for a subset of employees who do not wish to return to the office, and having better business continuity during future outbreaks. The new norm will also include more scrutiny of large expenses, increased cash reserves, and a rethinking of employee engagement and productivity, technology enablement, and customer engagement with less travel. Realistically, we shouldn't expect to move on from the pandemic until January 2022.

A shift in workplace culture and norms

Some of the routines and procedures that we've adopted to handle this pandemic will not go away. Socially distant work will continue long after 2021. Some companies are already shifting to allow employees to work from home indefinitely and live anywhere. We will see companies create more open space for collaborative work, like a WeWork-style co-working space, and rely on more conference rooms that allow employees to spread out when they return to the office. We will see fewer desks as employees increasingly work from home even after a return to the office is considered safe, and increased use of "hot desks," or desks shared by multiple workers at different shifts. Contact tracing, temperature checks and increased sanitization will also continue long after the pandemic.

Cloud adoption intensifies

As we continue some level of remote working, operating businesses with a mindset of having a full remote workforce is important. This will allow organizations to adapt in real-time to employee needs, whether it be transitioning from office to remote or vice versa. Having a technology strategy to support this will ensure a business continuity plan that is not reliant on where employees are operating. Businesses will continue investing in cloud-based solutions in 2021, moving even more operations and workloads. At the start of the pandemic, some companies were already well along their path, but it takes considerable time and money to move everything to the cloud. These businesses will continue the transition to the cloud, and some will further themselves into a 100-percent cloud world.

Increased focus on IT optimization -- efficiency and productivity prioritized

With one or more remote workers, technology plays an important role in effective communication and productivity of employees. Companies will invest on two fronts: First, there will be increased focus on IT optimization, such as automation technology, to reduce repetitive tasks such as provisioning and deprovisioning, auditing, and compliance. Specifically, companies will leverage technology that enables them to understand how people are using software deployed within the company, audit security policies and access control, and increase cost optimization of technology purchased. Purchasing of technology alone does not boost productivity solely from new software investments and is only part of the equation. The real work comes on the second front: ushering in a cultural shift that promotes technology understanding and engagement. Companies will use software monitoring insights to design and deliver employee trainings to increase the adoption rate, share best practices, and have a real impact on overall productivity. Monitoring usage patterns will also help businesses assess the correct spending on licenses and identify software that is no longer being used and, therefore, should be discontinued.

Social selling gains prominence

Conferences will continue in a virtual format in the coming year and our approach to sales will shift. This will propel social connecting and social selling to new heights as people seek opportunities for one-to-one connection and reinforce partnerships with people they trust. It will lead to more direct contact between people and their followers on social channels such as LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. People will seek out information directly from those with the expertise they need. At the end of the day, people buy from people, so usage of video will be important to create that human interaction through digital communication. These digital strategies will continue far beyond this pandemic.

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About the Author 

Geeman Yip is the founder and CEO of BitTitan, a SaaS-based cloud enablement provider based in Bellevue, Washington. Geeman founded BitTitan in 2007 to help IT service providers and businesses assess, deploy and manage technology solutions in a rapidly changing cloud world. Prior to BitTitan, Geeman was a program manager for Microsoft Exchange, architecting what would become the foundation for today's Office 365 suite. He has over two decades' worth of experience in software and IT spaces.